eldeguello

If your buddies are getting pitting in their barrels, it is because they are not cleaning their barrels properly!!

I have two sidelock ML's with "regular steel" barrels that I got in 1969, and their barrels are as slick and clean as the day I got them. There's just no excuse at all for getting pitting in a barrel that has a removable breech plug that you can push a patch all the way through!!

If you clean your guns right, you won't have pitting. If you don't, you will, and it will NOT MATTER if the barrel is made of stainless or not! Stainless steel will rust too!! It just takes a little longer!

LONG RANGE

Any well-made ML, shooting the appropriate kind of bullet, will shoot accurately at long range. There were muzzleloaders used by the U.K. competitors at the great International Rifle Matches as Creedmoore, Long Island in the 1870's! The targets were at 800, 900, and 1200 yatds!

The problem is, that with the heavy bullets needed to give adequate ballistics at longer ranges, including the energy needed to cleanly kill game, the bullt muzzle velocities are not high enough to give you a flat trajectory. So, the question as to whether or not you can kill a deer at 250 yards is more dependent upon your knowledge of your trajectory, and your ability to judge range, than it is upon the capability of the gun you are shooting. IF ypu want to shoot game at such extended distances:

1. Practice with your rifle at all ranges, out to the MAX limit you place on yourself, so you know your bullet's point of impact intimately at all ranges out to max.

2. Practice range estimation skills until you can estimate range accurately to within at least 25 yards, better yet, 10 yards!!

Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about. Say you zero the typical kind of load you'd be using to be dead on at 200 yards. It will be over 6" HIGH at 110 yards, and about 11 inches low at 250 yards. Yes, it drops a foot from 200 to 250 yards!! NO ML will shoot flatter than a HOT .45/70 load, and we think of the .45/70 as having an extremely limited range!

etothepii

I have a T/C Omega and live it! It was pricey, but worth it. Knight makes some more affordable inlines, but they are a quality product. I know lots of people who go with CVA or Traditions. Personally, I would rather buy American.

As far as caliber, go with .50. It is the best all-aroung caliber. If you are in to target shooting, or wunting medium size game only, .45 should be fine.

By the way, Savage is marketing a .52 cal. inline for larger game. Plenty of stopping power and better trajectory than a .54.

bjhuntnut

Hey Blazer,

Happy Holidays. Take a look and the H&R Huntsman in .50 cal. Go to this site and you can read up on it and look at their catalog. www.hr1871.com.
They list for under a $150 and can be bought at WalMart if you have one in your area. They are easy to clean and maintain and are made in the USA. The company is owned by Marlin Firearms.

Blazer406

I am going to check those H&R's out at WallyWorld.

I am going to do more research on ballistics and trajectories before I make any decisions. I really want to be able to take a deer at 200 yards. I have been hunting for 28 years at the same camp...... and although there are places that I could shoot real far...... the reality is that I have never shot at a deer over about 200 yards even with a high powered rifle...... and up til the legalization of the scopes with magnification and the newer inline m/l's that are alot more accurate...... I have never been able to justify the expense of a M/L. I just thought the open sights were too much of a handicap.... I know I am lazy.....I don't like to wound deer or watch them run off after they have been shot...... so the increrased accuracy of the newer m/l's combined with the newer bullet technology.....combined with variable power scopes....... seems like a dream......

Can someone point me to some ballistics information for some of the various bullets and loads..... and trajectories... and velocities at certain distances? I would like to compare the energy and velocities of different calibers... and different weight bullets... with different powder charges...... or if I ever decide on what to get....... I will have to run some tests on my own..... may even have to buy a chronograph.

Underclocked

Go to PRBullet.com and check the link How Far?........

Here, I'll make it easy PRBullet Exterior Ballistics

t-roy

call knight and ask for a catalog (641)856-2626 in the back they have a chart for balistics on their different bullets with 100 and 150 grains, complete with drop at 200 yds

25mskeet

Blazer,

I would go with a quality 50 - like an Encore, Omega - or one of the good Knights or CVA's ( not trying to piss anyone off - those are jus the one's I know about ! ). As far as the 200-300 yard shots - use a muzzle loader for what it is - most people cannot shoot a center fire at those types of ranges - much less a black powder type gun. Just get the gun and enjoy the longer seasons without making a science project out of it !