Although I have deer hunted for over 40 years I have never used or been around others that used muzzleloaders.I havea 16 year old grandson that is hunting crazy and a delight to hunt with. I bought him a new 50 cal Traditions and am in the process of getting the necessary materials to go along with it. I've read back thru a lot of the threads on here and I am glad to see there are so many knowledgeable people on here that are willing to help.
I'll have a lot of questions, so if you will just bear with me. I see a good bit of info about several different brands of bullets, but my favorite hunting rifle brand, Hornady, isn't mentioned. The prices per bullet are a lot cheaper than the other brands, and I find it hard to believe that Hornadyputs out a sub-par bullet. Am I wrong?
The rifle came with a package cheap scope that will be coming off of it soon. We will be punching paper and deer hunting mainly out to about 100 yards. Would the Bushnell Elite 3200 be a good fit?
Will a heavier weight bullet make the rifle kick any worse than a lighter weightbullet?
More questions later, thanks.

The Bushnell Elite is a great scope. I like their 2-7x32mm because of the eye relief and its all the scope I need for out to 150 yards. As for your XTP.. buy them in bulk. One of my favorite bullets is a 300 grain .430 .44 caliber XTP in a green harvester crushed rib sabot. They shoot very well out of most my rifles and it is a great deer load. Hog load too, I have been told.

As for other questions.. ask away. We are more then glad to help you out.

Where are a couple of the better/cheapersites to buy bulk? No place local other than a Bass Pro about 40 miles away.

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/

https://www.grafs.com/index.php

http://www.midwayarms.com/

powder (BH209) http://www.powdervalleyinc.com/

other powders http://www.powderinc.com/

sabots - http://mmpsabots.com/ or http://www.harvesterbullets.com/ (Harvesters are cheaper and just as good, sometimes better). You can also find those at some of the dealers linked above.


Yes, a heavier bullet will produce more recoil than a lighter bullet, given the same charge. The difference can be considerable. Be sure to read and follow all guidelines in the rifle's owner's manual. Best not to push the limits.

10mm 200 grain Hornady XTPs in a 50/40 sabot from MMP or Harvester would make a nice projectile and produce light recoil even with heavy charges. Several here use that bullet on deer with excellent results.

The big problem right now is finding bullets to buy any where. You can find bullet/sabot combination right now but bullets are just down right hard to come buy. Hows that go, teach a kid to hunt and.........and oh yea when he gets older he'll drag your deer out for you.

Yes, heavier bullets will kick more than lighter ones with the same powder charge. Hornady XTP's are great bullets - lots of people here on this forum have used them extensively (including me).

If you're worried about recoil, I'd suggest a 240 or 250 grain XTP with about 80 grains of powder. That won't kick very much. If you want to reduce recoil even more, you can do what Underclocked said and use the .40 cal 200 grain XTP with a 50/40 sabot with the same powder charge.

My friends daughter (14 years old) shoots a Traditions with a 240 grain XTP and 70 grains of powder and it doesn't bother her at all. She's also taken several deer with this load.

That is so true, i have been called out of a stand to go drag my dad's deer out for him before. Then I had my own kid and wouldn't you know it he is into everything outdoors except hunting. Guess his mom's genes were stronger than mine [&o]. but anyway I figured the whole thing out and bought my dad and me a 4 wheeler they are the best investment i have ever made (during hunting season anyway)

There are a wide range of hornady XTP bullets the 200gr .400 Cal is popular in both 45 and 50 cal. with the right sabot. the 240 in 44 cal with the green sabot [44/50] and the 250 45 calin 45/50 sabot. The only draw back is they are designed for pistol use so loads of around 90 or 100 gr are best if you push them real hard they will come apart and considerably reduce penetration.