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I've got this gun. Sorry, don't have a picture. I've got a T/C 1.5-5x32 muzzle loader scope on it and it's good out to 150 yrds. at least. I also have a slug barrel and a 30.06 barrel for it as well. Great gun.

I use 3 50-50 Triple 7 pellets and a 295 gr. Power Belt Hollow Point. The Triple 7 won't foul as bad. I'll get about 10 shots before I have to swab it out. It'll get harder with each shot. After about the third or forth shot I'll have to use the ball end of my bullet starter that has a hole in the end to put your ram rod into and push with that. Or you can do what mule1 said about the block of wood, but I would drill a little counter sink into to wood to seat the ram rod in.

Sorry you guys don't see much when muzzle loader hunting. I got 4 last year with the ML. One of which was this buck. After I shot the buck, the coyote ran to me and hung out a little too long. I have these little tubes on my belt for speed loading. It'll take 3 pellets and a bullet in each tube which makes it real quick to reload. If I'm using the gun a lot hunting, I'll clean it after a couple of shots to make sure I can reload without using the ball starter.

Does anybody ever have the morbid thought like I have when I'm reloading a muzzleloader right after the 1st shot:

What if there is a tiny little ember down in there and it ignites the powder as your hand is over the muzzle?

Is that even possible?

P.S. Nice buck and yote StoneCutter!

Thanks.

Yes it's a possibility, especially with powder. I get the same feeling. However, I'll drop the pellets in first real fast with the muzzle pointed away from my face, then shove the bullet in. I figure if it's going to go off, it should do it right away.........I hope.

But I've never had it happen.

I haven't gotten the crud ring at all since switching to Blackhorn 209. It's pretty good stuff that I highly recommend.

I shot a decent WT buck in Nov. 2011 with my muzzleloader. Brought it to a local guy that had just finished up taxidermy school and was just getting into it. I thought I would give him a chance and based on his work in school thought I would get a decent mount back.

Long story short, I went and got my cape and antlers from him yesterday and brought it to a different taxi.

The original guy is a good guy. It just turns out he didn't have or make the time to get serious about taxidermy.

The new guy guaranteed a one month turn around

Well for the most part of where we hunt, we can only shoot one deer. Period.

A decent buck? Rooster Jim, that's like a 160!

The bit about an ember in the bore when you put in the fresh charge is why you blow through the bore to see if there is any smoke indicating a live ember.
Remember the old western thing where he blew into the end of his barrel after a shot?
That has it's basis in fact.

Stan in SC

Naw I think we green scored it at 149 - 150 ish

So I'm not crazy...

I think I will start putting the pellets in first and then the bullet like stated above.

When ever a better powder (cleaner) comes out, I buy it. I had been shooting the Jim shockey stuff, before that it was trip 7, pyrodex etc. I think I may be shooting that blackhorn 209 now.

The crud ring gets slightly better with each new advancement in clean powders, but 3 is still my max.

I think there is a different nipple or something that is supposed to help some.

But I figure 3 shots will do me.

And yes I have the speedloader tubes and it sounds like I may be ahead of some of you fellers with my T handle pushrod. Lol

When I first got my muzzle loader, I shot deer with it every year, it was awesome.

But I haven't shot a deer with a MZL since before our dark days of bovine TB.

My gosh I hope we can start seeing deer numbers rebound soon.

I solved the crud ring problem,by only having to shoot
once.



possibly I might be better off from using 3f powder,which means I use a 10% smaller charge,and I use T/C bore butter to lube ,which is supposed to be better than some other products.I also use T/C bore cleaner and water to clean.
T/C used to advertise you could fire your sidelock 1,000 times between cleaning,if you used their products.

from T/C's website

"Has Natural Lube 1000 Plus Bore Butter been tested?


It's easy. The first step is to remove all traces of oil from your muzzleloader by cleaning the bore with hot water and a detergent. Then coat the bore with Bore Butter using a patch or swab saturated with it. From that point on, never allow a petroleum based lube to interfere with the Natural Lube. Use bullets prelubricated with Bore Butter, and when cleaning, use an all-natural bore cleaner like our No. 13. As you continue to shoot, you will be slowly seasoning the bore and will notice that very little fouling builds up. Loading will remain easy from shot to shot, and cleaning will be a snap."


". Is T/C's Natural Lube 1000 Plus Bore Butter really that good? How does it work?


It sure is, and if you've got some friends, who are using it, ask them. Our All Natural "Bore Butter" is absent of any petroleum based oil, and contains an ingredient which seasons the bore with repeated use, just as you would season a cast iron skillet. Tar, used to pave highways, is made by heating petroleum based oil. In other words, heat plus petroleum oil equals tar! That's what causes the heavy fouling when shooting a muzzleloader with conventional petroleum based lubes. The problem of heavy fouling was one not encountered in the old days, as the oils used then were all natural' whale oil, bear fat, deer tallow, etc. Petroleum based oils were not discovered until the mid-1800's, and during the Civil War, fouling did become a problem."


bore butter

Dave I shoot an Omega and have had trouble with the crud ring. It got better with American Pioneer Powder but was still a problem until I heard that they make a 209 primer just for muzzle loaders. I think it not quite as hot as the Federals I was using. That has about eliminated my problems. It was really bad with Triple Seven. I am out of the American Pioneer , so I need to start shopping around for something. I haven't seen any of it for a couple of years. It was made by the same people who make Shockey's Gold. I may try the Blackhorn. I haven't deer hunted with anything but muzzle loaders for about ten years now.
Bill

I have 2 CVA Buckhorns, I really like them. a few years back we could get up to 5 double doe tags for muzzleloader. one year I bought all I could and filled them shooting 10 deer. all of them were private land at the request of landowners to thin the deer down. gave a couple away but ate the rest that following year. I got the crud ring a little but dealt with it by running a spit patch after 2-3 shots. I just use the plain pyrodex pellets in the black box. I use 2 pellets and a saboted 300 grain .45 xtp bullet, it really thumps the deer when you put it in the ribs. the muzzleloader doe tags went away a year or two ago due to declining deer numbers but we may see them again in a couple years out here. I took one the last year they had them at a touch over 200 yards, but most were 100 yards or less.
I'm really hoping to draw my any deer muzzleloader tag this year, takes several years to get after you build up preference. unless you are my wife, she draws any tag she wants with only 1 preference point

Those are the only products I've used in my TC. I'm certain I've had that rifle for over 10 yrs, maybe 12?

I guess I'll just be patient. Maybe the bore will be magically "seasoned" by the time my great, great, great, great grandchildren shoot it.

Lol!

I do use muzzle loader 209 primers as well.



Friends of mine with $95 kit package inlines can dump any old crap powder down the barrel, I swear they can spit their snus down the tube before pushing the bullet down if they like. Boom, boom, boom, all day long. I'll ask them how many shots before you have to clean it? They just look at me all funny.... "Clean it?"

Then they spit, then laugh... Then shoot it until they run out of crap powder and bullets and regular shotgun shell 209's.

Then they go home and throw it under the bed or in the closet.

Then they lay awake in bed at night... "Does Dave actually clean his muzzle loader? Should I clean mine? Nawwww..."

I wonder if it's something with the TC Encore? I had a stainless one with a synthetic stock and had the same issue. Now it doesn't seem as bad. 4-5 shots and I'll have to clean the barrel though.

I just figured it was "normal" with the black powder stuff after a few shots.

I've used 777 and some "white hot" powder that seems to burn pretty hot. I can use 100gr of 777 and 100gr of the white hot and notice a difference in noise and recoil.

I've seen my first one of the year boys! Yep, a tree turning yellow. Even juuuuuuuuust a slight bit of brush on the ground in the ditches.

This low humidity and 60* temps at night aren't helping tame the fever either.

My BIL and I set up the deer camp outfitter tent on Saturday. That sucker is big and it will work for sure.

I need to get an order in to northern_dave for the fireplace though.

Just think what she could do with 4!!

Come on SD...help a brother out!

you can always bring a stick and string, I'll put you on deer

I sound like I'm unhappy with the TC encore, but I really like it, it shoots tight groups and the quality is very good.

You and I need to have some side discussions on SD hunting. I would seriously like to learn more about the options and talk about what the hunt would be like. I think I'm ready to try to jump in with Keith on a Wyoming hunt too, in 2016 if he'd have me.