please educate me!

[DaGris]

getting my first muzzleloader tomorrow. been hunting and shooting firearms for over 20 years and own close to 10 or more rifle..but dont know much about muzzleloaders. borrowed a buddies last muzzleloader season here and enjoyed it. buying a CVA Ultramag .50 from a guy I know...heres my question..I see bullets that state " .50 cal..and I see ones thats say ".50 cal sabot with a .45 cal bullet"... the .50 cals dont have that plastic jacket around them like the others...but they do have what looks like a green plastic base..I assume you can shoot either? the .45 has that jacket around it that makes it the size of a .50?

[mechanic]

You are correct.  Sabots were first used in cannon, and much later I think adapted to small arms.  The sabot allows you to shoot a lighter faster bullet from your 50 cal. if that suits your style of hunting.  There are several types and thickness's, allowing use of 44 cal, or other diameters bullets.  I have some sabots which allow me to use .41 cal. bullets.
 
Work up loads with each, but you will find generally the sabots load easier and recoil less, but the lead conicals provide a higher BC and more "punch".
 
Ben

[52bagman]

If you don't get a owners manual with the gun, get one. There usually is some good info in them that will get you started. A smoke pole "can" be a fickle beast to deal with. However there are a lot of different choises in projectiles out there and they are fun to play around with. (so when you start to get frustrated, put the gun down, back up and regroup.


Oh yeah, have fun.

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

Watch the videos here if you are new to muzzle loading, it helps explain the difference between projectiles.
http://www.cva.com/Blackpowder-Media.php

[srussell]

you might want to get the Lyman black powder book .tons of info in it

[tacklebury]

If you want to save yourself a lot of money and get good results buy your sabots in bulk and buy std. 250gr. or 300 gr. .452 XTP handgun bullets or if you like the BC of the plastic tip styles, you can buy 250 gr or 225 gr  FTX bullets.  MMC supplies most of the re-packager's sabots so they are the same as what you buy from CVA, Traditions, etc.  They also make special wads, that are slightly bigger or smaller than std. bore sizes if you have a loose or tight gun.
 
I personally like great plains bullets, but often shoot TC cheapshots for plinking.  I'm getting a LEE REAL mold this year though and going to try making my own.  Will see how that goes. 
 
oops sabot link: http://www.mmpsabots.com/

[DaGris]

good deal..thx
 
so basically if it reads .50 cal projectile , I can shoot it
 
just gotta see what works the best..thx!

[hillbill]

If you want to save yourself a lot of money and get good results buy your sabots in bulk and buy std. 250gr. or 300 gr. .452 XTP handgun bullets or if you like the BC of the plastic tip styles, you can buy 250 gr or 225 gr  FTX bullets.  MMC supplies most of the re-packager's sabots so they are the same as what you buy from CVA, Traditions, etc.  They also make special wads, that are slightly bigger or smaller than std. bore sizes if you have a loose or tight gun.
 
I personally like great plains bullets, but often shoot TC cheapshots for plinking.  I'm getting a LEE REAL mold this year though and going to try making my own.  Will see how that goes. 
 
oops sabot link: http://www.mmpsabots.com/

basically what he said. i have 2 50 cal rifles and i shoot bulk sabots and 44 mag bullets.or yu can get sabots to shoot 45 cal bullets.dont buy them powerbelt or whatever bullets at a buk a shot, thats crazy.

[LanceR]

You'll find that some bullets or bullet sabot combinations load easier than others.  The muzzleloading industry has no set bore diameter standards like the rest of the firearm industry so there can be a big difference in a tight bore gun like a Thompson Center and some others.  In a process where .001" or .002" can make the difference between a smooth loading bullet and one you really have to work to get down the bore there .005" or bigger difference between various rifles is a big deal.  For most rifles a loading pressure of 25-35 pounds seems to work best but they are all individual so testing is your best bet.

Placing the butt on a bathroom scale while ramming a load will tell you how it is going pressure-wise.

The advice to save about half or more of your money by buying bullets and sabots is good advice.  It also lets you look for the best sabot/bullet combination in terms of ease of loading and accuracy.

Two companies make sabots that allow you to tailor the load to your rifle.  Magnum Muzzleloading Products (MMPsabots.com) had a wide range of sabots and sabot thicknesses to pick from and the prices is much less than sabots bought with bullets that may or may not fit your gun.

The Crushed Rib Sabot from Harvester Muzzleloading is a prety remarkable critter.  It is by far the most versatile sabot I've ever heard of.  I have one of the Savage .50 caliber rifles and can load .458 bullets using the crushed rib sabot.  The ting will accommodate bullets from .451 to .458 which means it is a good choice for jus about anything you can stuff down a .50 caliber rifle.

What powder and primer are you thinking of?  Are you in a state that restricts you to black powder etc?

Welcome to the sport and good luck.

Lance