Blackpowder Bullet Weight

[Baystatesuks]

So, I bit the bullet this year and went out and bought a smoke pole for the muzzleloading season down here in VA. I was sighting in the scope at 75 yards and got a three shot group a little over 1.5 inches with 100 grains of Pyrodex pellets and 200 grain Thompson Center Shockwave sabots.

It occurred to me later that I never really thought about what grain bullet I should be using. I will be hunting whitetail deer that rarely will top 150 lbs field dressed and most shots will be 75 yards or less due to thick trees and brush limiting available shooting lanes.

So, what is the best grain of bullet to use? They are available in 200, 220, 250, 295 and so on, but there is no guidance as to which grain should be selected for a particular application. I believe my rifle has a 1:28" twist rate and is an in-line .50 cal muzzleloader using 209 primers.

Thanks.

 

[NautiBuoys]

BP

I use 2-50gr Pyrodex pellets and a 250gr .452 Hornady XTP bullet in a .50 cal sabot and it drops deer like Thor's hammer. Complete passes thru's and excellent expansion. Velocity is around 1785fps so 200gr ought to be a bit faster. Some guys report the 200gr bullet (from one of the other ML forums) performs very well while others prefer the 300gr but either way you're good to go.

 

[Plural of Mongoose]

I use 2 50 grain Triple Seven pellets under a 250 TC SHockwave. Havent lost a deer yet using that combo.

I used the 300 grain Powerbelt hollowpoints for a couple years. Gave them up because they were disintegrating without proper penetration and the resulting "explosion" was ruining a lot of meat. Only shards were entering the chest cavity. Ive since learned that they need to be pushed at slow velocities in order to avoid the disintegration.

The 200 gr. Shockwaves should do the job but personally I use a heavier bullet .
I want to ensure penetration and a pass through at any angle the deer presents. Ive had the heavier Shockwaves enter in the rear tail area and come out the front shoulder on deer.

 

[zerodown]

Same here as the other guys said. 2 50 grain pellets of Triple 7 and a 250 gr. bullet.