Help with setup for Nevada

oilcan · May 29, 2017

So I drew a Nevada Muzzy deer tag. I have never had a muzzleloader so I know very little about them. I have spent all weekend going over old posts and talking to a few people and am on info overload now. I have a little over 3 months to get ready so I want to shorten the learning curve.

This is what I have come up with since I have to shoot open sights I am going to get the CVA accura V2. So now the questions.

1. I want to shoot with a peep sight (recommendation) and will I have to change the stock front sight ?
2. I can shoot sabots in Nevada so can someone suggest a load for a starting point.
Sabot/powder/primer. I know if I shoot the BH209 I will have to change the breach plug.

I'm sure I will have more questions as I get into this farther.
Thanks for any help

azbiggame · May 31, 2017

tic,tic,tic, The time will fly bye and soon will Sept.Your hunt is in 1 of best BIG BUCK units in NV.
In my CVA a must is the BH209 powder.Start at 90 grns and move higher by 5 grns up to no more than 120 grns by VOLUME after that trial and error on bullets,A good sabot is Hornady SST 250 grn and CCI primer.Williams makes a good low line peep ,Myself I use a fiber optic open sight and has plenty of accuracy out to 150 yds with a 6 o'clock hold when sighting in.Start sight in @ 2 in. high at 50 yds and move out to best yardage for YOU ... Good Luck,
Bruce & SilverGrand

oilcan · May 31, 2017

Thanks Bruce I'm getting ready to place an order in the next couple days so that helps I appreciate it.

kalielkslayer · Jun 4, 2017

Oil,

The advice on the 6 O'Clock hold is critical!!!!! AZ gave you the best advice in one short post.

For a lengthy one, on basically the same gun your buying, read my response to another recent thread just below yours.

txhunter58 · Jun 4, 2017

+2 on the 6 o'clock hold. My groups went from 4-5" at 100 yards to 2-3" when I went from "covering" the bullseye with the front sight, to placing the bull on top of the front sight.

I have the Williams rear peep: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Williams-Adjustable-Rear-Peep-Sight/740049.uts
however, I replace the actual peep with a Williams "twilight" peep that is bigger in diameter. You might try the one it comes with, but I like a larger one and doesn't seem to hurt accuracy.

Depends on the front sight. Try the one that it comes with. I like a very fine fiberoptic bead.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

NJ_CLAD · Jun 4, 2017

My Nevada set up is with a rear peep and a Lyman globe front sight. In side the globe I use a pointed post. I use a peep I purchased from E. Arthur Brown Company. It is a Weaver style scope base with a peep sight attached. I use QD rings, and my scope holds point of aim, thus when I'm not in Nevada, I put the scope back on. BH 209 powder, and Barnes sabots.

oilcan · Jun 4, 2017

So I have been reading up on the 6 o-clock hold. I understand the concept of aiming at the bottom of the bullseye when shooting at targets so this may be a stupid question but where would you hold if you are shooting at a Deer 100-125 yards away.

TX do you know what size twilight peep you are using ? Looks like there are a few different sizes.
The scope combo doesn't come with any open sights so after I get the load figured out with the scope I will be starting from scratch with the open sights.

Gun just showed up yesterday the rest of the components should show up this week so I should be shooting by next weekend.

txhunter58 · Jun 4, 2017

Mine is a 0.125. People with younger eyes might like the 0.093, but the bigger one is really good at dawn and dusk.

It is a bit hard to make the adjustment to shooting at an animal with the 6 o'clock hold, so I recommend you shoot at some animal targets before you go hunting. I shoot for 1/2 way up the body right above the elbow, so I look at that spot and lay the bead right up to it and stop when it starts to cover it. The animal targets help because I find when buck fever clicks in, you revert to old habits.

With open sights: To move your point of impact you would first try and move the rear sight up or down. With the rear, you move it up to move your POI up and down to move it down. However, sometimes you run out of adjustment and you have to raise/lower the front sight. Only way to do that is to buy a shorter or taller front sight and it is the opposite of the rear sight (taller moves your POI down and shorter moves it up)

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

kalielkslayer · Jun 6, 2017

To answer your 100-125 yd question, at 100 yards the point you want to impact would be barely visible above your front bead/blade.

At 125 yards you would have the point ABOVE where you want to impact consistent with your drop at 125 yards. In my case I wouldn't change my hold between 100 and 125 yards as the only would be 2".

kalielkslayer · Jun 14, 2017

Oil,

How's the gun purchase/load development going?

Excited for you cause I know you'll do that tag justice.

oilcan · Jun 14, 2017

Hunter,
It's going pretty good finally got everything I needed and took it out shooting on Monday. Shot Barnes 290gr TEZ and Blackhorn 209 got the scope dialed in and basically just getting used to the Muzzleloader since I had never fired one.
Going again tomorrow and plan on trying 95 and 100 gr loads and see how they do.
I ordered my peep sights today so after I get the load dialed in I will switch to the peeps.

oilcan · Jun 15, 2017

This is 95gr Blackhorn 209 with 290 HR Barnes

This is 100gr BH with 290gr Barnes

Looks like it is shooting better with 95gr.
Does anyone see a problem only shooting 95gr ? This is for a Deer six's animal and I don't see myself shooting farther then 150 yards since it will be with open sights.

azbiggame · Jun 15, 2017

Your 95 grn.load looks good and will have plenty of knockdown power ... What primer with this load ? Good Luck ... Bruce & SilverGrand

oilcan · Jun 15, 2017

Bruce,
They are Federal 209A.
With the 95gr load the group of 3 are 1" center to center and with the flyer the two farthest are 2 1/8" I don't think I can shoot better then that. I think I'll go with that and switch to the open sights and try to get proficient with them.

kalielkslayer · Jun 15, 2017

Are you shooting a fouling shot, then 3 shot group?

Or just continuing to shoot dirty until you are done?

When I worked up my load I cleaned after every group, then fired a fouling shot, then shot the group.

I noticed the first shot was always 1.5-3" high at 100 yards. Figured it was the clean barrel. After it was fouled, the group shrunk nicely. With BH209 I could shoot around 10 rounds before the group started to widen.

Just my experience, with my gun and load.