When I visited the shooting range for the first time, I was shocked by the loading and care that other shooters used for their in-lines. Growing up with a dad who loves muzzleloading, I assumed it was well-known how to load and maintain a muzzleloader properly. It is not that difficult. After the cap is fired, I like a dry run through the barrel. This will eliminate any oily residues. Once the barrel is ready, you can start shooting.
You must have a consistent loading process to ensure your gun shoots flawlessly. For consistent results, ensure you do everything exactly the way you did before. Ballistic tips are used 209 primers in stock in most modern muzzleloading bullets. These tips provide the shell with an aerodynamic profile that increases accuracy and flat shot, as well as rapid expansion when hitting the targets. This rapidly expanding bullet transfers most of its energy and shock to your hunting game.
This bullet should be loaded carefully to avoid any damage to the tip. Particular loading jags are available from many manufacturers that can be screwed into the ramrod and allow for effortless loading of these bullets. The bullet can be quickly seated on the powder charges without damage by the particular jags due to their deep cavity. To load these bullets, you can use the standard end for the ramrod. However, this will result in unpredictable bullet flight and crummy bullet groups.
It doesn’t matter if you shoot pellets or loose powder; accuracy in shooting requires an adequately seated bullet. The time has come to load the projectile after the charge has been placed correctly in the barrel. Modern muzzleloaders often use a false muzzle. It aligns the bullet’s sabot with the muzzle to speed up loading. It’s easy to tell if your muzzleloader is using a false muzzle. A false muzzle will be slightly wider barrels at the end and does not have any rifling in the last inch.
A bullet starter will be required for guns that don’t have a fake muzzle. There are many muzzleloading gun starters available. Continue to move the ramrod downwards until the bullet touches the powder. Stop when you feel the shot touch the powder. Continue pushing the ramrod. Pushing hard on the ramrod or hitting the pellet charge with your ramrod can cause the pellets’ to fall apart. These pellets will burn at the same pressure. If you break these pellets, you’ll see different strains at different velocities. This can cause inaccuracy.
If your gun uses 209 primes and pelletized powder charges, I can’t stress enough the need for specific muzzleloading 209 primers. Standard 209 shotgun primers are too powerful and dirtier than a muzzleloading 219. A standard 209 primer can push a projectile fully loaded out of a barrel by itself without using powder.
What’s the problem with that? The primer is only used to ignite the powder and not to add fuel. That is the powder’s job. Too powerful a primer will push the cartridge and bullet higher than necessary before ignition. But there’s another side to the coin. The Blackhorn 209 is a powder I have been smitten with over the last few seasons. Hot shotgun primers are required to secure the breach plug with this power. This powder requires a hot flash to ignite.
