new to black powder.........

[harley]

i recently went to a gun store going out of business here in dallas tx. they had a couple of black powder rifles left. i bought a remington 700 mls 50 cal. for $ 320.00. i had been lokking at this rifle for a few months but it was priced at $ 440.00 i would like to see if anyone could point me in the right direction as far as getting started with black powder shooting. black powder,pyrodex,sabots,no.11 cap or 209, what loads i could start with. also what kind of starter kit should i look at and cleaning materials should i look at. i am new to the site and black powder hunting. i do alot of bow and rifle hunting but want to start shooting black powder.
thanks for whatever information you can give me

harley

 

[bluelk]

harley: Well, welcome to the "smokey world of muzzleloading". It's nice to have you here. You have a real nice rifle there, but I need to have you answer some questions before you get real detailed information:
1. Is the barrel stainless?
2. Does it have the 209 ignition?

Get back to me really soon with your answers and we'll get you started, ok.

Again, nice to have you onboard.

 

[harley]

the barrel and action are stainless and it is a 2001 model which
came with the no. 11 cap nipple. i could always up grade to the 209 primer but i am not sure of the advantage. i really appreciate your help.

thanks
harley

 

[DallanC]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-04-02 AT 03:46PM (MST)[p]Hello Harley,

You chose a fun gun, I have an identical one. First things first, You need to make really sure you clean and oil both the firing pin striker as well as inside the bolt itslef when you clean it. If it gets dirty the 700's will start to missfire on Caps (usually will fire on second attempt). A good cleaning and oiling of this will avoid alot of headaches.

Swab the barrel between shots. Get a small squeeze bottle and keep windex in it... it is one of the best cleaners for muzzle loaders ever

Ok as for loads, you might want to check out my personal loads and conograph info at:

http://www.huntingnut.com/cgi-bin/mldata/mldata.pl?mode=LoadList&dbase=DBASE0

Overall I found great accuracy and velocity out of the .429 sabots but some find the .451 sabots to be more accurate. I've been shooting the M700ML for nearly 5 years now so if you have any questions lemme know. I've tried a heck of alot of loads with it (can't wait to try some Hodgdon777 powder in it too).

-DallanC
www.HuntingNut.com

 

[bluelk]

DallanC: I have been hearing a lot of really good stuff about the 777. Seems like it is so good you can cut your charge by about 20%. Really good velocity numbers.

 

[bluelk]

harley: Definitely upgrade to the 209. You will get much better velocity numbers and tremendous reliability. What DallanC was saying about the bolt is critical. I believe on the first page of the owners manual Remington tells you how to disassemble and clean the bolt. Follow it religiously. For a good cleaner try the Remington Vortex reusable solvent. It is super stuff. Have you downloaded my Muzzleloading 101 Chapters? If not, you should. They will help you a bunch.

 

[harley]

thank you bluelk and dallanc for the information. i have not read the muzzleloading 101 chapter yet. i will order the conversion kit for 209. i have to go buy the cleaning supplies before i start to break rifle down for cleaning. i will break gun down. clean and oil before i start to go to the range.
plus i need to read up on the 101 chapter for muzzleloading before i start shooting this rifle. safety first.
i have plenty of time to learn black powder. i have no mountain hunts coming up for black podwer yet. maybe next year.

bluelk
i read your going on a trip to b.c. on horseback. i hope you and your friend have a awesome trip. years ago i hunted in wyoming on a 10 days pack in hunt. it was awsome being in the mountains
on horseback with no one else around but wildlife. no phones,no cars no traffic,nothing modern. peace and quite and an awsome view. enjoy your trip and i will talk to you when you get back.

dallanc
thanks for the information and i will check out your site for more information.

happy hunting
harley