Long Range MuzzleLoader recommendations

[hogpatrol]

The biggest issue I see is your time frame unless you can find a good used one, ready to go. I'd go custom...Your factory options are very limited. Savage has even gone to "limited" production, if they're still making them at all. My next one will be a smaller caliber. I'm leaning toward a .40 but may go smaller still. Maybe a .338.

300 yards is easy and 500 is no problem for these guns! I've seen factory Savages shoot 2-1/2" at 300 and still have more energy than a 300 WinMag.

Snag a cheap Savage long action or complete rifle and buy the conversion parts off of Luke at Arrowhead Sporting Goods. Figure close to a thousand all in depending on barrel and breech plug selection. This is for a .45 version. The original Savage .50s can be scarce at times.

 

[savagedasher]

Thompson Encore rifle
And get a custom barrel
That withstand smokeless powder

 

[savagedasher]

Bad to the bone
Makes what your looking for

 

[deadeye4]

I would use Jeff Hankins.

He will build it or you can purchase his ignition system if you are building it yourself. If you are interested in my opinions on barrel contours, stocks, breaks, ect. Let me know.

mr hankins is a close friend of mine & I am a moderator on this board-look around & have fun. ignition is paramount & this is simply the best.

my mz 325gn @ 3250fps!! with HIS
http://hanksmessageboard.freeforums.net/

 

[deadeye4]

not a misprint & mine is not the most powerful-here is a link I think many will enjoy as he was testing mine right after the build. in this video a 275gn bullet @ 3000fps.

please keep in mind these loads are not for everyone especially break-open mz,only safe in my gun which is on a 700cf sa with a heavy barrel with HIS ignition with a special alloy modules.

 

[284winner]

The biggest issue I see is your time frame unless you can find a good used one, ready to go. I'd go custom...Your factory options are very limited. Savage has even gone to "limited" production, if they're still making them at all. My next one will be a smaller caliber. I'm leaning toward a .40 but may go smaller still. Maybe a .338.

300 yards is easy and 500 is no problem for these guns! I've seen factory Savages shoot 2-1/2" at 300 and still have more energy than a 300 WinMag.

Is that last paragraph a misprint ???

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Is that last paragraph a misprint ???

No, it's not. These things can shoot amazingly well.

 

[284winner]

No, it's not. These things can shoot amazingly well.

Wow. Hard to believe they got that kind of energy that can match a 300 Mag at extended range.

 

[XTR]

Most guys who are shooting that far/fast are shooting sabotless 45s or 338s. There is a company that makes dies to pre-engrave your bullets. You send them an inch off of your barrel blank and they make an adjustable die for swaging engraving.

Most of those you load with a funnel to get the powder past the brake.

If you want to get really custom, and fast, I've seen prints for ML barrels that had a "chamber" cut in the breach end. Think about it. Take a Ruger #1 action. Get a blank, run a 338LM reamer up into it and screw in a breach plug. Use a cut off case or a pistol case with a LRM primer, nobody says a ML has to be a straight pipe on the inside.

My MLII is still 50 cal. In a 50cal the sabots are the limiting factor. I haven't hunted ML season in a few yrs, but as I recall my MLII load is a 250 over straight IMR4198 or a duplex load with 5gr of IMR sr4759. I forget my velocity, I tested till I started getting torn sabot petals. I think I'm running them at about 2200 to 2400 FPS. Right before life got really complicated for me i was beginning to experiment with some cast bullets in sabots.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Wow. Hard to believe they got that kind of energy that can match a 300 Mag at extended range.

I ran the number for a 300 gr sst 45 cal bullet at 2300fps and a bc of .250. It has about 1400ft/lbs at 300 yards. Not quite 300 win mag but similar to a 30-06. That was just one load. I think you can get very close to 300 mag energy with the right load/bullets.

These smokeless mz's are impressive. Other than areas where you can't use one, I don't know why virtually everyone doesn't. FWIW, you can use bp and bp substitutes in a smokeless powder mz..just not the other way around. That should take care of the states that require bp. I assume those states allow bp substitutes. If not, I just wouldn't hunt there. Lol! Sounds like a tough law to enforce anyway.

 

[savagedasher]

I ran the number for a 300 gr sst 45 cal bullet at 2300fps and a bc of .250. It has about 1400ft/lbs at 300 yards. Not quite 300 win mag but similar to a 30-06. That was just one load. I think you can get very close to 300 mag energy with the right load/bullets.

These smokeless mz's are impressive. Other than areas where you can't use one, I don't know why virtually everyone doesn't. FWIW, you can use bp and bp substitutes in a smokeless powder mz..just not the other way around. That should take care of the states that require bp. I assume those states allow bp substitutes. If not, I just wouldn't hunt there. Lol! Sounds like a tough law to enforce anyway.

When Get into the serious ones They are matching regular rifles fo accuracy and speed
Now the new thing is air .
We have been.selling tuner break to a few

 

[284winner]

I ran the number for a 300 gr sst 45 cal bullet at 2300fps and a bc of .250. It has about 1400ft/lbs at 300 yards. Not quite 300 win mag but similar to a 30-06. That was just one load. I think you can get very close to 300 mag energy with the right load/bullets.

These smokeless mz's are impressive. Other than areas where you can't use one, I don't know why virtually everyone doesn't. FWIW, you can use bp and bp substitutes in a smokeless powder mz..just not the other way around. That should take care of the states that require bp. I assume those states allow bp substitutes. If not, I just wouldn't hunt there. Lol! Sounds like a tough law to enforce anyway.

Well I suppose I can understand smokeless powders. I was thinking black powder or substitute. Savage ran smokeless guns for years and they really out performed the black powder option. Don't think it's legal here in my state but that could have changed.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Well I suppose I can understand smokeless powders. I was thinking black powder or substitute. Savage ran smokeless guns for years and they really out performed the black powder option. Don't think it's legal here in my state but that could have changed.

It may well be illegal there...idk. I'm not advocating hunting illegally either but it does seem like a hard law to enforce. What do they do, have you pull the breech plug and dump the powder out?

 

[DocDoc]

BP only, no optics, and ignition open to the elements. WA and OR want it to be "old style" for muzzleloader season.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

BP only, no optics, and ignition open to the elements. WA and OR want it to be "old style" for muzzleloader season.

Ahhh...Traditionalists.

 

[Mr. Ten-X]

I am looking to have the capability to shoot out to 300 yards with confidence and possibly out to 500 yards if needed.

Ever looked at drift tables for projectiles with a .2 to .25 G1 BC at ML velocities when you get out to 300 yards? Sure hope that you read wind real well all of the way to the target without a spotting scope and wind flags.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Ever looked at drift tables for projectiles with a .2 to .25 G1 BC at ML velocities when you get out to 300 yards? Sure hope that you read wind real well all of the way to the target without a spotting scope and wind flags.

Still beats a patch and ball.

 

[dkhunt14]

Is that last paragraph a misprint ???

No its not. My buddy builds them and they shot them at Williamsport. Typical 5 shot groups at 600 are 2 to 3 inches. At 100 yards they are one hole guns and many groups in the zeros and ones. He even shot a 3 shot group at 1000 of three inches. These guns really shoot. A 400 grain slug at around upper 2000's fps. Matt

 

[dkhunt14]

Ever looked at drift tables for projectiles with a .2 to .25 G1 BC at ML velocities when you get out to 300 yards? Sure hope that you read wind real well all of the way to the target without a spotting scope and wind flags.

I believe the BC on these projectiles are a lot higher. When we shot them at 600 yards they shot as good as rifles and the wind at Williamsport didn't seem to bother them anymore then a rifle. I know they impressed me and everybody that shot them bought one. Matt

 

[JMayo]

Plainfield precession in NC builds them outta store bought that'll shoot 1k yrds competitively.
I'm the old school ...Thought they were 200yd shooters. I was totally blown away by the 1k shooter.

In Mississippi the laws changed. any single shot can be used primitive season.