ORIGINAL: petasux
A couple friends of mine have been arguing about bullet wieght in thier muzzleloaders.The first claims heavier bullets are better as they do more damage, the other shoots much lighter bullets and claims they shoot flatter and are more accurate on longer shots.
Personally I shoot about a 250 grain bullet of one type or another in all my guns and never had a problem with either knock down power or accuracy once I found the right load.Theyre going to the other extrems, one shoots bullets over 300 grains, the other Ive seen shoot bullets as light as 165 grains.
What is the average bullet wieght you all use?
Avg Weight 300g. I like 300g since they shoot thru deer, 250g and lighter don't. Throw a ping pong ball into a snow bank and a golf ball, which penetrates deeper into the snow bank, they heavier ball, same with bullets. It is basically a trajectory and range question, most people that shoot long ---shoot lighter bullets to get the range, but they really don't have to. I believe if you know your bullet and know your gun, you can shoot 200 yards with a 300g bullet, by sighting in 3.5" high a 100, and out to about 175 you will be in kill zone. I believe 200 yards is maximum range for a scoped ML, as least for me. Definitely more weight is better. Chuck Adams shoot heavier arrows, why? better penetration, same for bullets. It is#1. accuracy, #2 penetration, #3 expansion, #4 shoot thru.
Chap Gleason