Deer Load
 

Just bought my firstinline muzzleloader,a CVA Wolf (all I can afford). Trying to figure out what to use as a deer load. Sales guy said to use 150 grain of pyrodex and powerbelt 295 grain hollow points so that I could shoot long distances and threw cover if needed. This seems alittle over kill to me (not to mention the beating my shoulder took while sighting it in).I'm planning on shots 60-100yrd in feilds and 50yrds or less in the woods.. sighting in at 100yrds. Any suggestion?

RE: Deer Load
 

Indy, I have a CVA Magbolt and I use only 100 grains with the 295 and that's plenty enough and less stress upon your shoulders. My groups are tight at 100 yards inch low but I can accept that.

RE: Deer Load
 

150 grains of powder is not needed. Unless your deer are real monsters in size, a simple 245 or 295 grain power belt with 100 grains of powder is all that is needed. I think I would go with the aero tips but that is a personal preference.

Another good load would be 85 grains of loose Triple Se7en and a 240 grain T/C Mag Express XTP sabot combination. These will take a lot of deer this year. They might not get pass through, but they will do a lot of damage if placed in the right spot.

If you want pass through, then look at perhaps a 250 grain Shockwave. You might want to grab a pack of Harverster Crushed Rib sabots also in case loading any of these is hard. Or you can purchase the sabots in bulk and the XTP in different sizes in bulk. They do not sell the SST's a.k.a. Shockwaves in bulk.

This is where I would start looking for my deer load. Then after season play with a lot of different projectiles and find one you really like....

RE: Deer Load
 

I had a CVA/BPI Beartooth, which is almost the same as the Wolf. I found that 90 gr of Triple Se7en behind a 45 cal (.452) 265 grain Speer hollow point and a Harvester Crush Rib (black) sabot gave me real good groups at 100 yards. I never shot a deer with it, but am sure it would do the job.
Good Luck!

RE: Deer Load
 

The only brush gun is a shot gun loaded with buck shot. All bullets can be deflected. As far as the load is concerned it is best to try different loads and use the most accurate hitting the right spot is more important than a few feet per second. Lee

RE: Deer Load
 

Sales guy wants you to spend money and buy hype. Cayugad's advice of 240gr XTP ('MagExpress') was sound; I've killed deer with them, most pass through unless they hit shoulder. But here is a deadly & inexpensive load: 90-100gr loose powder, and a TC 'Cheapshot' pure-lead sabot. You can get these packaged bullets/sabots for about $4/box of twenty - they're accurate, and deadly on deer. You'll get better performance than w/similarly weighted Powerbelts. I've killed two deer with them so far, they work as well or better than the very effective XTP. I know two deer isn't a big sample... but I'm jazzed. Cheap and effective, is a grat combination. I'm shooting them from a CVA.

RE: Deer Load
 

Ill second Cayugad's and Catus both loads will kill a lot of deer this year. Ive shot both loads and killed deer I have a Black Diamond XRwith about110 gr loose pyrodex with the 240gr XTP and the TC Cheapshot Both will give you great groups. If you have time i suggest using loose powder but i would use 777 im switching over after this year

RE: Deer Load
 

Thanks to all. Goin to the range this weekend. Gonna try the TC Cheap Shot, XTP 240gr., and 295 gr. and see which give me the best groups

RE: Deer Load
 

Let us know how it works out, Indyhunter. Start low on the powder. If the CheapShots work well... shoot a few with a really stout load, and let me know how they group. The cheapshots should load easily, IN A CLEAN BARREL.

RE: Deer Load
 

Hey I have a hwken tc and I use round ball and 70 grains of loose triple 7