Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Tried Federal trophy copper inline

This was my first test of blackhorn and first with Federal BOR slugs.

So I weighed out 70 grains of black horn on a scale and made up some speed loaders for the range. I used CCI shotgun 209. Rifle is a TC encore with SS barrel. Scope Bushnell 3x9 3200.

Anyway the first shot was way right of the group. Then I shot 6 more at 50 yards, and the group was fist sized. So I was not that impressed. I could easily get a better group at 100 with TC shockwave sabots and 3F goex. I will say loading was insanely easy even on shot # 7 with no swabbing between rounds.
I guess Ill weight out some 60 grain loads of BH and give that a test. I also have some 348 grain powerbelts so I may give them a try with blackhorn.

My standard load is 240 grain shockwave and 100 grain 3F GOEX BP, but I could not find shockwave locally so I feel like experimenting. I don't know how much testing I will do with the federal slugs in this barrel, they are 25 bucks for 15 rounds. I think I was getting 20 or so shockwaves for 5 bucks after season clearance at walmart, so the cheapness factor is in play. If the 60 grain BH + Federal slugs shoot as good as the shockwave, I would switch to the new combo even at the $$$$. I actually shoot flintlock, so this is a side game for me.

https://www.federalpremium.com/muzzleloading/11-PMZ50TC1.html

Dang, at Whatamart they're $20 for 15.

My son took those to CO for elk, but tag soup. They shot well in his Impact while sighting in. 100gr of BH.

I get the cheapness thing. I buy sabots direct from Harvester, XTPs or whatever, wherever they're cheap. Also have a good many Nosler Ballistic Tip ML bullets from SPS, but am going to switch out the factory sabots for crush ribs.

Get a rifle that has a good reputation at shooting conical bullets for starters.

Grice has the Federal BORS made of lead, not copper for 6 bucks/15. They are listed as blems. The weight on those is 350 grains not 270 like the copper ones.
6 bucks is 1/4 price, so I'll grab a bunch when I get out that way.

350s shot like crap. Theres a reason they are dumping them. The 270s however shot lights out.

Two of my sons shot a real nice 5 point Roosevelt bull elk a couple of weeks ago with their muzzleloaders. Identical knight rifles. One using a 300 grain Hornady sabot. The other was using the Fed. BOR copper 270 grain. The oldest son shot 1st with the Hornady bullet and the bull was still going so the other son shot. The bull went just a short distance and went down. The range was just over 50 yards. Both shots were in the chest area. Both bullets were recovered. The Hornady expanded just like you would expect. The federal had no expansion. The plastic tip had been pushed inside the bullet. Both were shooting 100 grains of triple seven powder.