I see that a lot of the crowd are pretty experienced with these rifles but at the risk of TMI I'll add this stuff.
Accurate A5744 is the easiest to ignite cold weather powder listed for the 10ML. It is also the most insensitive powder listed for the 10ML in terms of picking up moisture and in consistent pressure/velocities with wide temperature swings. You can work up a load on a 90 degree day and for all practical purposes it will shoot to the same point of impact on a 0 degree day. A5744, being a double base powder, is by it's nature going to be less sensitive to cold and moisture than single base powders. The nitroglycerine in double base powders makes it less susceptible to moisture and easier to ignite than single base powders. I hunt in Upstate New York where our ML season runs from around 10-20 December and use A5744 for all those reasons.
The Savage accessory kit for the 10ML (out of production now?) came with Lee powder scoops. If anyone is interested in what sizes they were, what charges they throw and the resulting velocities I'll post that info. They show data for the scoops for A5744, Vittavouri N110 and IMR 4227. All the data listed uses Magnum Muzzleloading short black sabots and Hornady .452" 250 or 300 grain XTPs. Personally, I avoided max loads using the dippers and threw those with a standard powder measure. Lately I've been trowing all charges with a standard powder measure.
It does strike me that standard powder measures are all volumetric devices so any volumetric system that is precise and which you can use consistently enough should be safe but it is up to each of us to decide what is the correct way to do things.
Assuming the breech plug and vent liner are clean, that you are using a full power primer and that there is no oil or solvent present the most likely cause of poor ignition is either a loose fitting sabot or that the sabot is not fully seated. The 10ML seems to like about 30-35 pounds of sabot seating pressure to have it's most consistent velocity and ignition results. You can seat a few sabots with the gun sitting on a bathroom scale and the breech plug out to check what your results are. More seating pressure is OK as long as you aren't needing a hammer to seat the sabot. I have noted that the Crushed Rib sabots don't follow the 30-35 pound trend.
Avoid any primer listed as a muzzleloading primer. They are reduced power primers intended to cut down on blowback from poorly sealed breeches with 777 and the like. CCI 209M, Federal 209A and Winchester 209 primers are the best of the commonly available primers. You want the most energetic primers you can get for smokeless powder and the CCI and Federal ones trend as the most energetic.
As far as a great ramrod I bought one of the Spinjag ramrods for the 10ML and liked it so much I got another one for my .45 carbine. I had to move the ramrod thimble for the carbine to clear the tip of the rod, though. They are a great value and seat any shape bullet without marring it.
http://www.spinjag.com/giramrod.phphttp://www.chuckhawks.com/spinjag_ramrod.htmI cut the fingertips off of a few pairs of latex surgical gloves each season and keep a few of them in my pocket with the reloading stuff. As muzzle covers they keep the water out and are fast to replace. I have shot with them on at the range and have not yet had any otherwise unexplained flyers so they sure don't seem to affect the bullets.
If you have milkweed in your neck of the woods a film can of milkweed fluff is a great wind indicator. A tiny pinch of the stuff drifts for what seems like forever and remains easy to see at quite long distances. It is especially illuminating in what seems to be still or very slight breeze conditions. I use it more for early archery hunting than muzzleloading since our ML season is late and the cold makes scent much less of an issue.
As most of you likely know there is a lot of info on the 10ML at:
http://www.chuckhawks.com/index2h.muzzleloader.htmThankfully, the People's Republic of New York doesn't care if you have iron sights or a scope, matchlock, flintlock, in-line etc or what powder or bullet you use. As long as you stuff it from the front and use a single projectile you are good to go. It's one thing at least that the legislature hasn't screwed up.
chefjeff, when you say there is less meat tore up with a neck shot are you comparing it to a shoulder shot? I ask since I can get two good rolled roasts from the neck of an adult deer but only lose a few ounces of burger scrapings from the ribs with a heart/lung shot unless I get down into the brisket. I have taken a few shoulder shots when I needed to anchor a deer in bad weather or very late in the day but sure don't like to loose that much meat.
Lance
