What Do All I Need ?

[RichsFishin]

Just got a Traditions Fox River .54 percussion cap muzzle loader and not sure what all I need and how to set up to shoot. Came with some caps and I do know where they go and it came with some patches and balls. So do i get some powder and put say 100 grains of powder down the barrel and lube a patch and start my ball till it stops and fire when ready ??????? Its all kind of new to me and different than a inline. Thanks for any help......................Rich

[jhammer]

Well, hopefully you'll read your owner's manual.....haha....:whistle:


But seriously, you pretty much have it right.

1. Put the rifle in half-cock position.
2. Pour in correct powder charge.
3. Lubed patch and ball rammed down as far as it will go. Be careful you don't crunch up your powder though.
4. Put percussion cap on the nipple.


Just be sure to keep her clean!!! I'm sure the other guys will be able to be able to tell you more than I can.....:coolgleamA:

[gOmerfuDD101]

My buddy has a .54 and he loves it i never seen him hit a deer that doesnt just drop, huge holes with a round ball, but be carefull with 100 grains of powder with that heavy of a bullet it will build more pressure then a .50 cal im pretty sure he has his best luck with T/C pre-lubed buffalo bullets and 80 gr GOFX(spelling) powder. hope this helps good luck

[ap0317ah]

I have a TC hawkens .50 and it is one of my favorite muzzleloaders
a spear round ball, tc prelubed patches, and 80 grains of goex powder makes a for a deer killing gun.
Tom

[RichsFishin]

Thanks for the replies guys. ............................Rich

[RichsFishin]

How far can I expect to get out with 80 grains and a round ball ? Thanks again...................Rich

[Smokepole]

You should take a few minutes and stop by the Log Cabin Shop in Lodi. It is located north of town on SR42 just north of RT224. These guys have been in business for like forever. You can rent some time at their range for about $12.00-$15.00 for a days worth of shooting and pick their brains at the same time. Nice people when looking for help.

As for your range.... you must consider the down range energy of the ball. The chart show the trajectory for a .530 inch lead ball of 223.5 grains weight, fired at a velocity of 1800 fps. As you can see the muzzle energy is 1608 ft-lbs, but at 100 yds it is only 606 ft-lbs. Is 600 ft-lbs enough to cleanly harvest a deer sized animal? Yes, if you properly place the shot/bullet. An errant shot can mean lots of tracking.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/Grizzley/Image2.jpg



More powder does not necessarily mean better results. Just because someone else uses 100 grs of powder doesn't mean your gun will perform the same as theirs.

At the range you will find if you start low, say 50 grs and shoot a 3-5 shot group, then increase your charge by 5 grs and repeat the process your shot groups will tighten up and then will start to open up again. This will show the powder charge your rifle likes best.
Changing powder brands or granulation can change the performance of your shooter.

Once you have a good group, changing percussion cap brands as well as patch lube, material and thickness can affect your pattern. To make your muzzle loader an effect harvesting machine will require more range time then shooting the modern firearms, but what is wrong with that?