Black Powder

Most likely your gun will shoot fine with 250gr yellow tip TC shockwaves that wally sells for $11 a box and with 100 gr 777 (2 50 grain pellets) and any brand name primer although each ML is different and it may take some playing with. I have NEVER had luck with powerbelts and accuracy.

Things you need…

A lot of dry cleaning patches

Pre-saturated cleaning patches

Breech plug grease…make sure to put on breech before going to the range

A cleaning jag (will also be used to seat bullets at range)
Either a good range rod or at least a T handle that you can screw onto your rod

Couple of brushes that are good for cleaning the breech plug threads inside the gun and the plug itself.

Make sure the scope is mounted properly with good quality bases and rings and at the very least boresighted.

When you load for the first time make sure the range rod is marked at the level it sticks out when powder and bullet is seated. You never want to load twice and this will keep it from happening.

At the range…shoot a couple of primers into the gun to make sure it is “fouled” and dry. Then shoot at 25 yards to get close to the bulls before moving to 100 yards.
BETWEEN each shot take a saturated cleaning patch (or use a dry one with windex on it) and your range rod and cleaning jag and run it down the barrel paying close attention to the crud ring in front or the breech. Take out patch, flip over and do again. Then run a couple of dry patches down. Do not take the breech out for this. This needs to be done between every single shot at the range. This will make sure that you are getting as much consistency as you can get from your gun and your combination.

Shoot and repeat swabbing and move the scope as needed every 2-3 shots.

This should get you pretty accurate, which with this combination should be a normal deer sized group at 100 yards…pending your ability as a shooter this might be 5” groups or 2” groups or even less.
To clean, take out breech plug and put it in a cup of hot soapy water to soak. While soaking it use the little brush to clean the threads inside the barrel. Run a patch or two down the barrel to get it clean enough to put the breech back in. Put grease on plug threads and put back in. Then clean the barrel with the saturate patches or a bore brush as needed just like you would a regular rifle, making sure to use dry patches until COMPLETELY dry. Clean the rest of the gun the same as normal.

BlackHorn 209 powder is a little more expensive and a tad bit more work because you have to measure loads, but will increase accuracy and will increase velocity and does away with all the swabbing between shots and makes cleaning even easier.

Let me know how it all works or any more questions you have

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Doyle said:

If you go to Thompson Center's website they have some good videos on muzzleloading tips. Some of the stuff they show is geared towards their particular syle of gun but most of it is good information. The only complaint I have with their advise is that they really preach swabbing between shots but they don't remove the breech plug when doing so. That is just asking for a crud ring buildup - especially with 777.

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Nicodemus said:

Traditional, or that modern stuff?

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