Well I took a few people's advise and decided to give muzzle loading a try. At any rate I sprang for a Knight Wolverine 209 with stainless barrel, but have yet to shoot it. Heck I have yet to shoot a muzzle loader. I've been doing a lot of reading about what and what not to do, but have a few questions.

Does anyone have a recommendation for charges and bullets?

My initial thinking is to select one bullet/charge combination for both elk and deer, then learn to shoot it very very well. Is this a good or bad idea? and what magical bullet might I choose?

Thanks for any help.

I used a Wolverine for a few years.Great starter muzzleloader.I did exactly as you are considering and went with 1 load for deer and elk.Made sense to me because around here the deer and elk seasons usually run together.

I used 100 grains of pyrodex,with 315 grain sabots.They shot very well for me in that gun.

You have a lot of options though.777 Powder is 1(cleaner&hotter) and the powerbelt bullets are another. I bought a Knight Bighorn Saturday at Bobs.I took the advice from a fellow ml hunter with 1 and started out with 120 grains of pyrodex and 295 grain powerbelts.These are rated to use up to 150 grains of powder.Amazing acurracy with that combo.I then substituted 100 grains of triple 7 for the pyrodex and was still very satisfied with the results.

So as you can see different powders and bullets work different in differnt weapons.
If I were you I would start out with a bullet to your liking then 90-100 grains of pyrodex.Or 80-90 grains of Triple seven.Adjust your powder charge up or down 10 grains at a time till you get your rifle to shoot best.

Most of the sighting in stuff should be on a vidio you got with your gun.along with the recomended loads.Just remember to run a spit patch between rounds.

I'm sold on the powerbelts.And the triple seven powder.The powder is way cleaner than pyrodex and very little smoke.A knight rep told me to use 10-20% less than I would of Pyrodex.Whatever you do dont exceed your rifles rated powder charge.

When you find a load you like,that shoots well,its a good idea to mark your ramrod after you put a load in.That way you can always tell if you put in a charge or bullet .Plus keep from putting in a double charge.

The other thing is the caps.I have been using the waterproof German caps and have only had 1 ever fail In my opinion they are the best.The name on them is Vorderlader-Zundhutchen, Dynamit Nobel is also on the label.They come in a red plastic pack with a green label.

I remember the 1st time I loaded my muzzleloader.I poured 100 grains of pyrodex in my hand.After looking at that much powder I was a little iffy about pulling the trigger.It went great thogh,and I've been hooked ever since.I could go on a lot longer.But still consider myself a novice in muzzleloading.I'm sure you can and will get more great advice from this board.

If you have anymore questions just ask,and I'll do the best I can to help out.
Good luck with your muzzleloader,I hope you enjoy it as much as I have mine.

Rick

I am using 95 grains of 777 with a 348 grain Powerbelt. Haven't killed anything with it yet, but accuracy is good. One thing to remember is for elk the minimum bullet diameter legal is .50, so most if not all sabot loads will be less then legal diameter. Also, be sure your bullets are not jacketed, they must be pure lead.

777 powder is a real good powder to use and the powerbelt bullets are very accurate and some of the easiest loading bullets you'll find. Good luck and enjoy your new toy.

Hairy Ape,
Unless I'm misinterpreting what the hunting pamphlet says,You dont have to have a .50 cal. bullet to hunt elk with if the total weight is over 170 grains.

On page 14 it says
"a muzzleloading firearm used for all other big game must fire a single,non-jacketed lead projectile of nominal 50 caliber or larger,or fire a single non jacketed lead projectile of at least 170 grains"

I had the same discussion at work recently and it seems to be a common misconception or point of confusion.

110 grains of 777 behind a Hornady Great Plains bullet. 425g for elk, 390g for deer.

Hopefully you have a #11 or musket cap kit with that, as 209 primers can't be used during standard ML season. If you huunt modern in a firearms restriction zone you'll be fine. Many of the manufacturers sell them, but you probably got one or have it ordered.

Try a number of bullets starting off with 100 grains as a starting point for powder if you have a .50 or .54. Buy a PAST recoil reducing bench shoulder pad and shoot away. Lots of fun!

The same folks who make powerbelt bullets also make one of the best speed loaders on the market called the "mag charger". Get one for your specific rifle. Toss it on the barrel after your shot, hit the plunger to load powder and bullet. Pull ramrod and seat bullet. Cap, fire. Very quick compared to many others. EC loader is also a good choice.

Get ready to buy lots of gadgets!

Andy

Hey Everyone, thanks for all the excellent information.

I'm really looking forward to getting out to the range then spending some time in the woods (in relative solitude).