bpbullets.........Now I'm going to turn the tables 180 degrees. I live in Massachusetts, down by Cape Cod. We hunt small pieces of land sometimes only a few acres. Most of the shots I get with the muzzleloader are well within 50 yards and most around 25 yards. We have thick, thick, thick briars and wetland vegitation. Do you think a heavier bullet (heavier than the 260gr I'm shooting in my TC) is better for shooting in the brush? I worry about bullet deflection with the lighter bullet. Where I hunt most of the time it's virtually impossible to get a wide open, clear shot. It's hard to find the right bullet to hunt this area. It's possible to get a shot on a powerline or a cranberry bog over 100 yards. It's like you either have to give up distance, or give up being able to shoot through the briars. My original thought on hunting here was to shoot the heaviest bullet I could. But I never had very accurate groups. With this 260 grain Winchester I'm happy with the groups I'm getting
(In the TC). Trying to find a happy medium. I have a hard time going in the woods with a gun shooting 2 - 3" groups at 50 yards because I'm shooting a super heavy bullet. Hunting Mass, like I'm sure many states, it's very diverse. You can hunt open oaks in the Berkshires, briar patches around my house or scrub oaks on the Islands, I hunt them all. Just thought I'd ask your opinion on this. My original post was because I was wondering how far these guns can shoot with the ability to effectively take down game. I'm sure I'll be ordering some bullets from the link you sent. I know a lot of this is trial and error, but I thought maybe you or someone else could give me some imput. Thanks A lot.........John