Muzzleloadertechtips

Editor’s Note: Russell Lynch of South Carolina, owns M.A.X. (Muzzleloader Accuracy Xperts, LLC), which produces videos and customizes blackpowder rifles to determine the best primer, shot and load for each individual blackpowder rifle he’s asked to evaluate and to improve shooting accuracy. A former sniper in the U.S. Marine Corps and shooter in matches and trainer of personnel in shooting for the Armed Services, Lynch learned to shoot accurately from 300 yards out to 1,000 yards.

No one bullet is best for all CVA muzzleloader rifles. A muzzleloader hunter wants to pick the bullet that not only gives him the most accuracy in that rifle but that’s designed to be the most efficient for the game you’re hunting. Now, some people will want to argue about my theories, but here are some principles I’ve been successful with, and what I’ve learned. The number-one thing I look for in choosing a bullet for a blackpowder rifle, regardless of whether I’m shooting at 100 or 250 yards, is the bullet’s ability to maintain its integrity after impact (I want the bullet to stay together after it hits the animal and goes all the way through the animal). Physics helps me determine a bullet’s integrity. At Muzzleloader Accuracy Xperts (M.A.X.), we test all the blackpowder bullets on the market for their integrity (ability to stay together after impact) by shooting them into ballistic gel. Our company went to the FBI, and the FBI told us where to buy the gel, how to mix it, cool it and make the gel, so it’s consistent all the time. To test different bullets’ integrity fairly, you have to make sure you shoot them all through the same medium (in this case, gel) that’s formulated and created the same way. We shoot blackpowder bullets into ballistic gel, so we can compare three-different components of the bullet’s integrity.

First, we want to see if the bullet’s designed to be an expanding bullet. If it’s designed to be an expanding bullet, we want to determine how long or how far it will go through that gel before it begins to expand. Second, we’re looking for the wound channel (displacement of material – how much tissue or gel the bullet destroys as it goes through the ballistic gel). There are two ways a bullet downs an animal by:  soft-tissue tearing, which is generally determined by the diameter of the bullet when it goes in the medium or animal and how much the bullet expands as it passes through the medium (ballistic gel); or by soft-tissue displacement, which is explained by the amount of kinetic energy the bullet produces as it goes through the animal to move tissue. If the bullet passes above, below or to one or the other side of the heart but doesn’t actually hit the animal’s heart, we want to know how far the kinetic energy that bullet delivers as it passes through the animal will move the heart, even if it doesn’t tear the heart. For instance, if you push my heart 5 or 6 inches from where it’s been sitting in my body for 52 years, I’ll have a problem. An artery can twist, fold or possibly erupt. So, a bullet can do a lot of damage with kinetic energy, even if it doesn’t touch the soft tissue around the organ.

From all the good bullets we’ve tested, we’ve learned that when the bullet goes into an animal, if it’s a ballistic-tipped bullet, the bullet will lose that ballistic tip, which is the solid piece of plastic on the end of the bullet, within the first 2 inches of the entry point. An expansion usually starts within that first 2 inches from the entry point. As the bullet hits resistance, the bullet starts to slow down. So, the wound channel starts out at bore diameter and then suddenly increases to 6 to 7 inches at its maximum. Then, when the bullet expends all its energy, it will begin to slow down and stop. I look for a bullet that will go at least 6-inches deep into a block of ballistic gel before it stops. As the bullet begins to slow down, it moves down (the wound channel tapers-down). The energy reaches its maximum point and then begins to slow and stop.

Third, we look for how far the bullet travels after it hits the animal and releases the maximum amount of energy it can deliver. This information tells us what the potential total penetration of that bullet should be on a game animal. We measure from the front of the gel to where the bullet stops to determine total penetration. The penetration we feel is most important in a bullet is 16 inches or more of penetration into that gel. In most big-game animals, if a bullet penetrates 16 inches, more than likely the bullet has passed all the way though the animal or has the ability to penetrate all the way through the animal. Now, that’s the type of penetration a hunter needs, based on the type of animal he’ll hunt and the range from which he’ll shoot. Most of the bullets we test are 240 to 260 grains. We use this information when we’re developing load data. We recommend at least 900-foot pounds of kinetic energy when the bullet hits the animal. Most of this is based on velocity. We want 900-foot pounds of energy left when the bullet impacts the target. In other words, we want that bullet to carry 900-foot pounds of energy into the target. We can formulate loads that can deliver 900-foot pounds of energy out to 200 yards. We also create some loads that will deliver that same foot pounds of energy out to 250 yards and, in some cases, up to as far as 250 yards, but that’s as far as we’ve formulated loads with our data. It takes a really-good shooter to get the bullet on target at 200 yards and to get the bullet on target at 250 yards with a muzzleloader.

Having 900-foot pounds of energy when the bullet hits the target for most big-game animals at whatever range you’re shooting is essential. I’ve developed some loads that only deliver 850-foot pounds of energy at 150 yards, which is one of the loads I recommend for white-tailed deer hunting. If you have a bullet in the 240- to 260-grain bullet, and you think you have a shot at 200 yards, the bullet needs to come out of the barrel at 1,850- to 1,950-feet per second. To get that speed, you’ll probably be loading 100 to 110 grains of either Hodgdon Triple Se7en or Blackhorn 209 powder.

I’m often asked why I don’t want a larger powder charge. The answer to this question relates to accuracy. There’s a point of diminishing return in the amount of powder you use. If you shoot 150 grains of powder, you’ll take some punishment. You don’t improve your accuracy by taking that beating (recoil). We’ve formulated plenty of 140-grain powder loads that deliver accuracy, but after 120 grains of powder, you start blowing your shot groups out (increasing the distance between each shot in the group). You can push a bullet too much and too fast to consistently produce accuracy. When you push a bullet faster than it’s designed to go, you’ll decrease your accuracy and, more importantly, your consistent accuracy. The best load for when you’re hunting deer is around 120 grains or less and more often between 100 and 110 grains of powder with a 240- to a 260-grain bullet. Now, if you’ll be hunting elk and have a fairly-close shot, you can increase your bullet to 300 grains and still use 100 to 110 grains of powder. Out to 100 to 125 yards, you’ll knock those elk off their feet. If you want to reach out to 200 yards to take an elk, consider using a 250- to a 270-grain bullet. You’ll have to work-up some loads using from 110 to 120 grains of powder, but you’ll still be shooting less than 150 grains of powder.

There are some exceptions to these rules, just like there are to any other rules. For instance, if you’ll be shooting a black bear or a hog or a big feral hog at close range (100 yards or less), you can use a 300-grain bullet and 160 grains of powder, not loose powder, or pellets on game like that at that range and knock that bear or that hog off its feet. Now, when you’re shooting a big animal like that, you’ll only be able to shoot about a 3-inch group. But on big animals, like a big boar hog or a big black bear, that degree of accuracy should still be enough to get the bullet into the vitals. So, pick your bullet and your powder charge based on the game you’ll be hunting and the distance you expect to shoot.

Editor’s Note: Many muzzleloading hunters completely overlook tools they need to spell success afield, especially when hunting public lands, including a mountain bike, a hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS), maps and Bright Eyes Highly-Reflective Tacks. 

When someone asked Denny Brauer, one of the nation’s top professional bass fishermen, “How do you catch a big bass on any lake?” he answered, “You have to fish in an area where a big bass lives.” And, the same is true if you want to take a big blackpowder buck with your CVA rifle this season. Although hunters emphasize the importance of deer lures, odor killers, quality optics, rifles, bullets and powder, none of these hunting items can or will produce a big buck this season, if you’re not hunting where a big buck lives. You can use trail cameras to learn the home range of a big buck. Too, a mountain bike will get you further into the woods than most hunters will go on trails, firebreaks, foot paths and right-of-ways. The second essential tool is the hand-held GPS, which allows you to move deep into the woods, while marking the trails you travel, to find deer sign in often out-of-the-way places to take the big bucks with your CVA rifle that other hunters can’t reach. Bright Eyes Highly-Reflective Tacks allow you to confirm that you’re on the right trail to reach the stand site you’ve selected to hunt for an older-age-class buck. Stick these reflective tacks into trees only about 8-inches above the ground and 2-inches apart. Then if another hunter spots the tacks before daylight, he’ll wrongfully assume those two glowing spots beside that tree are raccoons or rabbits. Or, he’ll begin to wonder why in the world someone has put trail markers so close to the ground. Then you can navigate in the dark or with a small flashlight to reach a place away from the crowd and hunt in an area where you’ve found deer sign that indicates an older-age-class buck has set-up a home range where he’s least likely to be found.  

Another tool that’s essential is a map of the region you’re planning to hunt to learn topography, trails and terrain. Google Earth and others offer these, including:
USGS – The U. S. Geologic Survey has topographical and aerial maps of the entire United States. These maps can be purchased from the USGS web site, or you can use their Map Locator to download free topographical maps of specific areas or order these maps through the USGS map store. You also can download the free TerraGo toolbar, which allows the user to maximize their capabilities with GeoPDF files. With TerraGo, you can measure distances between objects on the map, add personal comments to specific regions on the map, view the map in conjunction with Google Maps or integrate them with your GPS to track your position, all for free. Through the USGS map store, you can purchase topographical or aerial state, county, U.S., world, historical, satellite images, national parks and national atlas maps, as well as USDA Forest Service – National Forest and Grassland Maps. http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/b2c/start/%28xcm=r3standardpitrex_prd%29/.do.
USGS Links – The USGS also has a web site where you can get links that will take you to selected Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) and USGS Business Partner Program (BP) partner sites, where you may view USGS maps and aerial photo images from your web browser. Links include Microsoft TerraServer, MapMart by IntraSearch, Inc., Maptech MapServer by Maptech, Inc., TerraFly, Earth as Art, GlobeXplorer, HistoricAerials by NETR Online and DDS MapFinder by Digital Data Services, Inc. http://nationalmap.gov/gio/viewonline.html
National Geographic – National Geographic Maps offer various products, including their popular Outdoor Recreation Map Software products. Offered in this line of software products is the TOPO! Series, which includes the State Series and the Explorer and the Explorer Deluxe. The State Series comes in 28 individual state and multi-state packages covering the entire United States, and the Explorer is National Geographic’s first software powered by continuously updated set of online maps. Both the Explorer and the Explorer Deluxe come with credits to download 25 SuperQuads (with each SuperQuad containing (6) layers of map information including: USGS 1:24,000 and 1:100,000 scale topographic, I-Cubed Aerial Photography with 4-meter resolution, USGS Digital Elevations and Names, and an exclusive HybridQuad that blends Aerial Photography with topographic line work), and the Deluxe package comes with an additional seamless, nationwide, set of USGS 1:100,000 scale topographic maps. Also available in this line of software products is the Trails Illustrated Series, which includes Trails Illustrated Explorer and National and Single Parks Explorer 3D. With the Trails Illustrated Explorer software, you can create and print your own custom trail maps. The Parks Explorer 3D comes in 11-different parks, including Rocky Mountain, Yosemite, Yellowstone National parks and more. National Geographic Maps also offers traditional maps for purchase. http://www.natgeomaps.com/products.html
Digital Topo Maps – This website offers various products for purchase. The Terrain Navigator Mapping Software provides a regional collection of topographic maps you can browse, customize and print, as well as make topographic profiles, export data, view maps in 3D, plan routes, estimate distances, estimate areas, and exchange waypoint and route data with your GPS. Also available for purchase through this site is the DeLorme Topo North America 9.0, which is an all-in-one topographic mapping software and the National Geographic Topo, which contains all topo maps for an entire state or region at 1:24,000 and 1:100,000 scale. You also can purchase access to unlimited USGS topo maps and aerial photos for $29.95/year. http://www.digital-topo-maps.com/
Trails.com – This site contains online topographic maps of the United States and lets you browse down level-by-level to the exact topo map you want. They also have aerial photos and aerial maps available for the most zoomed-in map levels. This site does require membership to access maps. http://www.trails.com/maps.aspx
Also, check with landowners, your state game and fish agency and the U.S. Forest Service, depending on where you’re hunting, to make sure that using a mountain bike to reach locations where other hunters won’t hunt is legal. But you’re probably already thinking, “If I take a deer several miles away from the nearest road with my CVA rifle, how will I get the buck out of the woods and back to my vehicle?” Luckily, there are types of animal carriers and carts that you can attach to the back of a mountain bike to solve this problem.  

One of the reasons most fishermen don’t fish where big bass live is because they’re afraid of losing their lures, or they believe if they hook big bass in thick cover, they won’t be able to get those bass out of the locations where they’ve hooked them. However, Brauer who’s also an avid deer hunter, explains, “An angler never should forget that his purpose in fishing for a big bass is to try and take that big bass first and then start solving the problem of how to get that big bass into the boat.” And, the same is true of taking a big deer. You’ve got to find that nice buck first, hunt for him, take him with your muzzleloading rifle and then solve the problems you may encounter to get him back to your vehicle. Good hunting with your CVA rifle this season.

Editor’s Note: Terry Oertwig of Purdin, Missouri, a CVA Pro Staff member, hunts big game nationwide and worldwide with his CVA Electra. We wanted to know why Oertwig had so much confidence in the CVA Electra and to hear from him a first-hand report on how the Electra performed for him when he hunted buffalo.

Question: Terry, why did you decide to hunt a buffalo with your CVA Electra?

Oertwig: I was doing a bullet test, so I wanted to hunt a large animal to try to determine the effectiveness of my bullets. Bison are one of the largest animals in North America that you can take with a blackpowder rifle. Bison also are very delicious to eat. So, I found I could test my bullets and have good meat to eat after the hunt, if I hunted bison. Bison also are a challenge. They are extremely tough, and they’re very wary. When you visit national parks to see bison, they appear to be very docile, but in fact, they aren’t. Too, I thought that hunting bison not only would be a good test for my Electra and my bullets, but also for me.

Hunting Buffalo with a muzzleloading rifle can be a very rewarding experience

Question: Where did you decide to hunt?

Oertwig: I went to hunt with Dismal River Outfitters in western Nebraska on their 60,000-acre ranch where hunters can hunt free-range buffalo in open country. Today, finding a place to hunt buffalo in open country is quite difficult. Located on the Dismal River, this ranch is a beautiful area with deep ravines, rolling hills and a lot of cedar trees where buffalo can hide. We spotted a buffalo early in the morning that had been in a fight and had several visible scars. We went after this buffalo, but somehow, that 1,900-pound animal vanished. We never saw him again. So, we gave up on that buffalo and went looking for more. We found a group of three bulls, and one of them was an impressive trophy. With the wind in our favor, we went behind some hills and hiked about 3/4-mile to get in position to take the shot. We circled around behind the bull and came up over the top of a knob. When we peeked over the knob, we saw that the hike had taken so long that the bull had lain down to sleep. We waited for 30 minutes for the bull to wake-up from his nap and to get into position where I could take a broadside shot. When I shot the bull bison at about 65 yards, he hunkered-up as the bullet impacted. Then he went about 10 yards and just stood there. Now, on most any-other animal hit that well with that size bullet, you expect the animal to drop immediately. But buffalo are tough. So, I quickly reloaded and took a second shot to put the bull down quickly. This time, I shot him through the shoulders, and the bull went down. When we looked at the big bison, the bullet had made a complete pass-through. Once again, I proved the reliability of the CVA Electra. I hit exactly where I aimed.

Question: How were you able to get-in so close to the buffalo?

Oertwig: To successfully take a buffalo, you must have the wind in your favor. On this particular hunt, we spotted the buffalo at about 1/4-mile, but we knew we couldn’t approach him from that direction because he’d smell us. To get in close, we had to circle the bull and go about 3/4-mile to get in a position of having the wind in our favor and a terrain barrier (a rolling hill) between us and the bull. Then he couldn’t see us approach. As we moved toward the bull, we stayed in a ravine for about 1/4-mile behind a hill and then peeked over the hill to see the bull.

Question: A buffalo hunt is a hunt of a lifetime. Why did you decide to hunt with the CVA Electra instead of a more-modern rifle, which some people might consider more reliable?

Oertwig: There’s some nostalgia associated with hunting buffalo with a blackpowder rifle, and I have a great deal of confidence in hunting with the Electra. I wanted to hunt with the most-reliable ignition system, because the last thing you wanted to happen on this type of hunt was for your gun to fail to fire. I knew from experience that when I touched the trigger on the Electra, it would fire. Too, I wanted a gun I knew was as accurate as any blackpowder rifle I could shoot. When you go on a hunt of a lifetime, you don’t want to wound or miss an animal. Buffalo are majestic, historic and beautiful animals. I wanted to respect the animal enough to make sure I could put him down quickly and efficiently. I knew this would be a memorable hunt I’d relive for many years. So, I wanted all the odds in my favor. I prefer to shoot the Electra when I’m hunting big game, because it’s the only primerless blackpowder rifle on the market. I didn’t want to have issues on this hunt with primer, fouling or misfiring.

Question: How did you load to take the buffalo?

Oertwig: I had a 300-grain bullet and 130 grains of Triple Se7en. I didn’t want to shoot more than 150 yards because this animal weighed over 1,900 pounds. With an animal this size, the energy level of the bullet drops off too much at 150 yards to be efficient. That’s the only restriction when hunting an animal of that size with a muzzleloader.

Question: Would you recommend hunting buffalo to other blackpowder hunters?

Oertwig: Absolutely. It was one of the most-exciting hunts I’d ever had. I had to hire an outfitter because when hunting a large area, there only were a few places where you could experience a wild buffalo hunt. I knew too if I shot a buffalo, I’d need help getting that truck load of meat back to camp.

Question: When you took the shot, were you shooting off hand or did you have a rest?

Oertwig: I was using shooting sticks, which I liked to do when I was hunting open terrain and knew I’d be doing a lot of hiking. I knew we’d be climbing up and down hills. If you were winded and tired, holding your rifle steady could be a challenge when you were shooting off hand. However, by using shooting sticks, I had a much-more solid platform off which to shoot. If I’m hunting in timbered terrain where I’ll have a shooting house, a tree stand or at least a tree to brace-up against, I don’t take my shooting sticks. The shooting sticks are the third point of a three-legged stool. When you’re shooting in open terrain, and you have to do a lot of walking, shooting sticks drastically increase your odds of shooting more accurately.