Anyone blackpowder deer hunt?

[Highpower1]

A friend of my recently bought an in-line style black powder rifle for deer hunting here in GA. I now have the bug for one.

Do any of you, hunt or have hunted with a blackpowder rifle for whitetail deer. If how, how lucky have you been using one.

What type of range can I accurately expect out of one?

Would I be best to stay with an in-line style rather, than traditional style?

All the help will be greatly appreicated.


Best Regards,

Highpower1

[Bud Helms]

I have hunted with a CVA .45 and TC Hawken .50 caplocks. 100 yds max was all I felt comfortable with due to the sights. The closer the better. Then I put a Lyman peep on the rear and a Lyman 17A on the front of the Hawken and oila! With the set/hair trigger and new sights it is a 150 yd rifle. It now shoots "minute of bore"

By all accounts the inline ignition design is superior for most practical uses. I cannot vouch for any improved accuracy. The new crop of .45 "Magnums", the new Pyrodex pellets and a host of new bullet designs, put modern BP rifles squarely in the 150 yd class for hunting. Very flat shooters, as BP rifles go. I still prefer the 65-75 yd shot myself. Accuracy is reportedly as good as it always was ... a 4 inch circle at 100 yds will kill a whitetail all day long. Better sights and trigger will shrink that quickly.

[PaP]

I hunt with a Knight 50 cal Disc Rifle. I have it set up to use two 50 grain pyrodex pellets and a 260 grain bullet. I have taken three deer with it, one just last Monday. All have dropped with one shot with the furtherest being at about 85 yards.

I don't know much about the new magnum rifles except that a clerk at the the local store told me that the only difference was two extra inches on the barrel.

[PaP]

Sorry for the double post.

The in-line and the traditional BP guns are two entirely different animals. With my Disc Rifle, the only difference between it and a centerfire fire rifle is the loading and the one shot. The Disc ignition system fires hot and quick.

Good luck.

[The Reaper]

I use a "traditional" versus inline. Where I hunt in VA I won't have a shot past 100yds, but I would trust my BP rifles accurracy further than that. If you get a good hit the deer typically won't wander far, if at all. Some drop right where you hit them.

Inline vs traditional is an interesting debate. Inline looks like a rifle and so accessories are easier to come by and scope will mount easier. The inline ignition should deliver more fire to your charge ensuring ignition every time. You can remove the breech plug on the inline for easier cleaning, you have no option on the traditional. I guess it comes down to are you a traditional or modern guy.

I have the Cabela's Sporterized Hawken kit(no fancy brass trimming and a rubber butt pad) for $260. It had everything except percussion caps and powder. Inlines will vary, but can be much cheaper for the kits. I have certainly lusted after more expensive BP rifles, but this one works just fine.

The key for me was the 1 in 48 twist to stabilize the widest range of bullets in .50 caliber. I use roughly 100grains of P-Dex with a 310 grain hollow point boattail bullet for best accurracy out of mine. Allow yourself some time to practice as always.

If you like the inline style better, then go for it. Shoot your friend's inline and try to find someone with a "traditional" style to shoot. Pick the one you like. BP can be fun to shoot, at least I like it.

Good luck

[CD1]

Highpower,

I use a Knight DISC rifle. It's an in-line ignition, using a #209 shotshell primer. I use 150 grains of pyrodex pellets, and have a Leupold 3-9 Vari-X II scope on top. Now on to the good stuff...

Shooting...Exceptionally accurate. I have mine zeroed at 150 yards. I can hit reliably at 200 with it. The only complaints I have about it is that the rod holder is plastic and breaks frequently, and the bolt can rotate open with the safty on or off (meaning its possible to have the bolt open and your primer fall out without you knowing it). Once you close the bolt on the DISC it is rain proof. One final note is that if you mount a scope on it you may have to modify your stock to get proper cheek weld. I surgically attached a piece of Nerf football to mine to get it right. With the open sights it's OK, the scope forces you to be up a little higher.

Cleanup is a piece of cake. This is where the inline differs from my last muzzle loader. I can clean the gun in TEN MINUTES. That is breaking it down, cleaning it, and putting it back together again. I can't over-state how nice it is to not have to bring the gun to the bath tub to clean it. The breech plug comes out and you just run your patches through it like a bolt action rifle.

[Wildwilley]

Thats all I use now.
I shoot a 54. cal flint swivel breech rifle/smoothbore combo.
for regular season and a custom 54 cal Marshal for primitive flintlock or a 54 cal Ordinare french fusil.
I have pulled of 250 yard shots consistantly. I have to say that I shoot a lot.
I've killed a lot of game and love a good shootin' match.
Not to take away from the inlines but they're not as accurate and actually slower to load. But they'll put a deer down like any other type of firearm if you hit 'em right.
The best is to hunt small game with em'. Especially on a paid bird hunt. You aught to see the jaws hit the ground.
About 3-4 years back put on a show for the local fish and game boys, after I was told that there were not enough foot lbs. of energy to kill a deer at over 100 yards and a 300 yard shot was out of the question.
Long story short. At 300 yards I hit the target 5 times and the patched round ball went through a 3/4 in piece of laminated ply-wood and two hay bales.
I shot nine times, so I hit better than 50%.
I have bolt action rifles, lever action rifles and autos. But once you get bit by the blackpowder bug... Your hooked.

[Highpower1]

Gentlemen,

Thank you so much for your information. I am now going to start the process of saving the pennies and dimes up to get myself one. *just purchased a Remington 11-87p, so my fun money is gone for the time being*.

It seems that you guys like the Knights pretty well. That is what my friend bought as well. I can't wait to test his out and see if that's the one for me.

Again, thanks for all the responses.

Highpower1

[Dr.Rob]

Ive been deer hunting with a 54 cal hawken and there are a few things Ive learned.

PRACTICE.

Platic "quick loaders" are a gem. You should get a few of them.

Get a rifle with a sling. That heavy steel barrel weighs a ton when you are dragging out a deer.

Even a really HEAVY lead bullet may NOT exit your deer. Shot placement is VERY important. Use a heavy bullet.

Here where I hunt in lines and pellet powder charges have been under close scrutiny. They may not be worthwhile to have after a few years.

Most shots are at close range, and the sights on your rifle are important. i found that at about 75 yards my front sight COVERED the entire front half of a deer. 100 yard shot is possible off the bench, but in the woods? hmmmm. I was sure I could HIT the deer.. but I couldn't say "where" other than someplace on her front end.

[Poodleshooter]

I hunt with a stainless steel sidelock-a T/C Grey Hawk. I can hit a 2 liter bottle at 100yds offhand, so that's my practical accuracy limit. YMMV! I've had no luck over 3 years of hunting (usually only one day per year, on public land only). Muzzleloader season usually serves as a per-firearms season scout for me.

[Kobra]

I bought a T/C Encore two weeks ago to shot this upcoming season (opens Dec. 8) if I don't fill my tags during modern gun season (right now till Nov. 25).

I haven't practiced much but most places I go 50 yards is sufficient.