Will Your Muzzleloader Go Boom When It Counts?

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A failure to fire at the moment of truth could be just around the corner.

 

I expect you have already experienced it before or you have a buddy with a tale of woe. You load your muzzleloader with your one and only shot, your one chance to take a big buck and when he finally shows his self…..your gun goes SNAP! All of your hard work and effort is lost at that one moment. It is seldom a situation you can recover from.

 

Many people don’t realize what a hunter goes thru to place his self in the position to drop the hammer on a nice buck. It’s a lot of time, effort and a lot of money. You just can’t afford to let careless loading cost you a shot at a trophy.

 

Primary reasons for a FTF in a Muzzleloaders

• Moisture
• Plugged or Fowled nipple / breech plug
• Solvent or oil residue in barrel or breech plug

Without a doubt, the number one reason for most muzzleloader failure to fire incidents is residual oil or solvent in the bottom of the barrel that contaminates the powder charge. If you are not taking care to properly clean your barrel of all solvent and oil before loading it for the hunt, it is just a matter of time before it catches up to you.

 

It is a surprisingly easy mistake to make. After all, it’s not like you can see what is going on down in the bottom of the barrel. Most guys will just snap a cap or two and consider the barrel cleared but that don’t always get the job done. One of my good Friends who will go unnamed here, missed an opportunity at a nice buck at 30 yards on the opening morning of the Florida muzzleload season this year with a rifle he had borrowed from me…..no fire in the hole!

 

• Just snapping a cap does not always do the job!

I cannot stress enough how critical this step is. If you do not clear the barrel of all solvent and oil there is a good chance that your gun will not fire when you need it most. The best way to guarantee the barrel is clean and dry is to place about 10-15 grains of powder in the barrel and fire a cap. If you see a flame shoot out the end of the barrel you know without a doubt that any and all residue has been burned off.

 

Now you’re ready to load smoke pole for the hunt. I prefer to use the “spit patch method” to load from my newly fowled barrel.

 

After 10-20 shots you should clean the barrel with solvent, dry and start all over again. Burn out the barrel and breech plug with a short charge, spit patch and load her up again.

 

You will know when it is time for this when you notice the bullet getting more difficult to push down the barrel. Remember, the key to consistent shots is a consistent loading procedure and barrel.

 

If you burn out your barrel prior to loading for the hunt as described above you will all but eliminate any failures to fire at the moment of truth.

 

Best of Hunts,
Larry Stephens

How to Load a Muzzleloader for Optimum Accuracy!

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Does your muzzleloader’s performance leave something to be desired? If so, it very likely could be your loading procedure! Here’s a method that could make your gun, all it can be.

Of course, you have to start with a gun that is capable of making accurate shots. There are a number of them out there but I have been shooting the T/C Encore for a while now and it will shoot 1.5” groups at 100yds pretty easily with an occasional 1” group mixed in. Next you are going to need a solid bench to shoot from, along with some sand bags or an adjustable shooting rest. These are the basic foundation you need to begin with.

• Bullet selection is another key to accuracy and performance!

Next, you’re going to need to choose a quality bullet!

There has been some real advances in muzzleload bullets in recent years. Among the best of these are the latest designs with polymer ballistic tips like the Hornaday SST and the Thompson Center Shockwave. I can personally vouch for the Shockwaves. I have never seen a better performing muzzleload bullet, both in accuracy and game stopping ability.

My personal load consists of 118gr of loose Pyrodex, a 200gr Shockwave and Remington 209 primers. I’m getting some extremely good accuracy with this load.

I would have to say that most people seem to like the heavier, 250 gr. bullet for some reason. However, I prefer the flatter trajectory and increased velocity of the 200’s. A muzzleloader’s projectile is already a relatively slow moving bullet by nature. The more you can bump up the velocity the better the bullets expansion & performance will be on game.

The exact steps you take in loading your gun will make all the difference in the results you get down range.

Now comes the important part!

You have a great gun and quality bullets but how do you go about getting that bullet in the gun?

A muzzleloader is much like archery equipment from the respect that you must prepare and execute each shot exactly the same each time to get consistent results between shots.

I was recently reminded of this fact when I started experiencing fliers in my own groups. I had changed my loading procedure from my old tried and true spit patch method to a technique a good hunting friend of mine was using. He swabs his barrel clean between shots with a solvent patch then follows up with dry patch so he is shooting from an un-fowled barrel on each shot. He reasoned that with no fowling you should have a consistent barrel.

Unfortunately, for me it worked better in theory than in reality. My feeling on the matter is that it is difficult to remove all the solvent and any residual acts like a lubricant. The effect varies, producing inconsistent results.

Also, find some quality cotton patches, I recently purchased some CVA patches and they are terrible. They are to loose and have to be doubled and are stretchy. I expect they are not “made in USA.”

I have been pulling my hair out trying to get this method to stop throwing fliers. Finally, I decided to give up and go back to a method I know works….The Spit Patch.

This technique is pretty simple and is also something you can do on a hunt, in the field. With a fowled barrel, you simply wet a clean patch with some Sylvia, swab the barrel and then follow up with a dry patch. I like to use approximately the same number of strokes on each swab. Now you’re ready to re-load.

Shooting from a slightly fowled barrel also produces a tighter fit with the bullet and slightly more resistance as the bullet passes down the barrel. This increases the barrel pressure and bullet velocity. You will notice your point of impact is 2.5-3" higher than shooting from a clean barrel.

Another important step is seating the bullet. This also needs to be consistent. How tightly the propellant is compressed by the bullet will also effect the shot.

The adjacent photo was shot from my T/C Encore today.

All shots were at 100 yds.

#3,4 & 5 produced a 1.5” group
I adjusted 8 clicks down
#6, 7 & 8 produced a 1.25” group

I am not sure what produced the shift of the second group to the left
but I believe it is an issue with the scope itself as the groups are just to tight and consistent to suggest otherwise.

• Will your gun go bang when it counts the most?

There is one more critical step in the loading procedure that has resulted in more missed opportunities at Mr. Big than any other! Mess this step up and all your hard work and effort to get that big buck in your cross hairs is for not.

I cannot stress this point enough, if you do not clear the barrel of all solvent and oil there is a good chance that your gun will not fire when you need it most. The only way I know to guarantee this is to pour about 10-15 grains of powder down the barrel and fire off a cap. If you get a flame out the end of the barrel you know with all confidence that all residue is burned off.

Now you’re ready to load for the hunt. Just follow the spit patch procedure as outlined above and you will not have any nagging worries of the dreaded FTF.

If you are having problems with consistency with you muzzleloader, give this loading technique a try, I expect it will solve your problem.

Best of Hunts,

Larry Stephens

Late to the Deer Stand…..Again!

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More stories from the deer camp.

You will love this one, though I don‘t recommend using it as an excuse for yourself!

The opening morning of the 2012 Muzzleload season was one great day! The only negative was that I had to drive an hour and a quarter from the camp to the office to complete a job I had promised.

Well, I finished the job, met the client and hit the road, peddling as fast as I could to get back to the woods.

It seems like I am late every afternoon no matter what I do. There is always something that comes up that delays my best laid plans. I have been so aggravated lately with this that I want to pull my hair out!

That night when I got into camp I phoned my bride to check in and let her know I was out alive. She asked how it went and I related that I was late again this afternoon! She said what happened? I replied “Well, it was a drunk, crack-head prostitute this time!” There was a pause and then, “YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF?”

I got held up by a drunk, crack-head prostitute! No really, I’m serious…..I was outside cleaning up the horns off the little buck I shot that morning so I could get some preservative on them when I hear a women’s voice. I looked up and there is this black women standing in the yard trying to get my attention. Reluctantly, I walked over to see what the problem was. She proceeded to tell me the store across the street had banned her from their establishment and that somebody there was a child molester and she was out warning all the neighbors?

I’m not making this up! She rattles on about where she lives, who here god father is and other things that I could not quite understand. Then she sees I am holding a knife! “what you skinnin’” she asks. I tell her I’m just cleaning up some horns from a buck I killed that morning.

She has a stretchy, tube type dress on and no bra. She pulls her top out and reaches in like she has some money hidden between her breasts while telling me she wants to by some deer meat from me!!

“No, No, No……hold on, I don’t have any deer meat I quickly explain. It’s all at the house.

I get out of that and then she asks If I have ever seen the “ghost buck”. She holds out her hands to show me how large his horns were and apparently he has about a 30”speard! She says “his hons was 10 times bigga than dem” (point at my 5pt) She then explains how he took his horns and just rammed them into her front fender and wrecked her car!

All I could say was WOW…..no, I can’t say I've ever seen him.

She told me her name was Silvia.

When she started looking in my windows at what I had inside I knew I was time to get her out of here. I told her I had to go inside now as I had someone stopping by shortly and thanked her for the warning about the molester.

I hope all my stuff is still there when I get back!

Larry

A Muzzleload Bullet To Die For! Optimum Accuracy and Performance!

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Is your Muzzleload bullet coming up short? Here's the cure for what ails you!

I have been hunting with muzzleloaders for a long time now, over 25 years to be exact. My first smoke pole was a .50 cal. CVA Hawkins that I built from a kit. It was as accurate as any I ever saw for open sights and round balls.

I killed my first muzzleload buck with that gun on the opening morning of my first muzzleload season. I don't think the hunt even lasted an hour. I had climbed up on a massive downed live oak in the middle of a big hardwood swamp in central Florida. The tree was over 3 feet in diameter and the trunk was clear of the ground by almost 4'. I set up with my back against the fan of roots sticking up in the air and it gave me a good vantage of the open swamp, a prettier place you never saw!

It was a cool October morning and there was just a bit of fog hanging in the swamp. I hadn't been sitting there long when I heard the sound of running deer and they were coming my way. I cocked  my hammer and got turned that direction. About that time three does came into view and they were hauling the mail! Not far behind was a big cow horned spike. As he neared I tried to stop him twice but he was so involved in the chase it did not phase him. By this time the Buck was just getting to the limbs of the downed oak I was in. I had to do something quick or he was going to get by me. I just hollered out....HEY!  The buck stopped in his tracks at about 15 yds, I dropped the hammer and he hit the ground where he stood!

I don't think I could have dreamed up a more classic muzzleload hunt.

The old round ball did the job that day and I am sure it has probably killed more than any other bullet to date. The only problem is that many of the deer shot with round balls are not recovered. They just don't leave much, if any of a blood trail. I can't tell you how many deer I helped other hunters track back in those days that were never found.

There has been a lot of different bullet designs since then but some real advances have been made over the last few years. Among the best of these are the latest designs with polymer ballistic tips like the Hornaday SST, Thompson Center Shockwave and possibly the Power Belts though I have not personally seen many deer shot with these. It is my understanding that Hornaday actually builds the Shockwave for T/C and I can personally vouch for the Shockwaves. I have never seen a better performing muzzleload bullet.

I get some extremely good accuracy with the .50 cal., 200 gr. Shockwave bullets and the performance on game is un-matched, bar none! Some of the blood trails I have seen these things produce have been nothing short of incredible, comparable to any weapon, even modern high powered rifles. As a matter of fact, most of the deer I have shot with these bullets left a blood trail better than any I can remember from my Browning A-Bolt in .30-06.

I have all of my friends shooting the Shockwaves now and they are reporting the same results that I have been seeing. Great accuracy and even better blood trails! At least when one is able to run off.

I would say that most people seem to prefer the 250 gr. bullet for some reason.

A number of years ago I purchased a new Thompson Center Encore from Bass Pro Shops. I decide to go with the stainless model just to save myself some headaches with the corrosiveness of the propellants.  We were leasing a farm in Illinois where you could really stretch your barrel at times and my Remington 11-87 Premier just wasn't up to the job, even with a fully rifled slug barrel. I tried evey slug you can imagine and the accuracy was terrible. The bullet performance on the deer I shot with it was even worse with the Remington Copper Solids I was using. They were the only thing that even shot close to good and that was a 2.5"-3" group at 100yds.

I needed something with better performance than that and I found it in the T/C Encore. It will shoot 1.25"-1.5" groups at 100yds and has an effective range of over 200yds. Twice that of most shotguns. It really likes the Shockwave Bullets though the 200 gr. are a snug fit. In my friends T/C Omega they were really tight while the 250 gr. bullets fed much easier.

My personal load consists of 118gr of loose pyrodex, a 200gr Shockwave and Remington 209 primers.

While researching the Hornady SST bullets I see that they are considerably less money than the T/C Shockwaves and come in a box of 25 rather than the 15 you get from T/C. They are pretty pricey when you think about it. The Shockwaves are almost a buck a bullet. Unfortunately, other bullets just can't provide the performance these bullets can.

If your muzzleload bullet has been letting you down give the SST's or the Shockwaves a try, I guarantee you will thank me for the advice!

Best of  Hunts,
Larry Stephens

I could only find the Super Glides on Amazon though I shoot the regular Shockwaves with the blue sabots myself. You can get some info on these bullets at the links below.

Another Successful Guided Hog Hunt!

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This is a short video of a hog hunt I guided in late October. The Hunter is Ed Acierno of Palm Coast, Fl. and was accompanied by his brother Mike.

We began our expedition by stopping off at one of the feeders at the ranch to see what sign we could find. There were so many turkeys on the pasture that every scrap of corn had been wiped out. We walked over to the close corner of the pasture to see if the live oaks were dropping and look for some hog sign. Their were green & whites (live oak acorns) everywhere and all the hog, deer and turkey sign you could ever want to see. As we were walking back to the feeder a whole herd of about 10-12 hogs came trotting out of the woods to check the feeder. We were caught off guard looking at the ground for sign and the hogs spotted us before we knew they were there. That put the whole group right back in the woods. That was all Ed and Mike needed to see, they wanted to go no further! "let's just hunt right here!"

I wanted them to have a little more of a hunt than that so we headed over to a little hammock section where I hoped we could get on a decent hog in the woods. We slipped quietly along the hammock edge for for a while but the hogs never showed. At that point and it was getting a little late so we slipped across the pasture from the other side to see if that first group was back at the feeder. There were hogs of all shapes and sizes there picking up corn.

The decision was made, we'd stalk the pasture feeder using a small out building to mask our movement.

One of the more memorable parts of the hunt was just after Ed had shot his Hog. He was using a .308
and had shot an 80lb guilt square on. I was so involved in videoing the hunt that I was not really paying proper attention to the shot angle.  When we walked up to the downed hog I couldn't remember what angle it had been standing at the shot.

The hog still had a little kick left in it when we got to it despite having taken a direct shot to the forehead from Ed's .308.

Ed was eager to apply a finishing shot from his .22 pistol but I held him off....."no, she's done, I related." After a few more moments of kicking I decided I had better have a look at the shot. It looked like the bullet had entered just right of center and had come out the eye. It appeared to be a quartering shot that had just clipped the skull.

I decided to have Ed put a .22 in the ear just to be safe. "Go ahead and shoot her in the ear Ed but hold it right up close so it's not so loud."
What I didn't realize was that the hog had been standing square on and the bulged out eye was from the expansion of the head shot which had devastated the inside of the head.

When Ed pulled the trigger on the pistol the pooled blood in the head went everywhere! Ed was covered in a fine red mist! Unfortunately, I had turned the camera off at that point.

We all got a little laugh out of that and it was time for the work to begin. I quartered the hog right there on the tail gate of my truck, the hog was in the cooler and my job was done!

I hope you enjoy the video.

If you are interested in a guided hog hunt with me at Bull Creek, you can contact me through my guide site at www.guidedturkeyhunting.com 

I can provide both fall and spring turkey hunts as well as Hog Hunts.

I will post some more videos shortly of the hogs and turkey.......you can't even

believe the number of turkeys using there right now. If you are looking for a fall turkey hunt

It is a guaranteed harvest right now.

The most recent count of birds on the pasture was just short of 100! with 11 jakes

and 13 trophy longbeards. I am about to head up to our lease in illinois for a muzzleload hunt

but as soon as I get back I'll get some video of them.

Best of hunts,
Larry S.