Eliminating Common Muzzleloader Issues
by Lawrence Taylor
Consistent accuracy with a muzzleloader depends on a variety of factors. Your combination of powder and projectile is a key ingredient, but we'll leave that aspect to your personal preference. What we're looking at are those problems with the rifle, load components or the shooter.
Muzzleloader Rifle Issues
I've been lucky enough to hunt Iowa's monster bucks twice. This shotgun-only state allows muzzleloaders during the season and for accuracy's sake that's what I was toting both times.
The first trip I simply never got a shot even though I saw several very nice bucks. The second I had two opportunities and blew them both. Here's how that happened.
During a deer drive I was a stander positioned inside the woods at the end of a draw. A buck ducks in at about 50 yards and trots across the woods. With my muzzleloader rifle on the shooting sticks I tracked it and pulled the trigger when the buck hit an open space, confident the buck wouldn't go far after the shot. When the smoke cleared, however, the buck was charging hard across an open field and disappeared in the distance, leaving not a drop of blood.
After scratching my head and replaying the shot, I figured I'd hit a limb that deflected the projectile. However, after missing the next buck at 100 yards I was perplexed.
My mystery was solved while walking as a driver. A doe bolted from the brush in front of me and I whipped the gun to my shoulder. As I did the ramrod flew out of my gun and across the pasture. Upon further inspection, the screw that makes the main connection between stock and barrel was finger-loose, causing tremendous accuracy problems.
Shame on me.
Now I check and double-check each screw prior to every hunt, and that includes those on scopes as well as the gun itself. More than one hunter has experienced problems due to a loose scope and it can be incredibly frustrating. It's those connections that must be solid for consistent accuracy that must be checked and rechecked every time.
By the same token, any muzzleloader should be zero-checked after transportation to a hunt, whether it was in a truck for 500 miles or thrown around by the airlines for thousands of miles (but especially if transported by air!). Any time the muzzleloader rifle has been out of your hands it should be checked.
Black Powder Load Component Issues
Not only does leaving your muzzleloader loaded for long periods of time affect accuracy because of the degradation of the base of the barrel, but it can be downright dangerous if you're as forgetful as me. Forget that it's already loaded and load it again? Oh yeah, there will be a boom when you pull the trigger, but it's not going to be what you were expecting.
Black powder is extremely corrosive, and while Pyrodex and other propellants are less so, they still cause problems if left in the barrel for a long period of time. The powder or propellant causes pits and rust in the barrel right where you need things to be perfect.
One hunter I spent time with two seasons ago had left his gun loaded since the prior season (he'll remain nameless, but for our purposes I'll call him "Gary"). Gary took his rifle out back to sight in the day before the season, put on a primer, sighted and pulled the trigger to the toy gun "pop," of the primer. Several primers later he struggled to push the load out the bottom of the barrel.
What would have been a quick clean up job last season now had become a problem for Gary. After pushing out the old load he discovered not only terrible pitting and rust in the barrel, but his breech plug also showed a lot of corrosion and was blocked. That little pinhole is how the fire gets to the powder, and it must be kept clear for sure ignition.
"There are two primary reasons for a plugged breech plug, or flash hole," said Branch Meanley, founder of Green Mountain Rifle Barrels who now works as a manufacturing engineer for Knight Rifles. "First, failure to properly clean the rifle after the previous use. Second is oil. Even if you properly cleaned the rifle after the last use you probably put in a good amount of oil in the barrel to prevent rust, and failure to remove that oil clogs the breech plug. This is the same with brand new rifles. They're usually shipped with oil in the barrel that must be cleaned out prior to use."
To ensure the flash hole is clear, Meanley said the first step is making sure the gun is unloaded. "On Knight Rifles, this can be accomplished by putting the ramrod down the bore and if it is near flush with the muzzle it's unloaded," he said. "Plus, you'll hear that metallic clank when the ramrod hits the breech plug. If you want to be absolutely certain, just pull the breech plug."
Meanley says that firing a few primers often clears the flash hole, but shooters should swab the barrel afterward with first a moist patch and then a dry patch to clear out the residue. Point the muzzle at some grass and pull the trigger on a primer. You should see the grass move. If you don't, that's an indication that you have an obstruction.
"Powder is hydroscopic," Meanley said, "meaning that it draws moisture like a sponge. I hunt with a charge for three days tops, then push it out and start the next day with a fresh load. If I'm in rain or snow, I unload the gun every night and start the next morning with a fresh load.”
Another powder issue sometimes occurs when using pelletized powder, according to Meanley. "Be careful not to break or crush the pellets when pushing the bullet down," he said. "Don't pay attention to the Davy Crockett movies where the actor beats the bullet down the barrel. It will do two things: damage the bullet and break the pellet. If the pellet breaks it won't burn correctly and decreases accuracy."
Meanley says to push the bullet down firmly until you feel it stop. Pellets are fairly hard, so you will know when you hit them. "I always scratch a mark on my ramrod so I know when I'm getting to the bottom and take it easy," he said. "This can be the difference between a hit or miss on a quick second shot in the field."
Regardless of whether you're using loose powder or pellets, condensation is your enemy. Some muzzleloading hunters don't realize their mistake of bringing the gun inside every night, but that abrupt change of temperature can cause condensation in the barrel and soak the powder, thus causing the misfire of a lifetime right when that trophy buck is standing in front of you. When hunting in cold weather, leave the rifle in the truck or garage overnight instead of bringing it inside. Just remember: Keep a cold barrel cold.
Shooter Issues
The muzzleloader's effective range is getting bigger and bigger, but without sufficient practice shooting at targets set at a variety of distances you won't be prepared for that 175-yard shot.
While working with the brilliant guys at Knight Rifles at an industry shoot I watched Mike Mattly, Meanley and Tony Smotherman routinely hit a plate at 300 yards with a muzzleloader. This is not a suggestion that anyone should shoot at a deer at that range, but these guys flat out knew the gun and what it was capable of. Now, probably none of us have the time these guys have to shoot, but every time you practice you gain something besides a sore shoulder.
Meanley says that low-percentage shots may be the biggest reason for missed or lost deer. "At ranges under 100 yards," he said, "muzzleloaders retain plenty of energy and velocity, but past 100 yards they lose it quickly. Combine this with the fact that beyond 100 yards many hunters underestimate the range, especially at big deer, and you've got a potential miss. If the bullet drop at 150 yards is five inches, and at 200 yards it's 12- to 14-inches, and you underestimate the deer's range, well…you've got some problems. If you eliminate misfires, misses due to misjudgment of range is the No. 1 reason to miss your deer, especially beyond 100 yards."
Deer beyond 100 yards require the hunter to wait for the best shot possible, and that’s broadside and standing still. Those head-on shots or shots at moving deer spell disaster at longer ranges. Meanley suggests using a range finder to determine exact yardage and waiting for the best shot possible.
"A lot of hunters get excited when a big buck presents a shot," Meanley said,"and take shots that aren't perfect. Beyond 100 yards you're dealing with declining energy and velocity and you really need to take your time to place the shot well in the vitals."
Spending time at the range not only provides more knowledge of where your bullet hits at various yardages, it also contributes to a factor many hunters don’t consciously consider, confidence. A shooter who is confident and patient is a tough hombre and dependable hunter.