Hey everyone, as things stand at the moment I own two rifles, a Ruger 10/22 and Russian Mosin-Nagant, neither of which I am allowed to use in my state (Ohio) for hunting deer - modern rifles are not allowed.

Thus I ask of you to recommend where to start when it comes to muzzleloading rifles. What kind of rifle, and what caliber? Preferred loads, powder, and projectiles? Muzzleloader hunting experiences? Share your knowledge. :)

I shoot an Optima Pro in .45cal, my BIL (on right in first pic) shoots the same in .50cal.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/Groundhogwhacka/2005muzzleloaderhunt2edit.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/Groundhogwhacka/2003doe1.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/Groundhogwhacka/DSCF0006.jpg

If I was to buy another I would get a .50. The .45 will get the job done, and has killed everything I have shot at with it. But .50 components are easier to come buy. You can walk into Wal Mart and buy .50 stuff, but most .45 stuff has to be ordered.
I like mine well enough that the only reason I would buy another is to get something with a stainless barrel (mine is just nickel plated). M/L's should be cleaned after every shooting session and if not you have issues. Stainless would help alleviate the urgency of cleaning. If I had the extra cash I would get a Savage M/L and never look back. They are the only M/L that you can use smokeless powder in, and that would eliminate the worries of black powder corrosion.
My load is (2) 50gr Pyrodex pellets topped with a 225gr Hornady SST.
If you have any more specific questions hit me up but if I don't get back to you in the next night or so I won't be back until the 5th or 6th. We are heading down to Galia County to slay some whitetails. So I will probably give my M/L a workout.

Wow I thought US hunting laws where less restrictive, that's quite weird that you can't use a bolt-action for hunting deer, are shotguns allowed?

There's a lot of really good looking black powder replicas out there but I don't know whether they're any good for hunting purposes.

Yeah, shotguns are allowed. It's because of the flat nature of states like Ohio. They don't want people using modern rifles for fear that they'll overpenetrate or hit someone on accident because of their longer range.

Yeah, shotguns are allowed. It's because of the flat nature of states like Ohio. They don't want people using modern rifles for fear that they'll overpenetrate or hit someone on accident because of their longer range.

Okay that's the reason then, it's the same here but only in areas of the country that are more densly populated.

Why do you want to kill deer?

Why do you want to kill deer?

Why have you forsaken me?

Why do you want to kill deer?

You told us to.


On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

Why do you want to kill deer?

Dude this is weapons and combat. We are humans. It is natural for humans to hunt. Also when someone kills a deer it saves you from having to pick its remains off your car(reduces over population).

Why do you want to kill deer?
Because I'm after a damned tasty meal. :mad:

While we're on the subject of deer overpopulation, however:

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio - A 75-year-old northeast Ohio woman is recovering from injuries she received this week when a deer got into her home and attacked her.

Mary Blake of suburban Cleveland opened her patio door Wednesday to let her border collie back inside and was shocked when a female deer followed close behind.

Blake says she tried to shut the door, but the deer knocked it off track and then knocked into Blake and started stomping her.

Blake frantically called police as the deer damaged her walls, furniture and some keepsakes.

Two police officers arrived and were able to coax the deer outside.

Blake was treated at the hospital for bruises and cuts on her arms, legs and stomach. She has 27 stitches on her right knee.

Source. (http://www.redorbit.com/news/oddities/541893/deer_gets_inside_house_attacks_ohio_woman/index.html)

LuKaZz420: Yes, you can use shotguns, with slugs. Actually during the Great Depression hunting whitetails with shotguns was quite common.

As things stand I'm going to take Groundhog whacka's recommendation and hit the gun stores soon gathering information on the Savage .50; I'll keep you all updated!

In the meanwhile, discuss muzzleloading!

The old lady geting hurt is bad and all but that's pretty fucking funny :D .

Next bambi will be robbing post offices and raping your daughters

I've never heard of anyone minding their own business and getting piss-pounded by a whitetail. I am sure you've all seen the vid of the guy getting his ass handed to him by a deer because he put estrous attractant on himself but he deserved it for being stupid.

Bckpckr, I have been thinking long and hard about a Savage M/L but just can't justify shitting almost $500 for one when I have a perfectly good M/L in my safe. But using smokeless powder and not worrying about cleaning it right away would be kickass.
My friend from Indiana just dumped a nice button buck this morning with his smokepole. He refuses to use his shotgun anymore since I talked him into getting a muzzleloader. The only reason I take my pump gun down south hunting with me is because where we hunt it's mostly a shitload of nasty cover and shots over 50yds are rare.

Dude this is weapons and combat. We are humans. It is natural for humans to hunt. Also when someone kills a deer it saves you from having to pick its remains off your car(reduces over population).

It may be natural for humans to hunt, but it is not necessary. You can buy some food at the store. There is hardly an overpopulation of deer in North America (or anywhere else in the world), in fact the only overpopulation problem on this planet is human beings. The argument that deer are an overpopulation problem is pretty stupid when the majority of land owners actually lay feed and water out for them to reproduce, for more game.

And those were some mighty humorous responses from everyone. :)

It's absurd to say that buying the meat of some cow that has spent its life living in cramped, diseased, holocaust-style conditions is somehow superior to killing a wild animal in the prime of its free, healthy existence.

But you're right. Humans are overpopulating the planet. Let's hunt them instead!

I don't know where you're hearing of cows that live in cramped, holocaust style conditions. I've never seen cows that do not live in the green, with acres of grass to shit on. You can see them anywhere you go, but then again you live in KY city, I won't hold it against you. Perhaps it is chickens or pigs you are thinking of? The only cows that spend time in holocaust style conditions are those moved to the big house for a good slaughtering, or those in the process of being milked.

And I wouldn't feel much different cleaning up pieces of a small girl from my windshield; those kill are exploiting the planet. :)

And I wouldn't feel much different cleaning up pieces of a small girl from my windshield; those kill are exploiting the planet. :)
And your consumption of petroleum-based energy to power the computer and bitch about how others are exploiting the planet is superior how...?

:rolleyes:

I never said that I was above being euthanized or superior to anyone else. I actually believe I may be a prime candidate for euthanasia, as I am worthless. I have no athletic achievements whatsoever, I am a lardass who can't even walk up a flight of stairs without sweating constantly. Of course, because of this; I have never had sex in my entire twenty four years of existence (unless you could being brutally ass raped when I was 19, in prison). I was actually pulled out of school because my parents were meth dealers and I had to live ten years in a trailer not knowing what state I was in; making me an elementary school dropout. I do not even know how to do long division. I guess you could say I'm just too scared to do it myself, but I try and put myself in pretty dangerous situations (such as not checking the path before crossing the street) in hopes that I will put an end to my worthless existence. I suggest you try the same, as you are no better than I, you live on unemployment yet you are considering going hunting? Why don't you get a job?

I never said that I was above being euthanized or superior to anyone else. I actually believe I may be a prime candidate for euthanasia, as I am worthless. I have no athletic achievements whatsoever, I am a lardass who can't even walk up a flight of stairs without sweating constantly. Of course, because of this; I have never had sex in my entire twenty four years of existence (unless you could being brutally ass raped when I was 19, in prison). I was actually pulled out of school because my parents were meth dealers and I had to live ten years in a trailer not knowing what state I was in; making me an elementary school dropout. I do not even know how to do long division. I guess you could say I'm just too scared to do it myself, but I try and put myself in pretty dangerous situations (such as not checking the path before crossing the street) in hopes that I will put an end to my worthless existence. I suggest you try the same, as you are no better than I, you live on unemployment yet you are considering going hunting? Why don't you get a job?
If you've been following me around forums enough to know that I've been on unemployment you'd also know that I've picked up a fairly well paying job within the past week.

Everywhere you go on this forum you do little more than bitch, do a little bitching, and bitch some more; really, no one gives a fuck, especially me.

Regardless I will be going deer hunting next year and your shitty little opinions can't change that.

However if you wish to discuss the ethics of hunting feel free to follow me over to Green Planet and we'll have a little debate there.

Until then, I'm done here.

I don't question the ethics of hunting, that is; hunting that is actually a sport that requires skill (such as gorilla/bear and safari game, truly heroic hunters). Shooting deer isn't "ethical", in that is is little more than a target practice for insecure faggots.

Methinks this could be the same asshole as Robert Plywood. Either way his posts are wearing me thin already.

Oh well, I'm off at 4:00 tomorrow morning to try my hand again this year at the unskilled sport of deer hunting ;-) .
Actually if it was that easy it would be called deer killing not hunting. You have no knowledge of testing your wits against that of a whitetail.

That's like saying no one would call a battle rifle an "assault weapon" because that's only half of the equation. But they do. Clearly your average Joe does not put much effort in to semantics; thankfully not. I don't have much an interest in hunting anymore, but because you are the enthusiast do tell me; when will you take it to the next level and actually partake in sport hunting rather than lackluster target shooting for the mentally perverted?

I never said that I was above being euthanized or superior to anyone else. I actually believe I may be a prime candidate for euthanasia, as I am worthless. I have no athletic achievements whatsoever, I am a lardass who can't even walk up a flight of stairs without sweating constantly. Of course, because of this; I have never had sex in my entire twenty four years of existence (unless you could being brutally ass raped when I was 19, in prison). I was actually pulled out of school because my parents were meth dealers and I had to live ten years in a trailer not knowing what state I was in; making me an elementary school dropout. I do not even know how to do long division. I guess you could say I'm just too scared to do it myself, but I try and put myself in pretty dangerous situations (such as not checking the path before crossing the street) in hopes that I will put an end to my worthless existence. I suggest you try the same, as you are no better than I, you live on unemployment yet you are considering going hunting? Why don't you get a job?

Well do us a favor and euthanize yourself. Or just GTFO of w&c. sur eyou can go buy beef, chicken, turkey at the store but you can also go hunt for game bird or large mammals and have the satisfaction of working hard for you food.

the american beefalo(cow) is an unnatural species. the animals that are hunted are natural.
Why doesnt he get a job? Because he can get what you use the money for, FOR free, by hunting for it.

I don't question the ethics of hunting, that is; hunting that is actually a sport that requires skill (such as gorilla/bear and safari game, truly heroic hunters). Shooting deer isn't "ethical", in that is is little more than a target practice for insecure faggots.
Completely IGNORANT statment. Atleast know what you are talking about and make VALID arguments if you are going to try and knock deer hunting. If anything the big game sport hunting that people pay thousands of dollars to go and do would be more unethical than trying to get food on your table for the winter. Hunting for your food is much more ethical than going to the store and buying meat.

sur eyou can go buy beef, chicken, turkey at the store but you can also go hunt for game bird or large mammals and have the satisfaction of working hard for you food.

There is no hard work in hunting deer; it is as simple as sitting there with a firearm and occasionally walking a few score of meters. There is no tracking, fear, exertion or any qualities of sport in deer hunting, it isn't a real sport like gorilla hunting or tracking.

the american beefalo(cow) is an unnatural species.

No they are not, cite a source or admit you cannot. What kind of logic leads you to believe that cows are unnatural?

the animals that are hunted are natural.

Your point being?

Why doesnt he get a job? Because he can get what you use the money for, FOR free, by hunting for it.

Uh huh. After he buys the four to six hundred dollar ML (enough for a good few months worth of food for one human), the powder, the ball bearings, applies for a license, gets the gear, etc.


Completely IGNORANT statment. Atleast know what you are talking about and make VALID arguments if you are going to try and knock deer hunting. If anything the big game sport hunting that people pay thousands of dollars to go and do would be more unethical than trying to get food on your table for the winter. Hunting for your food is much more ethical than going to the store and buying meat.

You tell me I should make a valid point, yet all you have done is said that safari hunting is unethical whilst giving no reason to explain why that is so. How laughable. Safari hunting and gorilla hunting are real sports, ethical; because the kill is potentially lethal. The people that go on these hunts are heroic athletes, these kinds of hunts require the tenacity that deer hunting could never emulate. Those who hunt via long distance tracking and hand weapons such as spears or even knives deserve even more respect, they are truly the immortals of blood sport. The deer is a harmless animal. How could anyone possibly need all of this useless gear to kill one? The only kind of hunting that should be in practice and respected today is that which is physically and mentally demanding; as it is a replication of the endeavor of man to evolve in to a more enlightened state of mind. Everything else is a joke.

ok then pussy lets see you walk you ass around all day for miles with the gear you need to go hunting, and then tell me it isn't physically demanding.better yet lets see you drag s nice sized buck out of the middle of the woods or even uphill.
and were the fuck do you live that you just wait for an hour or 2 and the deer just walk on by? it sure doesn't work that way up here.
so stop being a little faggot and take the dildoes out of your ears.
btw i hope you spend the rest of eternity in damnation on acount of your username

Okay.

No they are not, cite a source or admit you cannot. What kind of logic leads you to believe that cows are unnatural?


.

American beef cows are a hybrid of the american bison and european cow that is why they are called beefalo.
The more you learn.

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattalo
"Beefalo are a fertile hybrid offspring of domestic cattle, Bos taurus, and the American Bison, Bison bison (generally called buffalo). The breed was created to combine the best characteristics of both animals with a view towards beef production.
The term Cattalo is defined by United States law as a cross of bison and cattle which have a bison appearance; however, in Canada, cattalo is used for hybrids of all degrees and appearance. In the U.S., Cattalo are regulated as "exotic animals" along with pure bison, elk, and deer. Beefalo are primarily cattle in genetics and appearance with the breed association defining a full Beefalo as one with three eighths bison genetics while they call animals with higher percentages of bison genetics as "bison hybrids"."

Also all the hormones, antibiotics, steroids, and other chems they give to cattle.

"Setback to wild American Bison conservation
Creating the Beefalo has however proved to be a serious setback to wild American Bison conservation. The current American Bison population has been growing rapidly and is estimated at 350,000, but this is compared to an estimated 60 to 100 million in the mid-19th century. Most current herds, however, are genetically polluted or partly crossbred with cattle and hence are in fact "beefalo"[5][6][7][8]; today there are only four genetically unmixed American Bison herds left and only one that is also free of brucellosis: it roams Wind Cave National Park. A founder population from the Wind Cave herd was recently established in Montana by the World Wildlife Fund."
unnatural.





Uh huh. After he buys the four to six hundred dollar ML (enough for a good few months worth of food for one human), the powder, the ball bearings, applies for a license, gets the gear, etc.


.

you can get a muzzle loader for cheaper than that.
www.knightrifles.com/catalog.aspx?catid=knight%20shadow and you can get them cheaper than that.

I don't have much an interest in hunting anymore, but because you are the enthusiast do tell me; when will you take it to the next level and actually partake in sport hunting rather than lackluster target shooting for the mentally perverted?

I've been spotlighting most of this week with well over 100 kills (and the weather was too bad to shoot for 3 nights) so that comment made me smile :D .