RiverRider
Handloader
- Dec 9, 2008
- 1,436
- 70
...and I am very happy with it!
I bought a cheap muzzle loader, a Traditions "Canyon" .50-cal because it was on sale and I had a bunch of Cabela's points. My cash outlay was something like $50. I had a VX-II 1-4x laying around, so I mounted it using Weaver rings and some steel Weaver-style bases I came up with somehow. I put the rifle in the safe back in April and didn't even think about shooting it until about a month ago when I laid in a small supply of Triple Se7en pellets and some TC Mag Express sabots with 300-grain XTPs. One of my buddies is heavily into shotshell reloading and said he had some CCI 209 primers he was not going to use because his load calls for Winchester 209s, so I bought the Winchesters and swapped him for his CCI 209s to use in my ML (I use Remington STS 209s for my own shotshell reloading).
I could swear that read someplace that I should get used to shooting the rifle with two 777 pellets, and then move up to three pellets. When I tried to verify that last week I could not find the reference. Everything I DID find said I should just shoot two pellets, so I figured I'd follow that advice.
Anyway, I was able to get out to the range earlier today to shoot the thing. It took three shots on the 50-yard range to get the initial scope adjustment sorted out. Then I moved on to the 100-yard range. Three more shots got the thing to hit almost where I wanted, then I fired a group. It looks like this:
I don't think I have any room to complain. Next time I'll shoot it on the 200-yard range.
I do wonder though---is my memory failing me, or could I have seen some info somewhere that suggests using three 777 pellets??
I bought a cheap muzzle loader, a Traditions "Canyon" .50-cal because it was on sale and I had a bunch of Cabela's points. My cash outlay was something like $50. I had a VX-II 1-4x laying around, so I mounted it using Weaver rings and some steel Weaver-style bases I came up with somehow. I put the rifle in the safe back in April and didn't even think about shooting it until about a month ago when I laid in a small supply of Triple Se7en pellets and some TC Mag Express sabots with 300-grain XTPs. One of my buddies is heavily into shotshell reloading and said he had some CCI 209 primers he was not going to use because his load calls for Winchester 209s, so I bought the Winchesters and swapped him for his CCI 209s to use in my ML (I use Remington STS 209s for my own shotshell reloading).
I could swear that read someplace that I should get used to shooting the rifle with two 777 pellets, and then move up to three pellets. When I tried to verify that last week I could not find the reference. Everything I DID find said I should just shoot two pellets, so I figured I'd follow that advice.
Anyway, I was able to get out to the range earlier today to shoot the thing. It took three shots on the 50-yard range to get the initial scope adjustment sorted out. Then I moved on to the 100-yard range. Three more shots got the thing to hit almost where I wanted, then I fired a group. It looks like this:
I don't think I have any room to complain. Next time I'll shoot it on the 200-yard range.
I do wonder though---is my memory failing me, or could I have seen some info somewhere that suggests using three 777 pellets??
