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I hunt with a muzzle loading weapon, been doing so for some 25 years now. Recently I have been seeing folks at the range sighting in with loades that are guarenteed to punish..........the shooter! The rage now is Pyrodex pellets and usually they are loaded in threes. OUCH!
When I was Short in the tooth and just starting I follwed the lead of the old timers in my area. A .45 cal. roundball and patch over 70 gr. of FFF . It worked well and didn't kick hard. I remember one fellow who shot a .40 cal, used a .390 round ball, patch and 40 gr. of FFF. It put down big Mid western deer like they got hit by lighting. Today I used a bit more gun, mainly because it won't group well with lighter loads. I use a .577 P58 Enfield loaded with a 560 gr. minie and 80 gr of FF. It shoot 3 inch groups at 100 yards. Recoil is fine when fired offhand but gets a bit tiresome when shooting from a bench. Anyway, this year I potted a decent buck at about about 50 yards. The bullet went through him (side to side) and buried itself about a foot and a half deep in the river bank.
The point of my piece here that many I believe are beating themselves because they have been told by the powder and gun companies that they have to use these heavy loads to be effective.
Deo et Libertas in Arturnum
When I was Short in the tooth and just starting I follwed the lead of the old timers in my area. A .45 cal. roundball and patch over 70 gr. of FFF . It worked well and didn't kick hard. I remember one fellow who shot a .40 cal, used a .390 round ball, patch and 40 gr. of FFF. It put down big Mid western deer like they got hit by lighting. Today I used a bit more gun, mainly because it won't group well with lighter loads. I use a .577 P58 Enfield loaded with a 560 gr. minie and 80 gr of FF. It shoot 3 inch groups at 100 yards. Recoil is fine when fired offhand but gets a bit tiresome when shooting from a bench. Anyway, this year I potted a decent buck at about about 50 yards. The bullet went through him (side to side) and buried itself about a foot and a half deep in the river bank.
The point of my piece here that many I believe are beating themselves because they have been told by the powder and gun companies that they have to use these heavy loads to be effective.
Deo et Libertas in Arturnum