I was going to turn in my homework as noted in another post but I can't find the cable for my camera.

This week I took delivery of a very nice stainless/laminatedWhite Ultra Mag .504 that I bought from forum member Tenmilephenom. I only had to work half a day today so I headed out to the range to give it a try. The gun has Fiber Optic sights which I'm not real use to but they seem to work fine, I may put a peep on this rifle just cause I like them better. The gun is set up with the musket cap BP so I went and bought some of those earlier this week, I like the size and ease of use they allow over the #11's. The gun functioned flawlessly.

I started off shooting 460 Bull Shops (.504's) and 70gr of Pyro P to see if it was on paper at 50 yards, it was about 4 inches high and centered and grouped around 3". I made an elevation adjustment to put it closer to POA. I then bumped the powder up to 80gr and shot a 3 shot group of around 3" that was about 2" low. Next I shot 4 shots using 90gr, I had 2 shots about 1.5" apart and 2 that were almost touching but a couple of inches from the other 2. I then bumped up to 100gr of powder and got a 3 shot group of about 2.5" but still a bit low so I adjusted the sight to bring it up a bit. I then shot 3 more using 110gr of powder, shots 2 and 3 were touching and shot 1 was about 1.75" higher and dead center of the target.

Notes: The .504 BS's are a bit loose so I need to go with .5045 or .505 next time I order. I need more practice with the FO sights or a peep so I can get a more consistant sight picture. I have the beginings of some very promising loads but need to work on my open sight skills before I know for sure which one is best.

One thing that bothered me a bit was that the Bull Shops were to easy to load, the weight of the ram rod would push them all the way down to the powder even with a fouled barrel, this would not be safe to hunt with. I also tried some 400gr White conicals but only 1 of 2 hit the target so I gave up on those. I shot one sabot bullet (Buffalo 285SSB) to see what would happen, it hit the target about 5" high and 4" left. I would have shot some more but I had skipped lunch and was getting tired and hungry so I cleaned the gun and packed up. The cleanup was a bit surprising, I ran a brush with some Rusty Duck on it for a few strokes and then 3 wet patches of Rusty Duck both sides and the third patch came out clean. I couldn't believe it was clean already so I ran an alcohol patch to see if anything else came out, it was clean. I then tried a patch of Ballistol and it too came out clean so I ran another alcohol patch to remove the Ballistol and followed that with a patch of Sheath for good measure. I then pulled the striker out and cleaned the breach area with just a few patches and was done. this is one of the fastest cleaning guns I have.

I must say I am very pleased so far and can't wait to do some more shooting with it, I just need some tighter fitting bullets to try in it. I also need to find the cable for my camera so I can post the picturesI took.

I shoot the same rifle. I found that Swiss 3f or Triple Se7en 3f works best for me. Although Pyrodex P is another good powder, as is Goex 3f. I like to also use a .510 wad with the Bull Shop 460 grain. Be sure to try the 500 grain Bull Shop sometime. They really shoot well. I have the .5045 diameter in the UM and they stay on the powder just fine. That ramrod sending the bullet down takes time to get used to as there is none of the hard loading and swabbing that you might have been used to...

dmurphy317

Cascadedad worked his U-Mag through about the same shooting routine as you - we both felt the .504 was to loose - He ended up getting .5045, at that time that was as bif as Dan could make themand they worked well. He, his son, his father and now I think his brother are all using that bullet.

I do not have any of the .5045, but I am sure that Cdad does - you want to get a few from him and send them you way for a trail run?

He also switched out all of his to the peep sight - can not remember which one but it helped him a bunch and what ever peep he used it was really versitile and easy to use. How about the front sight - the one that came stock on the gun was set for sabots and lighter bullets - seems most switched that out also.

I really do like mine, although I have not shot any of the naked lead through it yet. It is scoped up and I use it with Noslers and a HPH-12 sabot - DEADLY...

Which stock do you have?

I've experienced the ease of loading with both the No Excuse and Bull Shop conicals but these were looser than any I've tried. I'm sure its due to the .504 bore, the largest bore my other rifles have is .502. The thing that bothered me even more that I forgot to mention above is that the first sabot bullet I loaded was also loose, in fact the bullet came backout with the ram rod because it stuck in the loading jag (SST type) and the sabot stayed in the barrel on the powder. Not good. I had to shoot the sabot out and reload using a different loading jag.

I think I'm going to set this gun up as a conical shooter and use the sabots in my other guns, after all, that was the main reason I bought the White.

I think he went with the Lyman 57SMT since it attaches to the side of the Ultra Mag with no drilling. Its already tapped for the peep sight. Some of them were getting marble front sights and Redclub shoots the same set up. He was shooting groups at 200 yards with the open peep sight using his elk load. It was pretty impressive...

Sabotloader,
I would love to try some before I order a couple hundred and find out if they work or not. I would also be interested in what peep Cdad is using and what he thinks about it. The stock on mine is the gray laminated and it is in very good condition.

One other thing for you Umag shooters. Tenmilephenom didn't have a manual for it, does anyone know if there are manuals available, either printed or online? Also, what extra parts should I talk to Doc about getting, just in case? Anyone using the 209 setup on their Umag? How do you like it? Thanks for any help you can provide.

I have the manual for mine.. It is not in book form. It is better described as sheets of typing paper with all the material printed out on it.

dmurphy317

Next time I go over to Tri-cities - I will hit him up for some .5045 - my daughter lives over there which is no big deal - I go over a lot because of the grand daughters - so I am sure we will be headed over in the next week or two... In fact I'll call Cdad and have him get on here and can tell you what he has found and which peep he is using....

I'll find my manualand make a copy of it for you....

I shoot 209's out of mine and there are two different types of 209 BP's for the M-97, one with out a spring clip to hold the 209 in and one with the spring clip - for me the one with the spring is far better. You have probably already found out there is a lot of blowback with a White but it is such a simple action it really is easy to clean. I really prefer the 209 but a ton of White shooters including Doc prefer the #11

When i got mine I also got an extra 209 Hammer, a couple ofextra hammer spring ( the heavy spring vs the light spring), even the hammer spring end cap, an extra hammer handle, extra 209 BP. Any or all of these parts are easily made if you really need to get one.... The big thing is there are no extra trigger assemblies - so really be careful when you are removing the breech plug not to hook the trigger assembly and bend the hammer catch. I use a deep socket for this project but I have ground the back edge of the socket to form a cone so the socket will not catch the trigger assembly.

I will send Cdad and e-mail right now....

David

It sounds like the Umag has alot of potenchuall !!! keep us updated O by the way I did send you that other BP let me know when you get it .

Ron

Thanks Sabotloader.

I did notice the trigger catching the socket when I was taking out the BP and yes it does have some blowback but as you said, it's not that hard to clean up. I also like the fact that I can shoot it many times before I need to swab the barrel, I only swabbed when I switched to a different bullet. I shot probably 17 or 18 shots before I swabbed and it still loaded as easy as the first ones.

I may look into getting the 209 setup as an alternative but so far I like the way the musket caps go on and off, much easier than the #11's. Do you have instructions for adjusting the trigger? I would like to lower the pull weight just a bit.

Thanks again.