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If you plan to hunt Idaho or Washington your muzzle loader can't use 209 primers and the ignition must be exposed. I know TC makes a gun that meets these requirements. I don't know of any other states that won't let you use a 209 primer. In Utah you can use a scope with no magnification such as a red dot. All other states I know of are iron sights only. I have a Knight disc extreme. It's been very reliable and even fired after being under water for 40 minutes!
It is neat to see how on this forum people are not so bias about one brand or the other! I also have a CVA and it will shoot 1.25" groups at a 100 yards. Yet I will tell you all the inline muzzleloaders out there will shoot very well if you take the time to dial it in.
What I would recommend is that you figure out what your plans/goals are and then look up the regs on what each state has for each season you tend to hunt or hope to hunt. Then use that as a starting point to figure out what muzzleloader you can get. I would recommend a break action also.
Last recommendation, I would check out Dougs Messaging Board there are a lot of post and articles on there about muzzleloader it would scare you! Register there and talk to the members there they will have a lot of knowledge for you.
Hope this helps,
Nebraska Outlander
Sounds like some of the states really want you to be traditional! I guess that is probably a good thing because some of the ML's now basically qualify as CF. I think New Mexico and Colorado will be my primary hunting states, mainly bc they are the closest to Texas where I live. I would like to throw in a Kansas muledeer every now and then. Not sure if ML in Sept or CF in December would be best for KS though. Thanks for all your help guys!
Colorado isn't primitive enough for me. I'd love to see a flintlock, PRB, real black powder, primitive sights, and give us the same length season that bow hunters get. I'd be all over it.
Brady, you asked about Pyrodex pellets. I would recommend going to loose powder, for two reasons, you can get far more repeatable amounts of powder shot to shot, and you can dial in exactly how much powder you particular gun likes. If you end up with a muzzleloader that shoots 209 primers, I would HIGHLY recommend Blackhorn 209 powder. It has very low residue, and you can get remarkable consistency in your velocities from shot to shot, with no swabbing. I think most guys that are trying to optimize accuracy are shooting loose powder. Some people think it's expensive (Blackhorn 209), but it is only 70% the weight of blackpowder for a given load, and it takes less due do higher velocities you get with that powder.
Hey guys, I just bought a new CVA Wolf Muzzleloader, and planning on trying the 209 Blackhorn powder, just wondering what make of 209 primers are you guys using.Quote:
Originally Posted by Umpqua Hunter
CCI 209M primers work good with BH 209. You need a hot primer for BH. You should also get a breech plug that is made to shoot BH 209 in the CVA guns. CVA sells one, and Western Powder makes a really nice one. Western makes the BH 209 powder. They cost about $25 and well worth the reliability they give you igniting BH 209. The Western Powder version of the breech plug comes with a drill in a holder. That's the best way to clean out the flash channel in the breech plug. Solvent won't get it out very good. A couple of twists of the drill and you're clean.
Thanks old hunter I'll start searching for 209 mag primers.
Bigshot: I'm using Fiocchi (#616) 209 primers in my CVA Accura. I typically have to clean the carbon out of my breech plug every 20 to 30 shots. I am going to experiment with more frequent cleaning to fine tune accuracy.
Here is a very good blog on some issues to consider when selecting a 209 primer.
http://blog.cva.com/muzzleloader-cva-accura/
Here are two good posts on the Blackhorn 209 website on recommended primers:
http://www.blackhorn209.com/specs/primers/
http://www.blackhorn209.com/2011/10/...blackhorn-209/
Some common issues in using Blackhorn 209:
1) One problem when shooting Blackhorn 209, is having a primer that is not hot enough. Avoid special muzzleloading 209 primers.
2) Another problem is having a primer that is too "hot" and the primer itself exerts too much pressure on the load and pushes the bullet up the barrel before the powder ignites. This has its own set of ignition and accuracy problems.
3) Also as Old Hunter mentioned, the breech plug needs to be Blackhorn 209 compatible. Many breech plugs can be modified. In the past, the guys at Western Powders (Blackhorn 209 manufacturer) have been helpful with this.
4) Make sure you keep the breech plug clean. Occasionally use a close fitting drill to chase the carbon build up, and a torch tip cleaner to keep the fire channel open. Some guys are going to rifle primers in a 209 adapter to avoid this carbon build up. I have not tried this yet but it looks promising. Here is a link on that solution:
http://www.prbullet.com/lrvf.htm
TROUBLESHOOTING: There should really be no noticeable delay between the "hammer falling" and the load going off. If there is, you need to chase the problem down, and it is typically one of the four things above.
It is definitely worth working through the issues. My Accura worked right off the bat with the Fiocchi primers. Blackhorn 209 is awesome powder and definitely worth the effort to get dialed in.
Bigshot, have you shot your CVA Wolf yet? I was curious about them cause my brother is in the market for a new muzzleloader for the upcoming season. Was looking at the TC Impact, CVA Wolf, or the Traditions Buckstalker. Thanks for the input guys!