Opinion on Muzzleloader load for Elk in Colorado

[LSUbray]

I drew a muzzleloader tag in Colorado (Finally), so now i need some idea's on some of the better loads that have proven themselves on ELK!!!

Bullets (no sabots)

Powder (90, 100, 150?)

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[COEngineer]

Any load that you can reliably shoot straight. BTW, other posters will want to know what caliber, etc you are shooting.

[elkoholic]

Bullets: Powerbelt

Powder: 100 gr

Shoot straight and have a great time!

[LSUbray]

My bad...I'm shooting a CVA Optima Pro .50 cal...

Elkoholic...thanks for advice...i've used Powerbelt for whitetail with no problem...but i have been reading several other places in the internet, and there is a ot of people stating that they don't stay together causing poor penetration with Elk...esp with powder over 100 grains...have you had any experience with this?

[colorado bob]

Back when we hunted with muzzle loaders, we shot 100 grains of FF with a 370 grain T/C Maxi-ball. Used it to take a 5 point & a spike bull-----this was years ago when spikes were legal. The rifles were T/C Hawkens. Hard to believe that any bullet would "come apart" at BP velocities. Good luck, the Mtns are beautiful in September.

[elkoholic]

The 348 gr Copper Aero Tip launched at moderate velocities (100 gr load) does the trick. If shots are expected to be much beyond 100 yards then stepping up to 120 grs would not be a bad idea. What it really comes down to is what bullet/load combination provides the best accuracy from your CVA. Personally, I have never seen a bullet fired from a muzzleloader come apart, but I have seen bullets that did not expand at all, and even then, a dead critter was at the end of the trail.

[pointing_dogs_rule]

Bullets: Powerbelt

Powder: 100 gr

Shoot straight and have a great time!

Read Colorado regulations VER CAREFULLY!!! I believe that "Powerbelts" are illegal to use.

With that stated: You must try different loads and and bullets to find out what shoots best in your muzzleloader. Go out and experiment and see what gives you the best grouping. Mine shoots 90 grains of powder and 300 gr. "Shockwave" the best. That doesn't mean your gun will do the same. Invest the time and have fun with different loads. Get a load that groups well.

good luck to all

the dog

[wtnhunt]

Welcome to the forums and best of luck on your upcoming hunt.

As with any ml'er you will have to work up your loads to see what is going to work best with your particular gun. We get real good groups out of our cva accura with 120 grains of triple 7 and the 240 grain tc xtp mags we are using, but those sabots are not legal for your elk hunt. Black diamond we use the same bullets but using pyrodex, it does not group as well with the triple 7. We have had great results with those combinations for deer, not been fortunate enough to hunt elk yet.

If expansion/bullet performance is a concern, you can shoot into milk jugs filled with water and compare your results. Line up 4 or 5, should be plenty to catch you bullet.

[texastrophies]

To elaborate a little more on the Colorado rules...

Pelletized powder is prohibited.

Only open or iron sights allowed, no scopes allowed.

Sabots prohibited.

Smokeless powder prohibited.

For elk, min. of .50 caliber with a min. bullet weight of 170 grains.

Def. need to read the regs carefully as PDR said.

[AJ]

It will depend on what gun you are using. Some inline guns do not shoot conical bullets well. There is no way I would use a Powerbelt for elk. The Hornady FPB is a full diameter (no sabot) bullet in 300 or 325 grains that will do the deed. The Parker Hydra-Con is another great bullet. If your gun can shoot BlackHorn 209, that is the way to go. It is the number one black powder substitute on the market today. It has minimal fouling, higher velocities, and capable of great accuracy. Work up from 80 gr by volume and see where the sweet spot is for your gun. My .50 cal Knight Disc Elite likes 110 gr by volume with the Hornady FPB.