muzzleloader questions

[azmark]

I'm considering getting a muzzle loading rifle 'cause it sounds like fun.  I know next to nothing about them.  Since I'm in the 'modern' forum, I guess that first I should ask if you can shoot balls and cast bullets in these guns, or do you have to use the saboted bullets?  I know it has to do with rifling twist and I was told that the inline guns have a twist that is too fast for shooting balls.  I'd like to get a little educated.

[smokepolehall]

Its not that inlines can't or won't shoot prb. They're some that will but have to keep powder loads lower than what is used with most people and their sabots. 1:38 in a 50 cal. could shoot up to 80grs. with decent accuracy. I have a Blk. Dia. with a 1:28 and using prb and loads up to 70 grs. out at 50 yds. it shoots an 1 1/2" group. Never tried them at 75 or 100 yds. as of yet. I have a ball shooter.

[dmurphy317]

smokepolehall is correct, the faster twist barrels (usually 1 in 28) will shoot most anything with acceptable accuracy but not necessarily at hunting velocities. I found that with PRB in my inline with 1 in 28 twist, it needs a very tight patch (around .020") to handle the higher powder levels. I have shot 2" groups at 100 yards using up to 80 grains of 777 2F. With .015 to .018" patches I lost accuracy around 65 to 70 grains. Thiese would work for hunting if the distance is kept reasonable.

Conicals work well in all my inlines but not all conicals. I've had the most luck out of just oversized near slipfit conicals like the No Excuses and Bull Shops offerings. Usually something between .001 and .003" over the bore size will go down about as easy as a Powerbelt but will stay in place if the gun is bumped around.

Of course saboted bullets will also work.

The key is to try different ones out to see what the gun likes and at what powder level it works best at. 75 to 80 percent of the bullets I have tried I have been able to find something that works well enough to consider hunting with it. That still leaves a few that just did not work with my rifle. Get some that you like and go have some fun getting addicted to this smoke filled hobby.