What all is needed to use a Muzzleloader?

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Kinda curious at this point. Always wanted large caliber without the 5k+ price tag.

I’m considering a Traditions Tracker 209. In-line, 209 shotgun primer and says it’s designed to use the hottest burning powders available.

So far I’ve got.

.50 Sabots
Black Powder/Pellets
209 Caps

I’m sure I’m missing some things here.
 
Buy the hot 209 primers.
Federal 209A
CCI-Mag (not the regular)
Winchester 209 primers

Don;t buy any 777-type primers and I find loose powder to be more reliable for ignition and more reliable for accuracy. Using loose powder allows you to tinker with powder charges better.

Personally, I prefer T/C muzzleloaders, followed by Knight and CVA. I would recommend a T/C Impact and they can be found for as little as $225 sometimes on sale.
 
What’s the best way to go about measuring powder? Are there special measuring “cups” that go by volume or should I invest in a food scale?
 
Measuring by volume or by weight is fine so long as you understand what you're doing. Modern black powder substitutes which you'll probably want to use, use equivalent volume as a measurement. Which when using this 100 grains by volume is less powder than 100 grains by weight. They usually have a conversion factor listed.

I typically just pour my powder into a brass flask for dispensing and pre measure using blackhorn charge tubes which measure up to 120 grains by volume.

I shoot blackhorn 209 with 90-110 grains by volume with the federal borelock 350 grain bullet. It's the only bullet besides a powerbelt that fit down the barrel. So you have some reading to do on bore dimensions relative to which manufacturer as they range in diameter slightly. This causes different bullets to shoot well for some brands and not for others. When using a muzzleloader with larger bore diameter you can adjust the sabot and shoot a wider range of bullets. Mine is to tight and the thinnest sabot won't move without extreme force.

You will also want to shoot several groups with varying powder charges 80-120 or whatever range you so choose in increments of 5 grains. So 80-85-90-95 ect. Usually there is a sweet spot where your group will start getting larger. I move up till I find this limit and then back down. For me my group started to open at 115 grains by volume of blackhorn.

Just a tip on blackhorn.(not that you need to use it but if you choose) It likes a specific breech plug design and if you do not have this design it will misfire. Take a look at the blackhorn breech plug for the CVA.

Good luck!
 
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I figure if I stick with Traditions sabots and blackout powder I should avoid any issues. Uses a 209 Breech plug.
 
Never heard of blackout powder. Google search shows it's a smokeless powder? Which should most definitely not be used.

There is more to breech plugs than just using 209 primers. Flash channel diameter and length, flash hole size, whether the face of the breech plug is flat(designed for pellets) or concave meaning it has a powder bowl (designed for powder). All play a factor in proper ignition.
 
I have a flintlock pistol with an English lock. The spring for the lock (frizzen?) is broken. The spring is a 30$ part. Would this be safe to fire?
 
It is. I saw a couple reviews stating that traditions .50 300 grain loads work well with 90-95 grains of powder
 
Grabbed the evolution thunder bolt tracker with redi pak for a bit over $200. Looks sturdier and tougher than my old 30-06. All I need now is powder and primers. My only issue is I may have got a rifle that was returned and repackaged. There’s some spots that look like mud along well excess oil in the barrel and firing mechanism.

It’s kind of like a bolt action type setup. You have a cap and spring that fit against the striker, behind that is your plug with the hole for 209 primers.

Load your powder, sabots, primer then pull the slide n let her loose when ready.

573_F1449-_F587-4_D22-85_B4-9_A7406_FBA436.jpg
 
Hemi....
That appears to be a Plunger Action and you cannot use Blackhorn 209 (smokeless) powder in it, when using 209 primers. Use any substitute powder or real blackpowder instead. Or see if there's another ignition available that fires #11 caps. I believe Blackhorn 209 powder is fine inside any inline ignition sstem that uses the old-school #11 caps.

I'd like to see another pic of that action, to confirm it is a plunger-action. Danger exists (plungers) because 209 primers can explode and shrapnel from them have damaged or destroyed peoples eyes.
 
I was mistaken on the blackhorn 209. “Blackout” is a cleaner made by traditions specifically for black powder rifle.

And it is the plunger type. The thunderbolt was the bolt action and the tracker 209 is the plunger type. Haven’t seen any issues reviews wise on exploding caps. Disassembled the barrel and plunger components and found the barrel has a light coating of oil while the heavy coating is only around the plunger mechanism.

I’ve decided on Winchester 209 primers as everyone seems to carry those and I can’t seem to find federal in anything smaller than a 1k count. I’ll see what Bass Pro has for powder and go from there.
 
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Well I had to order online. Either Bass Pro has slack [censored] stock employees or they sold out of all their muzzle loading supplies with May one week away which I highly doubt.

I’ve decided on pyrodex p and the Winchester blue box primers (not 777) along with a measuring tube. Brass with a screw and lever for dispensing and has a built in way to measure the powder (still haven’t read the directions.

As for the plunger issue I took a second look at it appears to me the indentation inside the striking face of the plunger actually shrouds the striker about 3/8” before the plunger fully seats.
 
Whoa glad I double checked. Firstly, when ordering powder I got confused and grabbed the Pyrodex P powder instead of RS. Simple fix I’ll call tomorrow and have the powder changed or swapped. Primers are another issue, Not sure what I was thinking when I said Winchester Blue Box.

I grabbed the T7s, just because I realize accurately and consistently shooting one of these things is a science. Cheaper accessories means no big loss if it doesn’t work out and I learn a bit in the process. I plan on starting with 90-95 gr and going up from there. I’ll let y’all know how it works out.
 
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Good luck with the testing. There’s plenty of time to get geared up by next Fall, if deer hunting is the goal.
 
The Pyrodex P is fine with 100grains or under. I use the blue Winchester 209s and the blue is much stronger ignition than what you're swapping it with (T7s), which are noticeably weaker primers. Depending on rains or high humiidity, I would keep both kinds of primers and swap them as-needed..

Good luck trying to exchange that loose powder. Most stores do not exchange powders. I use pistol powder - all the way up the ladder 50-cal ....54 and even 58 caliber. What I use is Goex FFF, which is equal (fine grains) to Pyrodex P.

Just because the P stands for pistol, does not mean it won't work well in your 50-cal, long-barrel rifle.
 
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