Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Smokeless ML light loads reduced recoil

I'm looking to shoot some bullets 250 grains or less out of my 45 cal Arrowhead smokeless conversion. Due to shoulder surgery i need to lighten the recoil as much as possible. Anyone have a load they use that shoots well and might recommend for a good deer & bear load? Thanks

I have down loaded my Encore Pro Hunter Hankins SML conversion down to 42 grains of imr 4198 with 250gr Parker bullets for my grandkids to shoot. I got a little better accuracy at 45 grains. Recoil is definitely reduced. I also have a muzzle brake on that one. I do not have a chronograph, so not sure of what the MV is with 45grs of imr 4198. But from shooting it at the range I'm sure it will have no problem killing a WT Deer.

good info and a great place for me to start. thanks

I use 36 grains of VV N110 in my Savage smokeless under various 300gr jacketed bullets for about 1950 fps. Very mild load. I'll bet you could drop the charge even more.

It took 15 grains more of VV N120 to beat the N110 velocities and it kicked *much* harder for the same speeds. Propellent volume definitely matters...it ain't just velocity and bullet weight. Accuracy was identical.

All of which is to say: look to smaller charges of fast burning powder. Less muzzle blast, too. Your ears don't ring nearly as much.

If you don't already have a muzzle brake you might consider one. I had a brake put on one of my SML's for the grandkids and my daughter to shoot. It reduced the recoil quite a bit. Almost by 50%

I am looking at doing the same thing for my daughter, one word of caution is not to go so low that you push the bullet or sabot/bullet out of the rifling into the powder chamber if your barrel has one. Most 45/70 conversions will have one depending on the breech plug used.

are you wanting to stick to bore sized bullets? Could drop down to 40 cal bullets and light blue sabots. I'm setting up a gun for my son to use with fury 225-250gr 40 cal bullets. Took him out a few weeks ago with my heavy 700ML and he really enjoyed 200gr XTPs over 35gr of N110.

id use 40 cl w sabots if i could find em. what kind of vel you getting with the 35 gr of n110?? thanks