Anybody own one of these newer 40 cal long range muzzleloaders ?
What do you think of them, like ,dislike??
Seems the newest are the Knight Peregrine and the CVA Paramount Pro
but on the pricey side but ya get state of the art equipment.
Just so happens I have a Knight Peregrine coming my way tried to get the Paramount Pro but was told only 140 were being delivered this coming week and there were no plans to increase their #'s in the coming year .
Opinions?
Hit em'hard
hit em'often
This is only my opinion, but based on the number of great long range 45-70 and similar bullets, I think the 45 caliber is the best choice for a long range modern muzzleloader.
Some other things to consider. Lots of states don't allow 40 calibers for hunting big game, which will hopefully change. 45 caliber with contical bullets allows you to hunt almost anything anywhere that allows inline muzzleloader, except for moose and elk. A 45 caliber is legal for elk in at least in Wyoming, probably more states too. 40 caliber muzzleloaders have came and went multiple times through history. It's never really caught on.
Last edited by megasupermagnum; 01-12-2023 at 11:42 PM.
Many black bear were thinned out using .40 + ML's with soft cast bullets through out the Great Lakes area from 1845 - 1900.
Thousands of white tail early.
"Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
Male Guanaco out in dry lakebed at 10,800 feet south of Arequipa.
Back before the current regulations , why the 45 is king !!!/EdOriginally Posted by missionary5155
I can't use a .40 for hunting ANY game in my state !
My state game laws mandate muzzleloading caliber as: "larger than .40cal for deer" & "under .40cal for small game".......
When I contacted me state's F&G dept and asked which category a .40cal fell under, they couldn't/didn't give me an answer - so, gun range use only, I guess.
.
Now I lay me down to sleep
A gun beside me is what I keep
If I awake, and you're inside
The coroner's van is your next ride
I've examined a number of antique MidWest plains rifles that were .38 to .42 caliber, so I believe those sizes were more popular than most people might think (lead was expensive and shooters knew how their rifles shot). The modern .45 minimum standard was likely an arbitrary decision for muzzleloading season which one state made, then others simply copied and pasted. I seriously doubt a state agency conducted kill tests using different calibers. Of course, if .45 is the minimum in your state, you should observe that law.
there are aprox 26 states that allow 40 cal for hunting mine is one of them
hard to believe that the libs in Madison actually know a thing or two
Hit em'hard
hit em'often
Fedex just dropped off my new Muzzleloader
What a beauty can't wait to burn some powder
Hit em'hard
hit em'often
Hi white eagle.
I don't know much about what forties are being offered now. But, you asked what do we like or dislike about .40's so here goes.
If their design allows you to clean from the breech, wonderful. Otherwise that can be a really long narrow bore to clean for the next shot. And, depending upon the breech interior geometry, the amount of fouling being pushed away from the muzzle can turn obtaining reliable ignition into a darn near spiritual journey of self-improvement.
About fourteen years ago (before moving to a .44 caliber minimum state) I got my Lyman Great Plains Rifle with a replacement .401 bore 32" long barrel with 16" twist. Included in the job were a couple of dies to engrave rifling on boolits. Engraving the rifling on slugs long enough to be worthy of 16" twist can be an extraordinary pain even having external threads to allow the use of a heavy duty press. Paper patched are actually better. As one might suspect the rifle is capable of greater accuracy than its owner. The rifle really deserves a nice scope and hopefully some day that will happen.
I'll look forwards to reading about how your forty behaves.
PS,
Down side to forty is the dearth of off the self molds.
Almost everything is actually .41 diameter for .40 cartridges.
I had a chance to buy a Pensylvania rifle in .40 cal
It was a very nice rifle.
But the availability of molds or lead balls is what deterred me from buying it.
Yes sir the breech plug can be removed for cleaning
I plan on using full bore, caliber, bullets CVA ELR, or Parker bullets or Lehigh Defense.
Along with the rifle was sent a Lee bullet sizer so getting the correct fit is not a problem
Getting a 40 cal 225 gr. bullet that leaves the muzzle at 2750-2800 fps should lay down anything it hits
that is about the same as a 30-06 with 180 gr bullet
Hit em'hard
hit em'often
Again, just an opinion, but a small bore, fast twist rifle like that is usually at it's best with heavy bullets. The whole reasoning is usually western state hunting where wind is a major factor. Something like an Accurate 40-350P might be a more appropriate choice for best accuracy.
I don't live out west and don't plan on going hunting out west
way to expensive for out of staters points all that garbage
just want to hunt save the dance for later
Hit em'hard
hit em'often
Just mounted a scope on it but my new 40 cal muzzle
Last edited by white eagle; 01-15-2023 at 09:12 PM.
Hit em'hard
hit em'often
You bought the gun - then afterwards asked for opinions.
Isn't that backwards?
You should ask for opinions - then decide to buy (or not buy).
I am not a rude or aggressive Bub
That was yesterday Me.
If I find a gun that is a " Smokin Deal " then I buy it and ask for opinions later.
But generally go out and shoot it , then form my own opinions.
No I actually knew where I stood on the issue
just checking what other's thought
Hit em'hard
hit em'often
It sounds like most here are thinking as you would using a normal muzzleloader. After building a number of rifles like that using bolt action receivers, I can agree that they are anything but a normal muzzleloader. With those Parker bullets and Blackhorn 209 or smokeless powder, they are much more like a 450-400 cartridge rifle as far as ballistics and effect. There isn't much fouling to speak of, they seldom need much wiping between shots, and accuracy is right on par or better than most cartridge rifles. The only thing you give up is the fast repeat shot. The only thing I would encourage is to use pin gauges to measure the exact bore diameter and buy bullets accordingly or a sizing die to make them no more than .0005" smaller than the actual bore. Using those kind of jacketed bullets in a muzzleloader is a fine balancing act of small enough to load and big enough to shoot well, but if you hit it right on you'll be impressed with what it can do, which is considerably more dramatic than a 30-06 out to 300 yards or so when the drag starts to catch up with the fairly blunt projectile. And yes you could load them with heavies but the recoil becomes fairly profound and there's no reason for it at any sane hunting distance anyway. Enjoy!
That's a spiffy looking rifle. . . . I never saw one with the rifling on the outside, ar ar ar. . . .
What are the bore and groove dimensions? I ask because some years ago I put together a couple of .40 cal fast twist ML rifles. Veral Smith at LBT made a mold for me that is, IIRC, 320gr and smooth for paper patching. Mine is .400 bore and .410 groove. I ordered a custom diameter hardened precision drill guide to incorporate into a false muzzle to get them started straight at bore + .001". Once I worked out what it liked, it was a very accurate rifle. My intention was to compete in long range silhouette but the fever passed. For hunting purposes around the Asian honeysuckle-choked midwest I wouldn't need anything heavier than 200-220gr, but what stopped me was the need to wet/dry patch the bore between shots for load-ability and consistent results. Were smokeless an option, it would be a different story.
I've no idea whether conicals in a ML is a new thing for you, but when seating the bullet, do not have a patch on your loading rod. When it's pulled out, a patch on the rod may well suck enough air through the breech to pull the bullet off the powder and some distance up the bore and you won't know. A bulged barrel or worse will be the result. You needn't ask how I know. A seater attachment sufficiently undersize to allow plenty of air around it will allow the bullet to stay seated on the powder.
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