first muzzle loader

[CarpKing]

I just bought a cva kodiak 209 mag 50 cal. Any one else have one, is it a good muzzle loader? What grain of bullet is best to use, i was talked into buying 200 grn sabbots but seem like they might be to light. thanks George

[lumpy]

my cva likes the hornady SST projectile in 250 grains with 100 grains of pyrodex. Tried alot of combonations and this is what works for me.
If the barrel is les that 26 inches (and it should be) shooting 150 grains of powder (magnum load) out of it is just wasting about 40-45 grains of powder as it does not completely burn in the barrel.

[QuakrTrakr]

If the barrel is les that 26 inches (and it should be) shooting 150 grains of powder (magnum load) out of it is just wasting about 40-45 grains of powder as it does not completely burn in the barrel.
Where'd you hear that? I've never heard that. My Knight Disc has a 24" barrel and shoots the same groups as my buddy's Omega with a 28". Both with 150grains powder. :confused:

[lumpy]

Quakr: With a bearrel shorter than 26 inches it is not long enough to get a total burn of pwder in the barrel. If you are shooting this load I would bet that if you used 100 grains out of it you will get the same results. In essence your last 40-50 grains of powder is getting burned outside the muzzle. you are just burning it outside the muzzle and hench it is not creating the desired result. I have read alot on this when I got my CVA optima.

The extra charge does hownerd for your shoulder though;) .

Its like a compuond bow. Just cause you can crank the bow to 70 pounds does not mean you will be more efficient. You need to match the weapon to the projectile.

I will look up the article and if I can find it I will post it.

[QuakrTrakr]

Lumpy, What type of powder does this apply to? Or all of them?

[Swamp Monster]

My Remington would not burn a full 150 grains of powder, I even tried the 209 conversion kit. Barrel was just too short. Take an old white sheet or wait for snow and do some experimenting. You'll most likely see a lot more unburned powder with the magnum charges. Just because your gun is grouping similar to another with a longer barrel does not necessarily mean you guys are both generating the same velocity.

And yes, even if the powdeer is not all being burned, recoil will still be stronger because you are still pushing more weight down the barrel.

[Randy Kidd]

I used a piece of white paper to show my brother the same thing Who also shoots the Kodiak..Step back about three feet from the paper and he shot..there was unburned powder all around the bullet hole..I use 87gr of FF in my favorite rifle and it had a nice clean hole..My groups were just as tight as his...All that money and cleaning time wasted by putting that extra pellet of pyrodex down the bore..He now shoots 100grs and is happy with it..

[QuakrTrakr]

Ooops :eek: My Disc has a 26" barrel, not a 24". I just read that the new Knight Revolution has a 27" barrel for many reasons.
http://www.hpmuzzleloading.org/fieldtests5.html

[lumpy]

I always laugh at the guys with new guns shooting 150 grains. It is kind of ridiculous that the manufacturers make these guns to handle the magnum load. I also find it funny that Powerbelt nust be putting alot of $ in the pockets of the manufactures and having them promote using thier projectiles. I can always talk someone into changing to sabots to shoot more consistantly.

One other thing that makes me scratch my head is the people at the range who do not clean the barrel after every shot and say the gun shoots better after running a few through it." I always respond do you hunt with a dirty barrel or run a few through it before you go out?

Alway parctice what you shoot clean barrel .... clean practice.