Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

sighting in a muzzleloader


hardwaterfishing

Recommended Posts

Im new to muzzleloaders. I go Optima 209 50 cal muzzleloader. I shot it different times with different bullets and more or less powder. Every time when I shoot it hits at least six inches low and my sights are all the way back. is this typical for a muzzleloader?? THANKS!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is hard to say why it is hitting so low. There a a few different factors that could be causing it. How many grains of powder are you using? When I first got mine I started at around 100 grains and adjusted from there to see which provided the best patterns. I ended up sticking with 100 grains because I didn't gain any accuracy using more powder out to 100 yards. When I am sighting in my rifle I run a patch through the barrel after every shot and after five I run a patch with some cleaner, then patches until they come out clean. I shoot Powerbelts with mine and they do help keep the barrel a little less full of plastic from the sabot. When seating the bullet make sure it is seated all the way down and tight to the powder.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have tried useing 90, 100, and 150 grains. I have also tried powerbelts and sabots. After every shot i run a patch down the gun for a powerbelt and a sabot I clean with a brush and patch after every shot. Is it a glitch in the gun or what?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

have you tried a different powder all together?? i would give that a try. i picked up triple 7 instead of My pyrodex on accident when my buddy and i were sighting in it made a difference but i dont think a 6 inch difference. do you shoot the preformed powder?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have an older traditions lightning and it shoots 8 inches high and the gun smith at gander said that it might be a slightly bent barrel and if thats not it that I need to put a taller front sight on it. he told me that if I look thru the barrel from the breech (with out the bolt or breech plug in it) up at a light you should see a shadow on one of the sides and that means that the barrel is bent. I did this and couldnt tell if there was a shadow so I'm still looking for a taller front sight. I also tried heavier bullets and was able to bring it down but only acouple of inches. I finally bought a new gun. think I'll put a scope on the lightning. I'm not saying you should buy a new gun. but it worked for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its just great to hear your out shooting befor the season, every year I shake my head at all the people buyng muzzel loaders the day befor the season starts. As mentioned befor I have found a difference between pellets and loose powder. I am a firm believer in the loose powder. The pellets seem to throw my shots around more. Good luck on your first hunt!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

perhaps the factory installed the wrong sight?

can you get the breech plug out? almost as good as a laser bore sighter is the old steet lamp at a few hundred yards.

If you can look down the empty barrel at something (a light at night time) a LONG ways a way and then look and see where your sights are aiming without moving the gun you can diagnose things pretty fast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had the same problem after I switched powders I started with pyrodex it shot great then I tryed triple 7 and it shot a foot low evertime. then I tryed the black powder 209 and it shot fine so try a slower burning primer with the triple 7

Link to comment
Share on other sites

triple 7 is the best stuff you can get, mine shoots accurate everytime and i've tried other stuff. it just doesn't compare to the results i've had with triple 7 pellets.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I shoot the old school front stuffers and what we do is file a little off the top of the front sight, to get it too come up, if shooting to low with maxed out adjustments. Dont know how the in-lines front sight are but if it has a little ball on it like modern sights I would file the balls face off and paint the whole thing one color like white. Beats running out and buying a new sight!

Hope this helps.

Kenny

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just went through the same exercise with my T/C Firehawk, about a 10 year old inline 50 cal. This time I used Triple Seven, even though it is only recommended with 209 shotshell primers and not with caps. But the combo works fine in my firearm. However, I switched from a lead conical bullet to a saboted round. I was told that the modern muzzleloaders have a faster rifling pitch which favors the sabots. The lead bullets would string vertically, but the sabots give me about a 3" group at 50 yards and right on. I'm shooting a 100 grain equivalent, and it packs as much wallop as I want to shoulder. For deer hunting that is accurate enough for me. As for hitting low, sounds like your sights might be set at the end of their limit and you cannot raise the rear sight any more. You may have to either get a lower front sight or change the rear sight. Make sure that all of the screws holding the stock to the barrell are tight and check to make sure that the receiver mates squarely and tightly into the stock. Hope you can find a load and combo that works.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote:

Im new to muzzleloaders. I go Optima 209 50 cal muzzleloader. I shot it different times with different bullets and more or less powder. Every time when I shoot it hits at least six inches low and my sights are all the way back. is this typical for a muzzleloader?? THANKS!!


Sights are all the way back? If that actually means what it sounds like (sounds like at the lowest setting to me), you should be setting the rear sight higher, not lower, to raise the point of impact.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Sights are all the way back? If that actually means what it sounds like (sounds like at the lowest setting to me), you should be setting the rear sight higher, not lower, to raise the point of impact.


i was thinking the same thing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
    • jim curlee
      I had a guy hit me with a lightly used 1969 BAR, he wanted $1650 with an older Leupold scope. More than I think they are worth, I made an offer, he declined end of story.   You know if you look at the old brochures, a grade II BAR sold for $250 in the late 60s, $1650 would be a good return on your investment.    Why would anybody want a 50 year old gun, they are heavy, have wood stocks, and blued metal.  I guess mainly to keep their gun safes glued to the floor. lol   You can probably buy a stainless rifle that you never have to clean, with a synthetic stock you never have to refinish, is as light as a feather, and for half as much money, perfect.   I'm too old for a youth gun, although I've shrunk enough that it would probably fit. lol   No Ruger 10/44s.   Jim      
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.