i am elk hunting with my black powder here shortly and I am not going to ly i dont do good with heavy recoil. Is 100 grains of pyrdex to light or will it do the job, also what grain bullet should i be shooting i am hopeing to not have to shoot over 150 yards well that me refraze that i will not shoot over 150 yard. thanks for the help.
marshall

Lots of folks out here use 100 grain charges for elk hunting. Combined with a good conical, this will work well out to 150 yards or so. I am told by the owner of the Shootin Den in Colorado Springs that the most popular elk load out here is currently a 348 gr. Powerbelt ahead of 100 grains of Triple 7. You might get less recoil, however,out ofan equivelant velocity charge of BM3 - or even loose Pyrodex.

The 385 grain Buffalo bullet is also worth trying with a 100 grain charge. One of the most experienced elk hunters I know uses this bullet ahead of 100 grain of Pyrodex Select. Has a cigar box full of mushroomed bullets recovered from elk over the past 40 years. They work!

I've never had the pleasure to hunt elk with a muzzleloader. Soon I hope to change all of that. As for 100 grains and a good projectile, before all these magnum loads came out onto the black market field, most of the rifles were limited to 120 grains of powder according to the gun makers, some even less then that. A lot of elk were taken with charges around the 100 grain range. Also if extra powder causes uncomfortable recoil, then you will start to flinch which will effect accuracy. The most important thing is to put that shot in the right place and let the bullet do the rest of the work. I have no doubt it will take an elk....

Good luck!!

I only have one piece of evidence that says 100grains of Pyro WILL kill elk.

My trophy and I are second row, on the right. Grossed 368" netted 364": http://www.nmtrophyhunts.com/elk.htm

That was in 98 and was with my lil ol 22" Wolverine with 100grains of Pyro under 250grn Xbullets. At 100yds the bullets would strike 3" high but at 150 they would dive nearly 6". But I killed ALOT of deer with that exact gun and load out too as much as 175.

LOL the bull was only 30yds away, he stoodup on his hindlegs and crashed off through the timber and piled up 20yds away. The lil bullet made it through both HUGE lungs on that beast!

I had a new respect for dat lil ol Wolvie after that hunt,
RA

I have nothing to add, everyone has already hit it on the nose. I couldnt agree more a 100 grain charge and good penetrating bullet will deffinately do the trick.

Red..

Just let me say that is a beautiful animal. Some day you will have to post the story of that hunt. Wow.. that is the kind of animal I hope to shoot someday with my flintlock...

Thanks cayu. He certainly is my "trophy of a lifetime" and came onthe last morning of a 5 day hunt! []As good as other places are there just aint NOTHING like "The Gila" (with the exeception being White Mtn. Apache, I WILL hunt there one day but it will be when the bank account is a lil "over abundant" and the wife wont find out about it until I am already on a plane too Phoenix!) and the quality of the bulls there.

My brother laughed at my lil wolvie. When we got there he was like, "I can't believe you would bring a $200 gun on a elk hunt in The Gila"... LOL who was laughing the night before we left for home tho? His then new stainless, disc Knight took a 280" bull too my nearly 370"er

It aint the arrow it's the indian behind it,
RA

Red..

I got one of those Knight Wolverine II LK-93 with the 22" barrel and when it come to accuracy, the little rifle is hard to beat. Even with the #11 cap ignition, it goes off perfect rain or shine. And it is nice to carry in the woods. I shoot the 250 grain Barnes Expanders out of it, and it is deadly. I only shoot open sights or I throw a red dot on it, since scopes are illegal here.

Yep, I still have mine (lol but she wasretired for a Savage MLII last fall) and wouldn't hesitate to take her back out. In fact thats partially the reason I keep her, for when I hunt states that don't allow my Savage. On that elk hunt in 98 I still had #11s myself. It wasn't until a year or two later that I put a 209 kit and went too 777 pellets in her, and that was more for fartsNgiggles than out of necessity.

The ONE upgrade I am thankful for was a scope change I made before that elk hunt. I removedthe ol Japanese built Trashco 3x9x40 WorldClass(lol that has NEVER given me one seconds trouble since I bought it over a dozen years ago, in fact it is now back on the Wolvie) and replaced it with a 3x9x40 VariXII Leupy. THE very first morning the gun slipped off my shoulder on a steep grade and slammed objective edge first onto a large flat rock!!! The edge of the objective bell was bent slightly and the matte was removed but my guide assured me, "Relax man it's a Leupold". We re-cheched the zero at camp during lunch with a couple shots @ 100yds and it never skipped a beat. Whether or not the Tasco woulda took the blow is anyones guess, but thats water under the bridge.

I can also say that in nearly 10 years of use with the #11 Wolvie with 100grn loadsINEVER had a misfire with her either. Like I said I only changed up stuff for the heck of it!
RA