460 No Excuse Load Question
 

What is the minimum amount of powder you would use with the above projectile to hunt Elk?

My Knight Disc Extreme 50 Cal shoots them very well with 65 Grains ( Volume ) of T7 3F. The groups opened up at 70, however, I was messing around with not swabbing, etc. I did not try a load greater than 70.

Also, any guesses on FPS leaving the muzzle with 65 grains?

Thanks,

With 777 3f, you can add about 8-10 gr when comparing to blackpowder, so you would be looking at around 73-75 gr equivalent. That should be enough out to 100 yards.

That said, I would personally be more comfortable shooting 75-80 gr volume equivalent at an elk as a minimum.

Have you tried a wad under the bullet?

Having never hunted elk with a muzzleloader, I would hate to guess. If I were hunting elk, moose, or bear I would want at least 80 grains of a fast powder. And if I could get accurate with 100 grains... all the better.

My Whites are the same way.. 65 grains and the accuracy is exceptional.

Thanks for the feedback. I have not tried a wad.

Looks like I'll need to go back and try a hotter load. The accuracy was exceptional with 65 but I may need to give some up for additional power.

Prior to prepping for this hunt, I had vastly underestimated the joy of shooting heavy lead. I was all about speed and sabots. This has been a real eye opener. Honestly, I can shoot as good or better groups with 460 - 535 grain No-Excuses than I can with any saboted load.

Josmund, That heavy a bullet will punch through an elk up to 100 yds, it might not bring him down as fast but in the proper place it will bring him down. There is an other thing which you may want to take into consideration.
Most gun bullet combinations will shoot well with more than one load quite often this will be a light load and a heavy load; it has to do with the vibration of the barrel and when it is exactly straight so if you are not comfortable with your load then just keep pushing it up and look for an other sweet spot chances are good that between 85 and 100 grains you will find one.

I'll push it. I would like to find a load with satisfactory accuracy in the 80 -100 range. Thanks for the encouragement.

Real quick question if you cant use the no excuse as a conical set up, can you just use the .451 460 grain no excuse in a sabot ? Thanks in advance.

Theoretically, yes, however, I believe it would be a real challenge to find a sabot long enough to hold that big long bullet.

I think there are better choices for a saboted bullet.

Josmund,

I just tried NE connicals in my MK85 54 this past Friday. I used 60 grains of T7 3f and got one four shot hole at 50 yards. With the same load I got 1 3/4" at 100 yards! It blew my mind! My best effort with sabots can only equal that group at 100. My original intent was to have a "summer" load that would not be so sensative to heat buildup in the barrel when shooting in warm months. But now I have a real predicament. This might be my best hunting load.

I only see two problems with this setup. First the NR 535 grainers litterally slide down the bore under the weight of the ramrod alone. I am concerned that there is not enough pressure holding the bullet on the powder should I be walking to and from a stand on hunt day. The other problem is that I calculate about 4.5 inches drop between 50 and 100 yards using the same point of aim. I am not stuck on flat tragectories, but his is a little more drop than I would like in a perfect world. Plus I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of excessive recoil. That heavy bullet will push you back pretty aggessively.

I hunt elk and with 450gr pp bullets my whites likes 90 gr pyro p tight groups at a hundred .I shot two deer last year ,one end to end didnt even slow down.Ive shot N.E. 460 and they work great.The pp bullet is just more accurate for me.IDAHO RON shoots 80gr with the pp 460 and killed his elk with it last year.I think what ever your gun likes in 80 -100grns would be fine.