So I am a novice at ML. Bought an inline from another member here and got to doing some reading online...

Being an accuracy freak whether it is a blowgun, BB gun or a high cal rifle, I read online that the "pellets" were less accurate than using loose powder. Of course these are all from "Joe T. in Dalton" or 'Sam H in Pennsylvania". Since I trust the good folks here a heck of a lot more, is this true? Is the loose powder significantly more accurate then the pellets? I am not looking for sub MOA groups here but if it's the difference between "minute of deer" and MOA then I am curious.

Thanks for any feedback, I appreciate it!

really think it depends on the rifle. Have 2 TCs here. One shoots really good with 3 pellets, the other have to use the loose powder for any kind of accuracy. The one that shoots with 3 pellets does not group worth a crap with any other combination of Pellets. When these are gone it will be only loose powder no more pellets for me.

I like loose powder for my T/C's. Both my prohunter and triumph shoot loose with better accuracy.

Loose powder will almost always give you better accuracy as it will burn more completely and you are controlling the volume of powder....you also can use less loose powder to get performance comparable (velocity wise) to pellets..but you may find a pellet load/bullet combination that makes you happy.

I shoot 3 whiteHots and a 250gr Barnes Tipped Expander out of a TC ProHunter (28" barrel..and longer barrels typically have better performance) and the gun shoots really tight groups. That said I lapped the barrel and I know my gun shoots well.

Thanks ya'll, I guess it's one of those things I need to just sit down and trial and error. I appreciate the input

I was a pellet guy for several years. Now, it's nothing but loose powder.
WHY?- accuracy, even burn rate, and less messy to clean after use.

I shoot Triple 7 loose powder in my Hawkins and pellets in my modern in-line.
I prefer the pellets for quicker reloading. The powder charge can be a pain
for a quick reload for a follow up shot. As for accuracy...my Hawkins is accurate
with the powder charge. The in-line can get sloppy after a few shots without swabbing.

A quick update: I finally got to shoot my inline this weekend. My 9 year old grandson was with me, after the first shot all he could say was "SHOOT IT AGAIN"!! He was not impressed with the time required to load it or the clean up after we finished. At 60 yards I was hitting a 3" dia group just off a table, no bags or rest using 2 pellets and some "plinker" sabots I picked up.

I am afraid I have opened up a whole new portal to funnel money into. I really like the whole ML experience!

It is a lot of fun. Need to get some Goex and get that real black powder experience some time. That smell of sulfur burning will stick with you.

Did your Grandson get to shoot it? You know one pellet will shoot it fine. I used a 45cal Kentucky rifle built from one of the kits and 15 grains Goex with a patched round ball squirrel and rabbit hunting a few times.

go to prbulletts.com lot of good info.
I used pellets and had poor groups with my Omega.
Changed to loose powder and different ignition system and will shoot tight at 100 yards and accurate at 200.
Started using Blackhorn 209 and lot less cleaning.

Welcome to the club..... and don't get too hung up with pellets vs loose powder debate...find what your gun likes and gives you the accuracy you want.

If you are just looking to shoot at paper....bullet accuracy is what you look for. If you are going to hunt game...then you need accuracy and bullet performance (penetration & expansion).

I do a lot of hunting with my muzzleloader and want to be accurate out to 200 yds. My TC ProHunter has a 28" barrel (longer barrels are better than shooter ones) and shoot three 50 gr WhiteHots (primarily for convience and because they give me very good accuracy) with a 250 gr Barnes tipped Expander.

If I wanted to use loose powder and my concern was performance and clean-up....I'd be looking at the BuckHorn 209.

Have fun and think about buying the boy his own muzzleloader

I agree with TonyinVA....my first BP was a CVA Buckhorn and shot both powder and pellets - the pellets gave the best grouping. Then I stepped up to a Knight, and got the same result, usually shooting 3 50gr. pellets with either a 250gr Hornady sabot or 300gr. Barnes sabot and getting 1" to 11/2" group at 200yds.

Just an FYI.... in my muzzleloader I have found that the 250 grain Hornady SST sabots shoot almost identical to the 250 grain Barnes Tipped Expanders and the TC Shockwave Sabots (which actually are Hornady bullets).

Why do I mention this...because while I shoot Barnes bullets for hunting I will shoot paper with the Hornady bullets because they are cheaper...and I shot a lot particularly 150 to 200 yards (makes 100 yards feel like a chip shot)

BTW, both the Hornady and the TC Shockwaves are an acceptable hunting bullet. I have shot several deer in VA (120-180 pound live weight) with those loads just to see how they perform. in Iowa with 250 plus pound animals I always use the 250 grain Barnes Bullets.

Cleaning the break over muzzle loaders is very easy. I put warm water/soap in a 5 gallon bucket (about 6") and place the end of the barrel in the water while I push the cleaning rod up and down several times. Take out of water, dry it, wipe it, lube it and done. The breech plug takes about a minute to clean as well. I clean mine after about 20 shots or at the end of the season. I never hunt with a clean barrel....at least one shot before hunting. I have 2 guns and had another before these and a cold/clean barrel will sometimes fly a bit. Don't really know if it is me or the gun....I just don't want to chance it. Confidence goes a long ways when hunting.

Pitt,

I use to use the warm soapy water on my original black Knight years ago when I was shooting black powder...now shoot WhiteHots I keep it simpler and just use a soaked patch....I use up a few patches to get the barrel clean and then dry, but it's easier then messing with the bucket.

I know people who always shoot with a barrel that has been fired once...others shoot a 209 primer in a clean barrel and then load the gun...others a clean barrel. I am not saying which is right (probably isn't a "right") but I use a clean barrel (just run a dry patch through it before I load up).

So I agree with your conclusion...you go with what makes you comfortable and gives you confidence.

By the way, it's been freezing here in VA this month...fells like the Midwest!

Tony

I am in western Nebraska and I raise your cold and give you 6" of snow, 50 mph winds and ice every where! We live just east of the mountains and it gets down into the 20's or lower every night until May......I am definitely not in Kansas anymore!

BTW, We got about 6" today on top of 5" a few days ago ..and set all time records for low temps here. So much for Global Warming!

And in July we both will be griping about the heat

NO doubt about that!

I bought my first muzzleloader, a cheap Traditions rifle, a few years back. The first propellant I tried was Triple 7 50s and I got MOA for three shots right off the bat. I ain't gonna change a thing unless I have to!

You may not realize how true that statement is. They just seem to follow you home from the store. Consider Blackhorn 209 powder for an inline also. A little expensive but not as corrosive. Must use209 primers though.

Kmon- I was turned on to goex by a friend at the range. One of my ML had intermittent delayed ignition. It fixed it right up. I love the smell of black powder in the morning, it smells like........

Last time I was shooting Goex at a public range a few people down wind packed up and left. It is fun to break that out on a real busy range day, say the weekend before deer season

I'll have to remember that. Mine gets a little busy at times.

Loose powder all the way. I've found over the years that pellets chip off around the edges and really don't get the punch that you get with the loose. I do agree that it depends on the gun and some do shoot the pellets very well. I shoot a Knight 50 cal disc and it hates pellets. I also have a Knight Wolverine and shoot both equally well.

My CVA Wolf Shoots 1 1/2" groups at 100 yards with 2 50 grain Pyrodex pellets and a 245 grain Powerbelt bullet.
I hunt Texas and most of my shots are at under 100 yards so I'm good with the groups. I do like the hollow points without the aero tip. I shot a doe with an aero tip at 20 yards and it appeared the bullet went through without expanding, the exit hole was the same as the entrance. I didn't have that issue with the plain hollow points.
If your just hunting I think Pellets are the best due to ease of use.
If your going to shoot competition Powder is the only way to go because you can fine tune the charge to get maximum accuracy.

I had a cva that shot the 777 three pellets at 150 grains and it was very accurate. I bought a 100 count of 250 grain 45 caliber bullets hornady jacketed hollow points. They were the right diameter and would fit in my sabots. I saved a lot of money by doing that. I would always unload it after use and take the pellets out but leave the sabot and bullet in the bore if I didn't shoot it ,and if I was going to hunt with it the next day. I started using bore butter to keep the stalactites of rust down in the barrel. Seemed like no matter how much I cleaned it, it always got rusty. I would just put the powder pellets back in from the breech when I went back the next day. This kept me from having to push the sabot out every time and scaring the sabot. I could tell that the powder was breaking down with each bit of handling, but did not like to leave it in the bore over night because of corrosion and I figured the powder was absorbing moisture from the atmosphere and the bore butter. Always wondered about that.