Hunting with cast boolit

[michael.birdsley]

So this year I have been hunting deer with my inline triumph muzzle loader. We can use them in Michigan’s limited rifle zone. I also used it for the November 15 rifle opener in ogemaw County. So far I have worked up a load with a lee .452-255-rf boolit under 70 grains of 777 and a black mmp sabot. I didn’t have time to work up any farther. At 100 yards I’m getting 2.5 inch group with iron sights with about 1600 FPS at the muzzle. The alloy is wheel weights that have had time to harden. I guess the first question is I have one miss under my belt ( my fault completely) from shooting high in tall thick grass. But, will this load dispatch a deer ethically if I do my part? 2nd I am going to be scoping it after Christmas. Do you think this boolit has the capability of 150 yards with load work up and practice? Or should I be looking at a different boolit or a jacket thingy all together?


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[michael.birdsley]

Hmm, this can be fun and interesting,

with the velocity and weight listed, your beating a lot of center fire rifles abilities to take deer humanely and ethically. I will give several examples, some are more gratuitous then others.

1. low recoil ammunition is just light varmint bullets at higher velocities then standard ammunition. light weight bullet at high velocity has reduced penetration, regardless of caliber.

2. .223/.243 two rounds commonly used on deer with VARMINT BULLETS meant for animals that weigh 20% or even less then a full sized 9 month old deer does.

The accuracy is pretty close to being there. What needs to happen is shooting time.

load variation, why did you pick that one charge weight? I think the reduction for 777 is still 15% from what youd use regular pyrodex or black powder for. so your shooting more like 85 grains of pyrodex or BP .

Have you tried slugging your barrel and getting the right size sabot for it? There is no real standard for inlines, some are at .501 and others, particularly early traditions are .495-.499. my traditions inline from late 1990s can only take a .495 projectile down it.

Also how are the sabots themselves, truly sealing all around the bullet? when I first started with sabots I discovered some brands and batches were not always properly round. Discovered that when people shooting with me saw small tennis ball sized puffs of smoke leave the barrel before the bullets did. Checked the sabots I recovered and they were egg shaped.

Lead bullets in sabots can change diameter in low temperature. I don't use pure lead now as some heavy weight lead hollowpoints I had actually got to hard to load in sub 10* weather, meaning brass range rod with piece of 2x4 to get down or even out of the barrel.

Also the factory sights aren't really made for precision work, not "oh ill shoot the center hole of the AOL CD-ROM " but more like "ill shoot this pie plate at 70 yards ok"

1# I picked the load of 70 grains because that is where I left off lol. I started at 50 grains and went up. I had full intentions of going higher and than my daughter was born 2 my months before the season
.That had been so far my best groups before deer hunting started. I’m getting preatty quick at getting a three round group out now but, when I started I was not. My intention after the muzzle loader season is to keep working the load up.

I was actually impressed with the group. Better than the Barnes 290 tmz’s. That I bought when I first bought the triumph 4 years ago. But, I just dump 100 grains of pyrodex or 777 pellets in because, that was what everybody else was doing. I started with pellets didn’t like the crud ring, than went to pyrodex but, I think that is more for traditional m/l. This year I bought some loose 777 and so far have liked it.

#2. No I have not slugged my barrel. Some boolits I can get to seat in the sabot flush before I ram rod them in others seam a little off center. I think I would like try sabots with a little bigger base. That would Explain why I get a lot of smoke sounds rounds and not a lot sometimes. I size my boolits now to .451 I suppose I could size them smaller to get them to fit better

#3. That makes sense about harder boolits in the colder weather.

Forgot to mention I am using Remington clean bore 209 primers.


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[sharps4590]

Short answer, absolutely.

I don't know beans from apple butter about in-lines but have a pretty fair hand on ballistics. Without looking I expect your bullet has more energy at 100 yards than my 54 cal. round ball and I have absolutely no questions that it will ethically take a deer if put in the right place.

[nagantguy]

Your load is capable; you should find a he sweet spot somewhere between 85 and 120 grains.
Keep working with the load, and my best advice is when using a wide nosed boolit get or make a wide jag that completely covers the nose so not to deform it during loading.
And congratulations on the birth of your child!

[michael.birdsley]

Your load is capable; you should find a he sweet spot somewhere between 85 and 120 grains.
Keep working with the load, and my best advice is when using a wide nosed boolit get or make a wide jag that completely covers the nose so not to deform it during loading.
And congratulations on the birth of your child!

Thank you for the congratulations of my daughter. Right now I am using the jag that came with Barnes tmz. It works about perfect. It has a deep wide recess in it for the polymer tips. I just have to figure out how to get the other one on my starter. Thanks for the re assurance when I talk to people around here it’s all don’t use cast for hunting. I killed a 6 pt with the Barnes tmz but, at a 1.50 a bullet it adds up quick.


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[richhodg66]

I've killed deer with 70 grains of 777 and a considerably lighter bullet (215 grain Lyman .44) in my inline. Just don't get crazy with the range and you'll do fine with that load.

[nagantguy]

I've killed deer with 70 grains of 777 and a considerably lighter bullet (215 grain Lyman .44) in my inline. Just don't get crazy with the range and you'll do fine with that load.

Yes richhodg66 is correct, and has scored with a lighter bullet, putting metal on vital meat is the important part of the equation. And your boolit and 70 will get it done when placed properly inside its effective range . I don't hotrod my inlines much cause I've found much more accurate "sweet spots" at under less than 150 grains; 100-120 seems to be an operating window that all my smoke poles seem to like inline or traditional side locks.

[michael.birdsley]

With what I am using right now I think 100 yards is probally my max. Most places I hunt is less the 50 yards of visibility. But, I want to work up Incase I get in a situation to expand that range


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[nagantguy]

As I hunt in the same state as you and not that far away, in most cases 100 yards is about tops ,in my whole life hunting in our state my farthest shot ever was 190 yards, across a field on a he last day of muzzle loading season, dropped the second largest doe I've ever seen in her tracks. But most all other deer and bear have been inside bow range.

[michael.birdsley]

As I hunt in the same state as you and not that far away, in most cases 100 yards is about tops ,in my whole life hunting in our state my farthest shot ever was 190 yards, across a field on a he last day of muzzle loading season, dropped the second largest doe I've ever seen in her tracks. But most all other deer and bear have been inside bow range.

Wow that’s a heck of s shot. I would like to practice 150ish yard shots. I mostly hunt State land in the Saginaw/Gratiot county area. I go to ogemaw County every year for the fire arm opener on the 15th. Grandpa has 40 acres surrounded by state land. My brother and I hunt the State land. I prefer hunting the big woods.

I have the last two days of muzzle loader off for zone three. The first morning I think I am going to my swampy spot. At night I think I want to catch them feeding in corn field but, only 100 yard shots of that.


Besides mmp who else sells sabots that anybody could recommend?


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[charlie b]

The only issue I would see is in bullet drop at longer ranges. Based on what you are saying I'd probably zero at 150yd and know where it hits at 100 and 200yd. Then be sure of estimating range.

[michael.birdsley]

skip the black powder designated shotgun primers.

pyrodex is for any muzzle loaders. just not flintlock unless you use booster charges of standard black.

I used 90 grain of pyrodex pellets, and get the same down range effect as if I used 3 50 grain pelelts, because the 3rd pellet explodes outside the barrel.

My gun didn’t like Pyrodex and Winchester 209 combo. The Winchester 209’s and 777 pellets under 290 grain tmz’s were ok. The groups shrunk for my gun useing the Remington kleanbore, loose 777, and my cast boolit. But, after I work this combo up I’ll try something else.


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[michael.birdsley]

The only issue I would see is in bullet drop at longer ranges. Based on what you are saying I'd probably zero at 150yd and know where it hits at 100 and 200yd. Then be sure of estimating range.

No I think that would be the thing to do too. The club I belong to does have a 200 yard range.


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[michael.birdsley]

Here is a up date got out on the range to day first target was with 80 grains of 777. 1715 FPS was the avg of three boolits fired. Probally my best group with this muzzle loader
This was after bumping up to 90 grains of 777 and only gained about 60FPS and groups opened way up. Avg FPS was 1776. Next time I might only try going up to 85 grains of 777




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