ML questions?

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Axis II

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I just purchased a very clean used cva optima stainless thumbhole muzzleloader and it was already topped with a Nikon xr 3-9. I shot the rifle yesterday at 50yards after bore sighting and it hit 3 inches low and 2 inches right of the bull so I went back to 100yards and fired and hit almost the same hole so turned the turrets up 3 inches and over 2 and fired again only to have that shot go 3 inches high and windage never moved. I fired again and the next 5 shots were all over the place.

now someone said the barrel might be new and need broken in by running some rounds through it but from what I think is its a muzzleloader the only thing contacting the rifling is the plastic sabot nothing else. he also said the gun might not like the bullets and once again the bullet doesn't touch the rifling. someone else said me using last years powder pellets could be the issue.

anyone have an idea why this things shooting all over the paper?
 
You need to wipe out the barrel between shots . As powder fouling and plastic fouling build up your shots will become erratic . Your first shots are clean barrel shots. You will be hunting with a clean barrel. So If you want your rifle to shoot consistently to point of aim everything must be the same .Ie ; you must clean between shots , it's a pain in the Butt at first , but in the field it's your first shot that must be on target,it may be the only one you get .
 
I would check the scope and , make sure it is tight . Let us know what bullets and powder you are using . Also make sure the breech plug is clean and dry .
 
Mine had the reticule come loose. Just had the same thing happening my 30 y.o. Burris Black Diamond. First shot this year was 15" low at 25 yards. Used it last year on a pronghorn hunt. Worked great then
 
My muzzleloader, loaded pitch cloth patched balls that don't touch the riflings, needed to broken in. Maybe this is a bit different in that it cuts the cloth.

Guns are strange beasts. Sometimes there are bullets it just does not like much. And then there's the length of the bullets in contrast to the twist rate.

I have also heard of various pellets and substitute powders going bad over time. I've not witnessed it myself, but I also don't use pellets as I can't tailor my loads to what my rifle and pistols truly like and does best with. I have speed loader tubes and make paper cartridges if I want ease and speed. But I also don't care for the cost of pellets.
 
If you are using maximum or near maximum powder charges, back off some. Frequently muzzleloader accuracy improves when you don't overdrive the projectile. My TC Hawken .54 is safe to shoot 120 grains of powder, but gets its best groups with 80 to 85 grains of powder. And that is still plenty to work in the deer woods. You did not mention your caliber, but a good rule of thumb is to start with a powder charge that is 1.5 times your caliber; that is, if you have a .50 caliber rifle, start with 70 to 75 grains of 2F powder.

Loose powder is cheaper and allows you to tweak the charge to your rifle's preference.

Also agree with cleaning between shots. Yes, it takes time, but your results should improve. Plastic sabot residue can sometimes be difficult to remove. Use lots of hot water if you are home, Ballistol and a brush at the range or in the field. Remember to remove all cleaning agents and moisture with dry patches before recharging the rifle for the next shot.

Ain't muzzleloading fun!! :rofl:
 
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cva optima 50 cal, 240 gr hornady xtp. I am heading out again today with 2 old scopes that got replaced with the Nikons and see if its the scope. if it is Nikon will take care of it. I sure hope it was just me shooting a dirty gun.
 
It should be easy to prove out whether it is the gun or the scope by simple using the fixed sights. That shouldn't be to hard at 50 yards. Don't worry about sighting it in with the fixed sights if you don't plan to utilize them, but if your group is tight the problem is likely the scope. If every shot is wild, it is likely either you, or the gun / load.
 
I'm using 777 pellets. I shot it again tonight at 100 yards and yesterday without touching the turrets too much it went from 3 inches right and low of bull to 4 inches high and left of the bull and today when I shot it I hit strait inline with the bull but so high that I just kissed the top of the paper so I fired again and it was 8 inches away from that shot.

We took the Nikon scope off and put an old konus on it and went to 25yards and it shot 4 inches right of the bull so I went 12 clicks over to the left and it shot about 9 inches to the high left so after that I said its the bullets. I ended up finding 4 tc shockwave bullets in my ML box so we shot 2 of them with the konus at 50yards and it touched holes so we went back to 100 and threw the Nikon on it and shot but we forgot to mark the bullet holes that were all over the paper so had no clue what was what. seeing how the TC shockwaves touched holes at 50yards I will buy a box of them and shoot the Nikon from 25-100yards and see if the scopes got any issues.

the scope is suspect because the rubber ring that turns the magnification broke loose but Nikon said the glue just came loose and wants it back after season. if the tc shoot all over the place with the Nikon I'm blaming the scope and the konus will ride it until Nikon gets it figured out.
 
I'd get rid of the pellets as well. They are not sealed and can suck up moisture over time, even while "new" Loose will be your best friend.
 
I lay the blame squarely on the pellets. Unless you can seal them air tight, they are really only good for a short time. Here in Hawaii i couldnt even get a season out of them as i got rained on, and everything condensed when i went from 60 degrees at 7K feet to 95 at 300. Now i pre weigh (yes i weigh my powder, lemme alone :p) a dozen or so charges of loose 777 at a time and keep them in 25mil centrifuge tubes. My buddy still tries shooting his pellets, so far hes killed stuff every time weve gone....with my gun.
 
im thinking after this year switching to blackhorn 209. I watched a guy the other day shoot about 20 rounds without swabbing and also shot one ragged hole and ive never seen that with 777.
 
well the scope base is loose because the screws are stripped is why it shot so bad. I tightened them the best I could and went from all over the paper for a 4inch by 4 inch square 5 shots. tc shockwaves almost touched 3 at 100yards so probably go with them and calling cva for new screws I can actually tighten.
 
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