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: 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.