Season over, time for some changes?
01-02-2006, 08:40 PM
#1
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Location: One mile east of West Podunk Tx
Posts: 5,973
Season over, time for some changes?
Well, my deer season came to an end yesterday. I didn't kill a deer with my ML but have gotten a couple of hogs. As you may know I've been looking into a new scope for my gun. I may also change some other things. This may be a long post so I'm warning you.
First here is what I'm shooting now.
CVA Grey Wolf .50 Percussion
Pyrodex Select 90g
Powerbelt 245gr hollowpoint
OK, the CVA has a 1 in 32 twist. I use this gun on deer and hogs and even took a turkey with it last year. But mostly deer and hogs. Will I have better range and accuracy with sabots? Or is this a case of try it and see?
Also I shot American Pioneer for a while and had problems with accuracy after just a shot or two. I think the ad about thousands of shots without cleaning is BS. I liked how easy it was to clean. The pyrodex takes forever to clean. What other powder can I try that might shoot straight and clean fast?
I still have to figure out what to do about a scope. However the praise ya'll give to the Bushnell dawn to dusk may sway me.
Any advise on my setup and the best shooting combo of powder & projectile would be appreciated!
First here is what I'm shooting now.
CVA Grey Wolf .50 Percussion
Pyrodex Select 90g
Powerbelt 245gr hollowpoint
OK, the CVA has a 1 in 32 twist. I use this gun on deer and hogs and even took a turkey with it last year. But mostly deer and hogs. Will I have better range and accuracy with sabots? Or is this a case of try it and see?
Also I shot American Pioneer for a while and had problems with accuracy after just a shot or two. I think the ad about thousands of shots without cleaning is BS. I liked how easy it was to clean. The pyrodex takes forever to clean. What other powder can I try that might shoot straight and clean fast?
I still have to figure out what to do about a scope. However the praise ya'll give to the Bushnell dawn to dusk may sway me.
Any advise on my setup and the best shooting combo of powder & projectile would be appreciated!
01-02-2006, 09:08 PM
#2
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: Season over, time for some changes?
I would think the 1-32 twist would shoot sabots. Although I would be more inclined to shoot conicals out of it. Perhaps some of the CVA Buckslayer Conical with around 90 grains of 2f, maybe some ball-ets in around the 270 grain range, or some of the medium to large conicals out there in the 300+ grain range, I would also look at the R.E.A.L. conicals in your caliber.
I have a friend that many years ago bought a CVA .54 caliber inline with 1-32 twist. We worked a lot of different loads up for the rifle but found that conicals were the best shooting thing out of his rifle. He took everything from deer to bear with it.
I have a friend that many years ago bought a CVA .54 caliber inline with 1-32 twist. We worked a lot of different loads up for the rifle but found that conicals were the best shooting thing out of his rifle. He took everything from deer to bear with it.
01-02-2006, 09:24 PM
#3
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Idaho
Posts: 11,703
RE: Season over, time for some changes?
txrookie
I can not say I exactly know what you gun is, but a 1/32 twist will shoot sabots, but I am thinking it will do better with the heavier and longer bullet. I know my 1/48's will do OK with 45/250 grain bullets but do amazingly well with 45/300 grain bullets. I really not fond of expensive bullets, and I do consider the PB an expensive bullet. I shoot a ton of XTP's at paper, rocks, snow, just about anything. I can afford to do that and I can shoot alot. I also shoot t7 in both my sidelocks and my inlines. I really like the performance of this powder and i do not consider it a bad fouling powder or a problem to clean, a lot easier than some of the others. It certainly is not as corrosive as others also. I use to shoot a lot of Pyro but really like the t7 better.
If you do choose try sabots, make sure you choose a sabot that is not a bear to load. They are out there it is just a matter of finding the right one. And as you stated I think it is a "matter of try it and see if it works"
The bullet I am using right now is showing me a lot of promise - the Speer Gold Dots both the 250 and the 300 grain bullets. They are bonded and they seem to be really tough and they are accurate. I gotta tell you though I do hunt elk with one of those exspensive bullets that I was telling you about - I do use Nosler partitions.
Scopes - it is a matter of how much money you want to spend... the one thing I would recommend is really look hard at a scope with a Mil-Dot reticle - this is a great tool when you learn how to use the dots an the various ranges that you shoot a muzzleloader across. The Bushnells are good scopes as a lot of others, but if you are planning on retaining this ML and hunting with it a lot I would step up to a bit better quality of lens than are offered in the lower end bushnells. Where I hunt here in Idaho you really have to hunt, you do not have a lot ofopportunity for food plots and tree stands - so I need a scope that will work in a variety of conditions - so with that in mind I have opted to get a mid ranged priced and quality scope. Certainly not the Leupold II's or III's that are on on my centerfires and I do not know why I consider my ML's a lesser quality gun than the centerfire - but I also know I will not be shooting across canyons or big clearcuts with the ML's.
Good luck in your off season seaching and shooting...
I can not say I exactly know what you gun is, but a 1/32 twist will shoot sabots, but I am thinking it will do better with the heavier and longer bullet. I know my 1/48's will do OK with 45/250 grain bullets but do amazingly well with 45/300 grain bullets. I really not fond of expensive bullets, and I do consider the PB an expensive bullet. I shoot a ton of XTP's at paper, rocks, snow, just about anything. I can afford to do that and I can shoot alot. I also shoot t7 in both my sidelocks and my inlines. I really like the performance of this powder and i do not consider it a bad fouling powder or a problem to clean, a lot easier than some of the others. It certainly is not as corrosive as others also. I use to shoot a lot of Pyro but really like the t7 better.
If you do choose try sabots, make sure you choose a sabot that is not a bear to load. They are out there it is just a matter of finding the right one. And as you stated I think it is a "matter of try it and see if it works"
The bullet I am using right now is showing me a lot of promise - the Speer Gold Dots both the 250 and the 300 grain bullets. They are bonded and they seem to be really tough and they are accurate. I gotta tell you though I do hunt elk with one of those exspensive bullets that I was telling you about - I do use Nosler partitions.
Scopes - it is a matter of how much money you want to spend... the one thing I would recommend is really look hard at a scope with a Mil-Dot reticle - this is a great tool when you learn how to use the dots an the various ranges that you shoot a muzzleloader across. The Bushnells are good scopes as a lot of others, but if you are planning on retaining this ML and hunting with it a lot I would step up to a bit better quality of lens than are offered in the lower end bushnells. Where I hunt here in Idaho you really have to hunt, you do not have a lot ofopportunity for food plots and tree stands - so I need a scope that will work in a variety of conditions - so with that in mind I have opted to get a mid ranged priced and quality scope. Certainly not the Leupold II's or III's that are on on my centerfires and I do not know why I consider my ML's a lesser quality gun than the centerfire - but I also know I will not be shooting across canyons or big clearcuts with the ML's.
Good luck in your off season seaching and shooting...
