Editor’s Note: The owner of M.A.X. (Muzzleloader Accuracy Xperts, LLC), in South Carolina, former U.S. Marine Corps sniper Russell Lynch produces videos and customizes muzzleloader rifles to determine the best primer, shot and load for each individual muzzleloader rifle he’s asked to evaluate and to improve shooting accuracy. Russell has recently been working closely with CVA Muzzleloaders to help its customers improve there shooting experience.
Some muzzleloader hunters believe that having really-big bullets and shooting magnum charges will result in more game taken. But hunters used muzzleloader rifles for many years before we had 209 primers and breech-action muzzleloaders. Those early hunters took a lot of big game, often with not much more than 100 grains of black powder or blackpowder substitutes. The idea of shooting 150 grains of pellets (magnum charge) helps to sell a lot of rifles, and that magnum charge certainly has its place in the muzzleloader industry where folks will use a magnum charge. There are even some circumstances where I may use a magnum charge, but the only place in North America where I’ll hunt with that big of a powder charge is when I’m hunting in thick areas. I have been in some really-thick places before where I may hunt with a magnum charge when I know I’ll have to shoot through some brush and take a big animal at close range (120 yards or less).
On most bear hunts I’ve ever been on, a 100-yard shot is a really-long shot in the places where I’ve hunted bear. Some may opt for a 300-grain bullet with a magnum charge of 150 grains. However, instead of shooting pellets, my magnum charge will be 130 grains of loose powder versus pellets, because I can have more accuracy with 130 grains of loose powder than I can with 150 grains of pellets. The loose powder has proved to be more consistent in a muzzleloader rifle than pellets have. For instance, if you load pellets into a muzzleloader, you’ll notice that they fall into the barrel very loosely. Because they are under-sized and have a hole through each of them, then when you seat the bullet, you complicate the inconsistency even more, because the pellet can crush or crack, creating a situation in your barrel where there is no consistency. The front of the breech plug to the back of the bullet is considered the chamber area of a muzzleloader rifle. The more inconsistent that chamber area is, the less likely you are to shoot accurately.
We’ve seen in lab testing that you get tremendous pressure spikes when you shoot pellets, even when the pellet is only cracked. Those huge pressure swings are what causes inconsistent velocities. Therefore, if a bullet traveling from point A to point B is traveling 1900 feet per second (fps) on the first shot, and the second shot is 1990 fps, there’s no way scientifically possible for the bullet to impact in the same place. That second bullet may be taking the same flight path as the first bullet, but because it has a different velocity, the second bullet will end up in a different place than the first bullet has. This reason is why loose powder always will be more accurate and more consistent than pellets. And, as far as accuracy is considered, if I shoot a magnum charge, I prefer the 130 grains of loose powder to three 50-grain pellets.
Some folks will argue that a muzzleloader only can burn a given amount of powder, and then the rest of the powder above that amount is blown out the end of the barrel. However, when you use 130 grains of loose powder or 150 grains of pellets, all the powder is burned. I’ve seen this proven in laboratory tests. All that powder is burning, which creates pressure in the barrel that equates to velocity. M.A.X. has found that after you begin shooting more than 120 grains of loose powder, you start losing some accuracy. More than 120 grains is too-much velocity and pressure to keep a muzzleloader bullet stable and keep it traveling at a consistent velocity. I’m also often asked what amount of loose powder generally delivers the most accuracy in a non-magnum load. I believe you maximize your accuracy at about 120 grains of loose powder, out of all the different loads that we have formulated for different rifles. Having said that, there are very-few loads and bullet combinations that will give us 1-inch groups with that 120-grain load.
We have found that 100- or 110-grain loads both produce about the same accuracy when matched with the proper bullet. We’ve tested Hodgdon’s Triple Se7en and Blackhorn 209 powder, and both of those powders seem to perform best with 100-110 grains of powder. Depending on the bullet and the gun you’re using, you’ll get 1900 fps at 100 grains. At 120 grains, you’re pushing the bullet at 2205-2210 fps. From this testing, the researchers at M.A.X. have learned that you’ll pick-up a good bit of velocity from 110-120 grains. However, then when you go from 120-130 grains, the velocity gained goes up in very small increments. So in essence, there’s a kind of diminishing return on how much powder you use. The bullet is only going to go so fast.
If you were buying ice cream, and the first scoop was a big one, and the second was a little smaller than the first, then when you put the third scoop on top, and you barely can see it, you’ll begin to wonder, “Do I really need that third scoop, since it won’t make a big difference in how much ice cream I get to eat today?” If by adding more velocity with more powder to only pick-up 20-30 fps, then do you really need to add more powder? As far as I’m concerned, I don’t think so. You’re not picking-up that much more delivered energy on target versus the loss of accuracy that will result from a heavier powder charge.
