BradAnthony11

The manual that came with my Son's new Rossi youth muzzleloader says to only use pyrodex pellets. So I call them and they said I could also use 777 pellets but I had planned on using 777 granular. I asked them why and the guy said it was a realiability issue and you could get hurt if it didn't go off and ended up going off later. Isn't the powder more realiable than the pellets. Of course I am not going to look down the barrel if it doesn't go off. Any advice? Do you think they know what they are talking about?

BradAnthony11

Here is something funny. I found this review that they put up on their website:

The miniloader printed a 5 shot group inside 1.5 inches at 50 yards with 50 grains of loose powder!

frontier gander

i'd be sending it back to them and buying something else. It appears they have no clue what they are doing and i wouldnt feel safe dealing with a company like that.

cayugad

I did a speed read of the manual. It states if the youth shooter is recoil sensitive, they suggest one pellet be used. If they are not recoil sensitive then two pellets are allowed. The one pellet suggestion was only for the benefit of the young people that might be shooting it if you were worried about the kick.

You can use loose powder in that rifle. I personally would not exceed 100 grains of any powder and you should be fine. 100 grains of powder and the right projectile will be a deer killer out to 150 yards, so you should be fine there.

I would start out with 70 grains of Triple Se7en 2f and a 240 grain XTP in .452 diameter. I think that should be accurate. Then move the powder charge up until the recoil is too much for the young shooter or until the group falls apart. Powerbelts might also work good in that rifle.

After you get a set load, then you can experiment with different loads and powders until you find exactly what you want to shoot. Good luck with your rifle. Keep us posted as to how well it shoots.

heinz57

my 5 th muzzleloader is a ROSSI .50cal ..and have not had an issue with it ..i use 2 pellets of T7 [100gr.] and .260 gr. DEAD CENTERS ..i don't get the crude ring in the ROSSI that i used to get with my TRADITION LT and PRO ..i would not worry about shooting loose powder ,as long as u keep the powder load at 100gr.

BradAnthony11

Hey Cayugad,

I had thought about starting out with around 50 grains of 777 granular with a bullett around 200 grains. Would this be sufficient for 40-50 yards on deer?

cayugad

A book I have about muzzleloading (traditional rifles) and everything you wanted to know, mentions the author's favorite deer load. 50 grains of Goex 2f and a .50 caliber 177 grain patched roundball out of his flintlock. His idea being,he liked to get all the energy of the projectile to expel inside the animal. Now I personally do not agree with his view. I like a hole all the way through the animal. But I have heard others with his opinion and they sure kill a lot of deer.

I think with 50 grains of Triple Se7en 2f and a 200 grain projectile, it might be a good short range deer load. I honestly never shot that light of a load at a deer first off unless you count a 177 grain roundball. I shot a couple deer with just 70 grains of Pyrodex RS and a roundball and they did not run far. I actually got pass through with that load.

I think if I were going to go that light and at those close ranges, I would expect that I would not get a pass through using a modern projectile, although they might go through the animal just fine. For that reason I would want a bullet that would expand and do lots of damage. So I would go with something like a 240 grain XTP, 245 grain powerbelt, or a 250 grain Speer Gold Dot. Be ready to do a little tracking, as they might not drop on the spot.

Another option is a maxiball. With 50 grains and the weight of the maxiball, recoil should be light, and penetration and wound channel should be massive. A maxiball how ever is 370 grains.

It sounds like you might have some recoil concerns. That's fine. Young people need to be considered when picking your powder charge. Although we had an 8 year old shooting 70 grains of Pyrodex RS and a roundball with no problem. This little guy was so small he had to rest the rifle on a railing because he could not hold the rifle up long enough to get on target. Yet he touched it off, hit what he aimed at, and laughed all afternoon.

Start them out with 50 grains, and let them be the judge of recoil. If they think they can shoot a little stronger, then increase 5 grains at a time. It might surprise you how powerful they are willing to go. Although, if the rifle is scoped, keep an eye on them. I am sure you will stress proper stance, hold, etc which is the first step in reducing recoil as we all know.

Good luck.