Accuracy Of Muzzleloaders

K

kwhi43

New member
Some of you might have wondered just how accurate are our muzzloaders
when compared to moden guns. I don't know if I should name names or not
so I won't but you can "Google" and find out. Both of these targets were shot
in competition by top shooters. The 45 Auto was shot by a fellar who won the Nationals at Camp Perry 10 times. He was on "Top Shot" last summer.
The muzzleloading one I witnessed at the NMLRA Nationals and he is a friend
of mine. Both are 10 shots at 25 yds. This is not to put anything or anyone
down, it's just to show Muzzleloaders can hold their own against the best.
BestModern-horz.jpg
 
I watched a guy take out an antelope at 790 yards with a muzzle loader last night on one of the outdoor channels. To say the least, I was totally amazed, as I have trouble hitting a pie plate at 200 yards.:o
 
I watched a guy take out an antelope at 790 yards with a muzzle loader last night on one of the outdoor channels.
Click to expand...

I was watching too. I wasn't impressed. Not by the shot itself - that was amazing. I was not impressed due to the seemingly careless attitude they take towards a game animal. In this case, the hunter won. However, no matter how you slice it a shot of that length on a game animal is marginal with even the best centerfire rifle and a "lucky shot" with a muzzleloader. I'd be willing to bet a steak dinner that if he had gotton a non-fatal hit you wouldn't have seen that episode on TV. That leads me to wonder how many game animals this guy has taken chances on that were poorly shot and left to die a long suffering death.

Game animals are too precious to waste on a "lucky shot".
 
I watched a guy take out an antelope at 790 yards with a muzzle loader last night on one of the outdoor channels.

I was watching too. I wasn't impressed. Not by the shot itself - that was amazing. I was not impressed due to the seemingly careless attitude they take towards a game animal. In this case, the hunter won. However, no matter how you slice it a shot of that length on a game animal is marginal with even the best centerfire rifle and a "lucky shot" with a muzzleloader. I'd be willing to bet a steak dinner that if he had gotton a non-fatal hit you wouldn't have seen that episode on TV. That leads me to wonder how many game animals this guy has taken chances on that were poorly shot and left to die a long suffering death.

Game animals are too precious to waste on a "lucky shot".
Click to expand...

I totally agree. Unfortunately, way too many "hunters" don't share that sentiment.
 
Sounds like lazy hunting to me! Yes I understand that antelope are VERY hard to get close too, but the fact remains plenty of people who hunt that animal more than HALF that distance to make sure of a clean kill. I've been hunting for a very long time and if I don't think I can positively make a shot I DON"T take it, I don 't care how big the deer is. I remember this like it was yesterday, I was hunting a HUGE cut over 2 years ago and WAY across the to the other side was the ABSOLUTE BIGGEST buck I have ever seen in the woods IN MY LIFE. I pulled up the range finder and he was 326 yards (remember it like it was yesterday) I was equipped with my Glenfield with leverevolutions, I didn't think I could make it so I didn't even try. But, anyway I guess that it was GOOD FOR TV! I wonder what the drop is on a 50 cal 250 gr. bullet at 700+ yards? And the thing can be traveling that fast once it gets there.
 
Well I'm sure the 45 ACP is a high tunned capable of 1 1/2 inch groops or
better at 50 yds from a Ranson rest. The other one is like mine which is here.
By the way, these two guys are friends and shoot together also.
ThisOne2.jpg
 
Yes, good targets.
Muzzle loaders are capable of great accuracy. But the traditional styles are really an antique firearms system. That is the charm to those of us who shoot them.
As for the 790 yard shot. I feel certain that was not a traditional style ml rifle that was used. And, yes, the hit was simply lucky. The trajectory had to be, literally, rainbow like. The bullet was falling at that range. It was not a shot 'at' the animal but a shot in the air they hoped would come back down where they wanted it. A very unsportmanlike shot attempt, IMHO.
 
1861 Enfield Musketoon (Parker Hale) .577 505gr minie in front of 70gr ffg yielded 3-shot 2.5" group at 100yds followed by my friend shooting another 2.5" group. :D
 
I agree on the unsportsmanlike comments. I have had a few run a piece after the shot, but I have been improving (as any hunter should try to do) and of the last 33 deer I have taken, the farthest from the shot to the fall was 12 feet.


But I digress. . .
And here is a recipe for a fun afternoon. I might can thread the needle with my rifles, but I'm just thrilled silly if I get two balls out of six to go in these little splatter targets at 25 yards. (one hand, freestyle)
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt214/shutupandjump/Current%20guns/greatdayahead.jpg
 
Last edited:
:) My dad was 73 when he first shot his Uberti Colt 1851. And at 33 feet, his groups were the same as the ones shown above, by the crack shots at 25 yards. I consider my Pop's 6 shots fair shootin at any age, but at 73 years old, the cap and ball revolver certainly did it's part when he did his
 
Beagle333 said:
And here is a recipe for a fun afternoon. I might can thread the needle with my rifles, but I'm just thrilled silly if I get two balls out of six to go in these little splatter targets at 25 yards. (one hand, freestyle)
Click to expand...

I like it. Sounds like fun. Thanks for the idea.
 
kwhi43 would be the first one to say that whether the target is 25 yards or 790 yards away, what can make or break any shot is located between the ears. :rolleyes:
 
Since that .45 Auto shot a perfect score, did he have to keep shooting until he missed the X-ring to set a record?
I looked up NRA bullseye records and it seems the record for 25 yards is something like 100-25X

Also, NRA scores a hit if the bullet hole touches the scoring ring but the muzzleloaders use a "center of the bullet hole" rule. That means the muzzleloader scored a 100-9X
 
I don't know about the modern way, but yes the muzzleloader target scores
a 100 & 9X's. When my buddy shot it and the relay was over and he went
and got it, I had my camera and asked him to hold it up for a picture. No one
has ever beat the record set in 1961 I think of a 100 & 9. A very few and I
mean very few have tied it like you see here, but never beaten it. I'll post
the 50 yd record set by another friend of mine in 2002 if you want to see it.
The score on that one is a 98 & 3 X. The revolver 50 yd record is a 97. Set
by yet another friend of mine. You would think with friends like this they
would have taught ME how to shoot:confused:

Here is the 50 yd muzzleloading pistol record. There are 3 X's in there.
Untitled113.jpg


Here is the actual target shot in 1961 and my wife's best . Scores 100 & 7 X
BillCarver_filtered-horz.jpg
 
Last edited:
That 100-9X score for the muzzle loader would indeed have been scored a 100-10X in a NRA pistol match. By NRA scoring rules, if the bullet even slightly cuts the line, it's in. This means it's easier to shoot a perfect score in NRA pistol than in NMLRA pistol where the center of the bullet hole has to cut the line to be in.

Otherwise, the 25 and 50 yard pistol targets used by the NMLRA are dimensionally identical to the 50 yard and 25 yard timed and rapid fire NRA bullseye pistol targets.

The NRA pistol matches use a separate target with smaller scoring rings for the 25 yard slow fire match which is not used by the NMLRA. That means that the .45 caliber modern target was shot in either a timed or rapid fire match.
 
The precision muzzleloader gives up nothing to the breechloader...Witness the close scores of the British team during the 1876 Creedmoor 1000yd. match. (British shooter cross-fired), The Brits actually beat the American team when the rules were later changed stating no cleaning between shots.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top