Where Can Muzzleloader Hunting Go From Here?

On Thanksgiving morning last fall, I was hunting a long and narrow hayfield along the Musselshell River in the breaks country of central Montana.  From a knoll that rose a good 40 feet above where the field narrowed to just over 200 yards, I watched as a doe ran past a huge cottonwood, which I had lasered at 227 yards.  A few minutes later, a 5x5 buck followed the same exact route, passing within just a few yards of that tree.  Taking a rest on a collapsible tripod shooting rest, I placed the 225-yard cross-bar of the multi-reticle muzzleloader hunting scope on the shoulder of the buck...and eased back on the trigger.  The modern No. 209 primer ignition fast-twist .50 caliber in-line rifle belched - and a 110-grain charge of Blackhorn 209 powder pushed a saboted 300-grain polymer-tipped Scorpion PT Gold spire point out of the muzzle at 1,970 f.p.s., with 2,583 f.p.e..  At about 225 yards, that bullet drove home with right at 1,300 foot-pounds of knockdown power...and that buck went down on the spot.

So, where can muzzleloader hunting performance go from here?  This new NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING report takes a look at what likely lies ahead...

http://www.namlhunt.com/longrangeml2.html

New Blackhorn 209 Loads & Ballistics Data

This past winter and spring, the NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING website compiled and published several pages of new Blackhorn 209 load data for a variety of .50 caliber No. 209 primer ignition rifle models.

For a look at loads for the 28-inch barreled Traditions VORTEK...30-inch barreled VORTEK Ultra Light LDR...28-inch barreled Thompson/Center Arms TRIUMPH...and 28-inch barreled OMEGA, go to the following link -

http://www.namlhunt.com/modernmldata3.html

For Blackhorn 209 loads and data for the Knight Rifles 27-inch barreled LONG RANGE HUNTER...and 27-inch barreled MOUNTAINEER, go to the following link -

http://www.namlhunt.com/modernmldata.html


See how the Harvester Muzzleloading Scorpion PT Gold compares with the competition... especially down range where retained energy is really needed to put game down.