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blackpowder loads

toad67
I recently purchased my first muzzleloader, a Remington 700 ml 50 cal. Since I can't shoot sabots in my state I think that I will shoot conical bullets. Where should I start in terms of grains of powder (I can't use pellets either) and should I try pyrodex or black powder etc? Any conicals that are better than others? I can only have open ignition also with no 209 system. Any and all info would be appreciated. Thanks.

Todd
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Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • toad67
    will black powder loads work in semi-auto shot guns
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  • allen griggs
    Use ffg black powder.
    Start at 70 grains. Try three shots.
    Then, try 80 grains, and then 90. Perhaps one load is more accurate.

    I have killed all kinds of deer and hogs with 80 grains of black powder.
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  • Zinderbloc
    Pyrodex or any of the other substitutes will work just fine if you can't find FFg black powder. 70 grains is a good starter load.
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  • hadjii
    I would opt for Triple 7 if I was you. It cleans up better and easier than anything else, plus you get equal or better velocity from either Pyrodex or the GOEX black powder. As far as pellets go, they may be handier, but according to the Barnes reloading manual, you will lose anywhere from about 90-160 fps by using them. I can't verify that for myself, just repeating the Barnes Manual. I've left, by accident a full charge of 100 grains of Triple 7 in my Rem 700 for over 6 months in the house, and when I took it outside to see if it would go bang, it did, just like I had loaded it the day before. Also, with my rem 700's, I've found that about 110 grains is about all the good you can get. After that, even with the 209's and moreso with the musket caps, there is alot of unburned residue in the barrel. All you're doing then is fouling the heck out of the barrel. Last year my daughter shot her first deer with her 700. I had it loaded with 70 grains of Triple 7, and at 65 yards, she knocked him flat, and using 100 grains, I've shot several at 100-125 yards, and for me, that's about as far as I need to go. I hunt scrapes and rub lines so I can get up close and personal with the deer I take. Good Luck
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  • wildcountry
    the amount of any black powder load will ultimately depend upon several factors. length of barrel, being the biggest. work up to a load starting from around 80 grains. that should be light for your gun. work up 5 grains at a time till you start to see that you are starting to have burning powder coming out the muzzel. putting so much powder in a barrel doesnt make it more powerful if its not burning it before the bullet leaves the barrel. my advice would be to find the maximum load for the barrel three rounds at a time at 5 grain increments till you find a load that isnt spitting burning or unburned powder out the muzzel. settling on the load that is closest to max yet still holds a decent group at 50yds. the best load for accuracy may be a lesser load. "usually" there is a point where your load will start to expand your group. this is where you need to decide how much accuracy your willing to sacrifice to increase power. some guns will pass this point and the group will close again before there is an excess of powder, others will not. you need to play with it a little to find the load your peticular gun likes. remington should provide literature on loads recomended for your rifle and it is always best to start with their low end load and work up as explained. I personaly shoot blackpowder in all of mine and have found that in most of my muzzleloaders the hotter loads dont give satisfactory groups. I prefer accurate over power when hunting if you ever have to "stretch" the barrel for a long shot its best if you settled on an accurate load. a load that sacrifices accuracy for power, may seem better, but it is making even bigger groups at longer ranges wich can cause you to trail one for hours. if you have settled on the accurate load you can compensate for distance and know that the bullet is still going to hold reasonably accurate. I hope this was of some help.
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  • tsr1965
    If you must go with the standard ignition system like a #11 cap or musket cap, then go with the FFg Black powder. I always liked the T/C maxi-hunter's, and I would start about 80 grains of powder, and work up and down between 70 and 100 untill you find your sweet spot. I would use a bullet in the 300 grain range. If you must use a full diameter bullet, I would check to see if the Powerbelts were legal.

    Best
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  • mbsams
    Toad - you better get a couple books and read them - the first thing to learn is that when we say a load of powder of 80 grains that doesn't mean to weigh out 80 grains of powder it means a black powder equivelent by volume -- powder for ml's is measured by volume - if you weigh out 100 or more grains of 777, you could be in serious trouble. Educate youself before you shoot. Bad things can happen with explosives, and black powder is an explosive.
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