New to Black Powder

crims40

My son just bought his first black powder rifle. A CVA Optima Pro .50....pretty sure. Got a starter kit with it. I talked him into getting some triple 7 30g pellets also so that he could work up a load for it. Didn't know what kind or weight of sabot bullet to recommend to him for a deer bullet.
What's your favorite load or could you give me a starting point...?
Thanks
crims40

ahankster

Try 100 grains of 777 and a shockwave or Hornady XTP sabot in 250 or 240 grains. You can push these as fast as your gun can be accurate. On my Encore, 110 grains of 777 loose powder and a 250 grain shockwave equals a solid 200 yard shooter.

If you try powerbelts, stick with the 295 grain bullet and up and you might want to lower your powder charge by about 10 to 15 grains. If you push PBs too fast they have a nasty tendancy to blow up or fragment on impact. The 295 grain PB and about 80 grains of 777 would probably be ok, the heavier bullets tend to be better about coming apart upon impact.

Hank

crims40

Thanks for the good info.....also that will give him a good starting place. [:)]
crims40

longbow589

Is 100-150 grain the right question? By limiting you self to these choices only limit's the true performance. Only by using granular powders and trying different loads can you only find the Zen like state you'll enjoy in a truly fine shooter

Cubslover

I shoot an Optima. A 300gr Hornady SST and 100gr of Pyrodex RS Powder get 3rds cloverleafed at 100yds.

crims40

Thanks again......[:D][:D] We're going to try all these suggestions and see which suits him and his rifle best. The more I read about black powder the more I see what I have missed since my cap & ball days of the '60s when I bought my first replica revolver, a 36 cal Army......[:)][:)] A lot has changed.
crims40