Muzzle loader season 2020

[gspren]

  Wednesday afternoon I got a nice 6 point in Delaware with my muzzle loader, that was my 5th day of hunting before getting a shot. I think it took longer to clean the gun after just one shot than it took to field dress the buck.

[Walnut Beast]

I doubt you will be thinking about that when you bite into some tasty backstrap 😂

[sawguy21]

What is the range? I have never fired one or seen one used.

[Walnut Beast]

The newer muzzleloaders with a scope are pretty accurate out to a couple hundred yards

[trapper]

The last 2 i got with a muzzle loader were at 115 yards.

[thecfarm]

Good for you. 
Got pictures?  ;D

[woodybutcher]

What kind of load are you using? Round ball or jacketed sabot?

[Walnut Beast]

Shooting the range he did I doubt balls and powder. Probably sabo and pyro 🧨 

[sawguy21]

Ok, I need some edurmacating. How does a jacketed sabot work in a muzzleloader? A local shop has an English shotgun from around 1870 with the original case and owners manual, it is a work of art but how does it operate?

[B.C.C. Lapp]

Ok, I need some edurmacating. How does a jacketed sabot work in a muzzleloader? A local shop has an English shotgun from around 1870 with the original case and owners manual, it is a work of art but how does it operate?

It all depends on how fast the twist is in the rifle.   A twist of  1 in 48" or slower is good for patched rounds balls or PRB's for short.   A fast twist rifle, like 1 in 28" is way to fast for PRB's.  The patch wont hold the rifleing.  So a long conical bullet or a sabot stile round is required.  Modern in line muzzle loaders all have fast twists.  
My flintlock muzzle loaders have slow twists and I shoot PRB's.    For my 50 cal flintlocks I use a .490 round ball and a .015 latch over 65 grains of FFF Goex blackpowder.  I hunt with my flintlock muzzle loaders even in the regular firearms deer season.  
I have been a muzzle loader hunter many years, hence my name. I can drop a deer out to about 70 yards or so with a flintlock.    I think thats about average for traditional black powder rifles.  In lines can reach out much farther. I don't like them. More like centerfires than muzzleloaders.

[gspren]

A little more info, the sabot isn't jacketed the projectile (bullet) is. Sabots are used in civilian purposes to shoot a smaller diameter bullet through a larger bore so a 50 caliber gun can shoot a 30-44 caliber bullet. The sabots are typically plastic that fits snugly in the bore and holds the bullet firm, they are split nearly to the back and when they exit the bore the sides (petals) open up and release the bullet. Sabots used by the military can be much more complex.