Doc's Ramblings
Each once in a while, this website will publish an article of interest to the muzzleloading public. Most will be written by DOC, but some few will come from other sources. We will talk about any number of things, mostly hunting and muzzleloading. Nothing will be sacred. Doc usually learns something of value from the effort of writing these articles. With any luck, you will learn something from reading them.
KNOCK DOWN POWER
Oct 05
Ever wondered why those big White bullets slam your game to the ground like they do? Ever wondered why the game shot with short lightweight pistol bullets run a good ways before they finally keel over? I’ve not only been hunting myself for the last 50 years, but have ardently watched as hundreds of game animals have been shot by other hunters on Video. Almost always, they are using the competitors rifles simply because White can’t afford to advertise like they can. Most are also using the popular 250 grain pistol bullet in a saboted 50 caliber rifle, of whatever brand. Few animals are slammed to the ground. Most jump, then run off, only to fall later. Let’s examine the reasons why.
I prepared three rifles with three different loads. The first, illustrated as Trace 1 below, in red, is a 50 caliber rifle loaded with a Hornaday .452 XTP bullet weighing 250 grains and three Pyrodex pellets.
The second, illustrated as trace 2 below, in green, is a 451 caliber rifle loaded with a White 45/40-350 PowerStar weighing 350 grains and 110 grains of Pyrodex P. The lead bullet is 40 caliber.
The third, illustrated below as Trace 3, in blue, is a 504 caliber rifle loaded with a White 460 grain PowerPunch slip-fit bullet and a modest load of 100 grains of 777.
VELOCITY- In this modern world, velocity seems to be awfully important, so let’s look at it first. Goodness, the Hornaday 250 grainer in trace one (in red) starts out at a terrific 2005 FPS. The 350 grain 40 caliber bullet in the White 451 only gets 1550 at the muzzle and the White 50/460 PowerPunch starts out at a lowly 1450 FPS. Looks like the Hornaday would be the winner, except that it rapidly drops off, meeting the other two in the1200 FPS range way out at roughly 175 yards.
Most of us know that a light bullet that loses velocity rapidly will lose energy even faster. Let’s see how the same loads above perform with energy:
ENERGY- Obviously, all the loads start out with nearly or somewhat more than 2000 ft lbs at the muzzle. The Hornaday 250 grain bullet starts out with 2221, the 40 caliber 350 grain PowerStar shows 1868 and the 504 caliber 460 grain PowerPunch demonstrates 2148 ft.lbs. However, by 60 yards, the lighter 250 grain bullet has fallen below both the others and is substantially lower at 100 yards. At 200 yards, it has only 734 ft.lbs., a relative disaster when compared to the other two, both of which have better than 1100 ft. lbs. of energy remaining.
But doesn’t the higher velocity of the 250 grain bullet in trace one give the hunter a real advantage? The holdover should be far less and the shot far easier to make with the higher velocity bullet. No? Isn’t it this factor that we see advertised by the big companies with their new fancy rifles, loading three Pyrodex Pellets and a light , short Pistol bullet.? Lets see just how bad the total bullet drop is, relatively speaking.
DROP: The short Hornaday has the advantage all the way out. It falls only 5.28 inches at 100 yards while the other two drop 7.93 and 9.18 inches at 100 yards. At 200 yards, the difference is even more pronounced. With the 250 grain bullet falling about 26.32 inches and the heavy 50/460 falling about 40.72 inches. But hey, this is pure fall, with no adjustment for point of aim. Let’s adjust the rifles now so that they are all sighted in at 150 yards.
The rifles are now sighted in at 150 yards. The chart will show us just how much hold under or over we will need at any specific range.
PATH: Looks like there is a whole 2 inches difference in apogee between the fastest load and the slowest, the 250 grain Hornaday shooting 3.05 inches high at 75 and 100 yards, while the 50/460 PowerPunch shoots 5.1 inches high at the same range. At 200 yards, the shooter would have to hold 8.17 inches over with the 250 grain equipped rifle while the holdover with the 460 grain bullet would be 11.21 inches, with the 45/40-350 in between at 9.42 inches. That’s not enough of a difference to be able to even see with open sights and would make the difference between holding low on the spine or high on the the spine for a heart shot on a small Texas Whitetail if you had a good scope and a steady rest. If no rest, a good breeze, or you are a lousy shot like most of us, it makes little difference.
So the heavier bullets have a decided advantage in energy at extended range, although not within 50-60 yards, while the lighter 250 grain bullet has a slight advantage in holdover when shooting distances at up to 200 yards. However, the real difference in knock down or killing power is not just energy. It is a combination of bullet weight, diameter and velocity. The old TKO formula (Bullet weight X diameter X velocity divided by gravity) yields a constant which compares the effectiveness of various bullets. The Momentum chart below approximates the TKO formula (although not the absolute numbers).
Obviously the 250 grain bullet comes out a poor third. This is briefly explained by the poor 0.140 Ballistic Coefficient of the bullet, while the PowerStar 40 caliber 350 grain bullet has a BC of 0.30 and the PowerPunch 50/460 a BC of 0.26. The Hornaday 45 caliber 250 grain bullet scores a relative number of about 40 on the above chart, while the 45/40-350 PowerStar scores about 60 and the 'slow, lumbering' 50/460 PowerPunch comes out with a number close to 72 at 200 yards. In other words, the 250 grain bullet is only 55% as effective as the big PowerPunch and 66% as effective as the PowerStar at 200 yards. Even at 50 yards, there is a real difference.
Randy
Smith with Gemsbok, downed with a single shot from a 50 caliber SuperSafari
loaded with 100 grains Pyrodex P and the 50/45-435 saboted hollow point (BC =
.29) at 140 yards. (June
2004, South Africa)
Well, the reasons why the heavier White bullets are slammers while critters run off a ways with light , short, poor BC pistol bullets should be obvious. That, of course, presumes that the shot is good, with multiple organ systems damaged and eventual death more or less guaranteed. If the bullet doesn’t get into the boiler room, it doesn’t matter what the BC, or the Energy, or Velocity or Momentum is. None of them matter much when you miss the mark.
Good Hunting
DOC
Getting ready for the hunt
Best or Worst conditions?
Most hunters and shooters like to sight in their rifles and target their guns under optimal conditions. Good weather, no wind, lots of sunshine, nice shooting bench all lead to great groups, or at least the best that one can get. Yet, when we hunt, conditions are more often than not much worse. It's usually cold, far different than the day when we last targeted the rifle, the wind is blowing, there might be rain or snow or sleet in the air, the guide is whispering furiously in your ear, the target is moving around, sometimes vigorously trying to put distance between him and you, sometimes trying to get closer so he can stomp you in the mud, and there's nothing pleasant or calm about the situation.
Because of that dichotomy, between the peace of sighting in and the furor of the hunt, I believe that a hunter/shooter should seek out the worst possible conditions, at least on the last time out before an important hunt ( and they are all important), anticipating that those conditions are the worst that he will have to operate within on the hunt. This does not produce optimal groups of course, but it does tell you what your personal performance will be like under the worst possible conditions. That is the performance level that should govern your personal efforts once in the field. As an ethical hunter, you should not exceed that performance parameter or you will suffer a wounded, escaped and perhaps angry animal to die a painful, lingering death or possibly cause you to do the same.
I recently finished a heavy double rifle for African shooting. (photo below) I had shot it a number of times during the regulation phase of production. Double barrels have to be 'regulated' with the load that the hunter will be using so that both barrels shoot into the same spot at reasonable ranges. This can turn into quite a chore as some rifles are extremely finicky about the load. Fortunately, some are not. Once the barrels are regulated, they are assembled with ribs, thimbles, sights and all permanent fixtures. Then comes the moment of truth, shooting one last time to make sure that the barrels stayed in place during the final assembly. Sometimes they don't, then you get to start all over again.
This particular rifle was destined, at least at the outset, to put down a cape buffalo. Normally, this is a relatively close range affair, the closer the better. It's 54 caliber bullet, weighing 750 grains, loaded over 180-200 grains of fine powder just might do the job. That bullet weight, by the way, is like shooting a 9 bore round ball gun. I chose to finish regulation of the barrels at 30 yards on a blustery day with a bit of flying rain. I also chose to shoot elbows down on hood of Suburban, no dead rest, just to see how well I could place those heavy bullets under adverse conditions.
I shot pairs of bullets, left and right, that's rear trigger then front trigger, with charges of Pyrodex P from 160 to 200 grains. I did not clean between shots, just as you would not in the field, and loaded from the pouch, so to speak, although on this occasion it was really from the pocket, with powder flask and bullets in opposite side pockets of my shooting jacket. The capper was slung around my neck, duplicating hunting practice.
Here's
the target I shot
The point of aim was at 6 o'clock on the orange bull, the group in general striking right at point of aim. The front bead was almost as large as the orange bull. The 160 grain load suffered a 'called out' shot with the left barrel, a gust of wind catching me just as the rifle fired, throwing the bullet up and left. The right barrel is on the money at 6 o'clock in the bull's orange 8 ring along with bullets from the 170 and 200 grain loads. The 170 grain load put the left barrel into that same group, with the right barrel placing the bullet to the right by an inch and a half. That bullet hole is not marked. Sorry. The 180 grain load, shot during a lull in the weathers windy festivities, put both left and right bullets on a parallel and an inch apart and about an inch and a half low below the orange 6 o'clock. I decided to shoot the 190 grain load as a true double, damn the wind, and pulled the shots off within a second, with a two inch dispersion left to right. I did the same with the 200 grain load with the dispersion vertical but the bullets on the correct sides, left and right.
You might think that the 180 grain load was the best, but remember that it was shot deliberately while the others were shot as if the buffalo was coming fast and damn close. The fact is that all the shots, with perhaps the exception of the first 160 grain 'called out' shot, would have killed the buffalo, or at least slowed him down.
SHOOTING THE WHITE THUNDERBOLT- revised Nov 07
by DOC
The White ThunderBolt has been around now for a few years. I have personally used it on several hunts. I emphasize the 'hunts' simply because plinking and target shooting is just not the same as hunting big game, especially the kind that fights back. Where in the beginning I was getting a fair number of calls about the T-Bolt, about half loving it and about half hating it. I hardly hear anything about it now. I think that White's emphasis on reading the instructions has helped. Also their replacement of the original 209 breechplug with one bored just a tiny bit larger, which solved the problem of primers sticking.
I will admit to a flub of my own when I designed the gun. I’m always complaining about how mechanics try to tighten up the fit of parts so they are not loose. Normally I want parts loose enough to tolerate a good dose of sand or mud and still work well. The guys in the shops, bless ‘em, uniformly try to tighten those specs up, the very looseness seems to violate their ethics.
I pulled the same stunt with the primer pocket on the rifle. I wanted it to be gas-proof so held the tolerances a bit too tight. The result was 209 primers sticking so tight they had to be drilled out after the third shot. Worked fine if you cleaned the pocket every shot with a Q-tip, but that sort of violates the quick repeat shot ethic. The solution was a bigger pocket, of course. It turns out that a common 1/4 inch drill fixes the problem, but a .250 reamer produces best results. Latest production specifies a reamed .250 pocket. Now it takes about 15 shots on a dry Utah morning to start the fired primer sticking. A quick clean up with a Q-tip fixes the problem. Use those with a plastic stick- you can bend them to fit without removing the bolt.
Still, most of those who hate it are trying to do things with it that it wasn’t designed to do. The commonest flub is shooting pellets (which it does right well) with slip fit bullets (with which pellets don’t do well) Sort of like trying to shoot a 300 mag in a 30-30. It doesn’t work, wasn’t designed to.
However, if you follow the directions it works quite well. I have tried all kinds of combinations in the rifle, with PowerPunch slip fit bullets, PowerStar sabots, Pyrodex pellets and loose Pyrodex Select and 777 powder. As expected, the pellets shot best with the saboted PowerStar bullets. The slip fit PowerPunch bullets shot nice tight groups with Pyrodex Select and 2Fg 777 powder. None required cleaning between shots for best accuracy until barrel fouling got so bad that loading was impaired..
The sabots shoot nice tight groups with both Pyrodex Select and 2 Fg 777 powder or Pyrodex/777 pellets, requiring occasional cleaning between shots (really just a quick swipe with a slightly moist patch followed by a dry one) to get best accuracy over long strings. Cleaning only every fifth shot opened up the groups only a little, adding only a half inch to group size. Since muzzleloading hunting is what it is, rarely requiring or giving the opportunity for more than just a few shots, It becomes obvious that the first three shots on a hunt are a shoo-in)
On the other hand, using slip fit PowerPunch bullets and Pyrodex/777 pellets opened groups up by factor of 4, although tighter, hand-lubed, over-size non-slip fit PowerPunch bullets shot better. It appears that the secret of shooting Pellets and slip-fit PowerPunch bullets is to use slightly oversize, tighter, slower loading bullets that are not really slip fit. Since the really tight groups have been usually ragged one holers, about 1 ½ inches, 4-6 inch groups with true slip fit bullets at 100 yards using pellets isn't so bad. That's good enough for any whitetail from a tree stand and any elk inside 100 yards any time. It's just not good enough.
Another problem turned out to be the seemingly superb breechplug design: short, with powder less than a ½ inch away from the primer. It turns out that the blast from the average trap and skeet 209 is way too potent for the average load. It causes all kinds of problems with accuracy because it pushes the bullet down the bore before conflagration of the powder charge, enough so that accuracy is impacted. Randy Wakeman long ago pointed out that the Remington 209-4, made specifically for the 410 shotshell with only 4/10th of the power of a trap and skeet primer, works much better. Using the Rem 209-4 primer cut groups in my personal T-Bolt in half. Remington dropped the 209-4 and substituted the 'Kleanbore" 209 primer several years ago, so look for the 'Kleanbore' label when buying 209 porimers for any muzzleloader. Also, Winchester has come out with a special lower power muzzleloading 209 which I have found to be excellent. I expect that other brands will eventually follow suit.
My answer to the problem was a re-design of the breechplug, making the body of the heat treated GBQ steel plug solid instead of counter-bored. The touch-hole is still the same, .040, but expands to .080 after a quarter inch. This has the effect of cooling the blast from the 209 and works much better. It also teaches you why my competition started using 209's in their overlong breechplugs: the plugs were so long that ignition suffered with ordinary #11 or musket caps. They had to go to the more powerful 209 to get good ignition. Anyway, the combination of new solid breechplug and Remington KleanBore or Winchester Muzzleloading 209 or weaker Trap & Skeet primer makes all the difference in the world.
Another problem with a 209 ignited muzzleloaders, no matter the factory hype about how clean they shoot, is blow-back fouling in the breech. The ThunderBolt offers the shooter the advantage of being able to adjust the pressure on the primer rim. Adjusting the breechplug so that the rim of the 209 primer is firmly pinched between the bolt face and the breechplug rim very effectively cuts down on the amount of blowback in the breech. At the end of most shooting sessions, there will be less than a fourth of the fouling usually seen when shooting a similar M98 Elite Hunter with a #11 cap. This fact has made the rifle very easy to clean up. When I used my experimental 336 Primer there was no blow-back at all. None!.
The technique of getting the 209 out of the pocket is easy enough. After the shot, just open the bolt and load the rifle. Don't take the time to remove the spent 209. Load as usual, pushing the new bullet down on the new powder charge with a quick swoop of the ramrod, as usual. Pushing the new bullet down the barrel causes enough piston-like pressure to pop the primer out of the pocket, at least usually. If it doesn't pop out then pry it out. Usually a fingernail works, at least until the primer pocket gets good and dirty.
If all this seems confusing and a great nuisance, please remember that 209 primers are made for shotguns, which have no need for accuracy, only for prompt and sure ignition. So shotshell primers are made with an oversupply of blast. Rifle and pistol primers are not. There is an accuracy element with them, so blast is limited to the great average that seems to works well in the greatest number of rifles and pistols. Also, many competitive shooters believe that relatively weak but sure ignition produces better accuracy, which is why 308 target cartridges are produced with small rifle primer pockets.
So here are the rules: If throwing saboted bullets, use either loose powder or pellets. If using slip- fit bullets, use only loose powder. If using loose powder, always use the larger granulations. Always use the lowest power 209 primer that you can buy. Pinch the 209 rim tightly between bolt face and breech plug.
Now to the shooting. Let’s say you have a brand new ThunderBolt in hand, ready for your first shot. Start your shooting session by first adjusting the breechplug, with an inert 209 in place, against the face of the bolt. Adjust it so the bolt turns down fairly tightly, about 15-20 lbs weight on the bolt seems to work. This will minimize the amount of blowback that you get from the primer pocket and keep your scope cleaner. If this seems a nuisance, I quickly learned to adjust the bolt and breechplug interface. The secret is having your breechplug tool in your shooting kit. I also am now in the habit of leaving the last fired primer in the breechplug, so that I have to remove it to clean it, but it’s always at hand to adjust the interface with when cleaning is done. Then the rifle is always ready for shooting. I never have to mess with it in the dark when starting a hunt.
Now, if you have not cleaned the rifle to dry in readiness to shoot, dump a squib of 20-30 grains into the barrel and fire it off to clean out all the oil from the last cleaning. (Be sure to do this with a new rifle, they come mighty greasy from the factory) If you only have pellets at hand, put down the smallest pellet you have and follow with a moist patch. Be SURE you fire it in a direction that will not start a fire as the pellet will sometimes come out of the barrel in pieces, like a roman candle. Now you are ready to load. Open the bolt before you load for safety’s sake.
If you are using loose powder, always use the heaviest grained powder of the brand you choose. It will burn slower and give better results, in general. I like Pyrodex Select. 2Fg. 777 comes next. I like Pyrodex because it is LESS hygroscopic than 777, that means on wet days you will have less mess at the breech and less chance of a wet load. It is also slightly more difficult to clean, but it’s also a bit less expensive.
Remember that the short breechplug on the T-bolt produces a lot more flash than with other competing rifles. This means that the same charge of powder or pellet will produce startlingly faster velocities and higher pressures. Over loading is the commonest problem with the T-Bolt so be modest with your loads, at least initially.
In the fall of 2000 my son David used only 70 grains of Select and the 460 grain PowerPunch bullet in a 451 caliber T-Bolt on a big 6 point elk. The bullet hit hard enough at 80 yards to blow all the way through the chest, from side to side, on video. Velocity of that load is right at 1400 fps.
If you are using Pyrodex Pellets, always use a saboted bullet. Pellets do not function well with slip fit bullets like the PowerPunch. They seem to need the back pressure that a harder loading sabot lends to the equation. You will find that 100 grains of Pyrodex Pellets in a T-Bolt with a 504 caliber 435 grain 50/45-435 PowerStar is a stout, hard kicking load which if sighted in three inches high at 100 yards is only 10 inches low at 200 and is capable of killing any animal in North America.
If you load the two pellets under the 320 gain 50/45-320 PowerStar, velocities will increase by about 15- 20% and trajectory will flatten some. Sight that load in at 140 yards and it will be only 8 inches low at 200. Muzzle velocity is in the 15-1600 fps range with well over 2200 ft lbs at the muzzle and tremendous down range energy, better than 1200 ft lbs. left at 200 yards.
Your first few shots with the T-Bolt should release the fired primer easily, at most requiring a flick of the fingernail. Most will pop out when you push the next bullet down. Once you have shot 10 times or so, the primers will get progressively harder to remove, Once the effort requires more than just a simple flick of the fingernail, clean out the primer pocket. This is best done with plastic stick Q-tips. You can bend the plastic into an elbow so you can get the tip into the pocket with out removing the bolt. Whites cleaning solution is great for this, but frankly spit works just fine too. Don’t worry about the little bit of moisture you leave in the pocket if you are at the range, 209's are well protected against moisture, and the next shot will burn it out. If you are hunting and want the pocket clean, always dry it. too.
The big error is a long shooting session before an important hunt, forget to clean out the pocket, then get a stuck primer after the first shot at game. No second shot available. ALWAYS clean out the primer pocket when you clean the rifle. Keep a few Q-tips in your kit for this purpose. Always carry at least one when you hunt.
Since the design of the T-Bolt enhances performance with 209's and the available Black Powder substitutes, it’s best to start low and work up a load from below. Pellets leave you stuck with 80 grains, 100 grains, 130 grains or 150 grains, using combinations of the 50 and 30 grain pellets. Loose powder is usually more accurate. I usually start with 70-80 grains in a 504 caliber rifle and 60-70 in a 451, and work up.
Every rifle has its own character so don’t expect yours to act like mine except in a general way. Raising the powder charge by 5 grains at a time is fine. Don’t be afraid to experiment with bullets. Although most T-Bolts shoot slip-fit bullets quite well with loose powder, some shoot Sabots better. I once worked with a T-bolt that a customer could not get to shoot. It shot 4 inch groups with 80 gr Select, the Rem 209-4 and a lubed and sized 460 gr PowerPunch. It shot the unlubed, over sized 460 gr PowerPunch only slightly better but shot both the 50/45-435 and 5-/45-320 saboted PowerStars into the same ragged hole at 117 yards. I guess that’s why we call guns with female names.
Also, it’s going to take about 200 shots to get the rifle tuned in. Normally, accuracy will slowly improve as you shoot those first 200 shots, so have fun with your shooting at first. Only get serious after the 200 shot break-in is over. It’s sometimes amazing how much groups will change in those first 200 shots.
I want you to notice one other thing. The cost of the White bullets you are shooting. White PowerPunch bullets are very nearly the least expensive quality bullet available. You can usually buy them for less than 50 cents apiece. The PowerStars don’t cost much more. In contrast, some bullets and sabots are double the price of White’s. I noted a beautifully packaged dozen of saboted bullets just the other day. They were obviously made by a quality maker, the packaging was very attractive, but the retail price was over $13, better than a buck a bullet. You don’t pay that much to shoot your ‘06. Add to that the cost of Pellets, which are the most expensive propellent, and 209 primers and it’s no wonder you don’t shoot much. It comes out at about $2 a shot. If you use White bullets and loose powder, you can cut that cost in half.
So, in summary, you are going to adjust the breechplug with 209 in place against the bolt face so you get minimal blow-back. You are going to use the weakest 209 primer you can get, preferably one made especially for muzzleloaders like Winchester's Muzzleloading 209 or Remington’s Kleanbore. You are going to use large grained powder, Pyrodex Select being preferred, (or pellets with saboted bullets) and you are going to limit charges because the short breechplug enhances the performance of the 209. You can depend on the 209 blowing out of its pocket on loading the next round for the first ten shots or so. You are going to work up your loads from below, cautiously and carefully, and you are going to keep your primer pocket clean. We would love to have you use less expensive White bullets exclusively, but the T-Bolt will shoot others superbly well. Do all that, and the T-Bolt will offer you superlative performance at relatively low cost.
There have been many questions about the 336 primer. I have accumlulated a bunch of experience since first mentioning the concept. I have taken a number of big animals with it, including all those taken in Africa in 2004. I use the 336 exclusively now when I choose a T-Bolt for a hunt. It has too many advantages to disregard.
The 336 is nothing more than a S&W 32 Short case with small pistol primer. Of course, it can be reloaded, and with a magnum small pistol primer if wanted. The S&W 32 Short is readily available on the reloader's market. It is a popular round with the Cowboy crowd for small pistols.
The 336 uses the same solid White breechplug as the 209, but drilled and reamed to .336 to proper depth and with the mouth slightly chamfered (beveled). Since the 32 S&W Short headspaces on the rim, chamber depth only needs to be long enough plus a few thousandths.
The primary advantage is the complete cleanliness of the action after shooting, one shot or any number. There is absolutely no blowback, either with black powder substitutes or smokeless.
A second advantage relates to accuracy. The amount of blowback with #11 cap, Musket cap or 209 is variable, has to be. This has to have an effect on accuracy. The blowback with the 336 is nil, so this particular factor is absent in the accuracy equation, This fact can only increase shot to shot accuracy.
A third advantage is that adjustment of the breechplug, to tightly fit the 209 primer, is not required. The 336 tolerates a looser fit. It works best if there is just a touch between bolt face, primer rim and breechplug, similar to that with a center fire rifle. The fit still has to be adjusted but is not near as critical.
A fourth advantage is that loading the rifle for a second fast shot is even easier, as the 336 always pops out easily when the next bullet is pushed down the barrel. All that is required is that the bolt be opened after the shot.
A fifth advantage is related. Loading the primer into the breech is even easier that with the 209, even if only fingers are used. Size makes the difference. The slightly larger and longer 336 is easier to handle than the 209. Of course, a tool to introduce the primer is best in both cases. 209 loaders are readily available on the market. The 336 could use a similar tool, although one is not in production yet. Frankly I have never had to use more than a single reload in any situation in which I have used the 336, but that is also true of the 209. Usually there is a single shot taken, then the rifle is reloaded and sits waiting to see if the reload might be needed.
A sixth advantage is that the 336 case can be reloaded, re-primed really. Many brands of primers in both regular and magnum power are available. I suspect even small rifle primers can be used although there might be a length difference in the two. RCBS makes a handy and inexpensive hand primer press that cost less than $30. It requires an RCBS shell head holder in the proper size, which costs less than $10. There is a magazine that will hold 50-60 primers. A hand squeeze loads the primer in the case and does it quickly and well. Of course, the previously fired primer has to be knocked out of the fired case before re-priming. This can be done on a press or with a simple punch and hammer. Cases fired with black powder or substitutes need washing and drying before re-priming.
All in all, the 336 makes the ThunderBolt into an exceptionally fine rifle. I think it's the finest modern muzzleloading rifle that a hunter can possess.The only problem is that it might be slightly slower to reload than percussion cap or 209, but that is only if you forget to open the bolt and pop the spent 336 out of its pocket by loading the bullet down the barrel. Otherwise it is even faster. I have enjoyed exceptional success with it.
Good Hunting
DOC
PS- By the way, if you are shooting modest loads of smokeless in your T-Bolt ( it seems to be fairly common), the weak 209 primer rule is not necessarily true. Some smokeless powders are very hard to ignite and need all the power they can get. The high bulk slow burning powders are worst in this regard. I have tried some Accurate Arms 8700, a slow burning ball powder, and it needs a regular trap and skeet primer. Like pellets, it also needs the back pressure that only a tighter fitting sabot can provide. It appears that as long as you stick to less than 1500 fps velocities with my big bullets, and use medium burning powders, adjusting the breechplug so the rim of the 209 is tightly pinched by the bolt to minimize blowback, you will enjoy residue free shooting. The Accurate arms manual has some excellent information on obsolete large caliber loads that can serve as a guide.
The best powder I have used so far is 5744, a double base smokeless that is very forgiving of overpressure. It is widely used for low power loads in large cartridge cases where there will be loads of room. 32 grains, measured with a scale, not a measure, and the 45/40-350 saboted PowerStar bullet produces nearly 1600 FPS and terrific results down range. This is the load I used in Africa in 2004, taking 9 animals with 11 shots. The other two were wasted on a Kudu at the PH's insistence. At the time, he did not trust the rifle or its shooter. In the 504 caliber, 35 grains with the 50/45-435 saboted PowerStar produce similar results.
When I use smokeless, I modify the White breechplug by drilling and threading for a Savage in-line touch-hole insert. They are inexpensive and easy to switch out. However, I have never changed mine out yet, on the two rifles I have modified, simply because I am careful to keep the loads modest, well within the usual muzzleloading 15-1600 FPS envelope. I have found little reason to violate it.
Warning!!!
Just keep in mind that WhiteRifles LLC prohibits the use of smokeless in any White rifle and you violate the guarantee on the rifle and assume all personal liability if you use smokeless. This means you pay for your own mistakes and those of the maker. For the time being, the prohibition against using smokeless in White rifles remains in place (for liability reasons), so you are on your own. I personally cannot recommend that you use smokeless in any form. Such use should be limited to those who are willing to take the risk. My recommendation: don't use smokeless!
Good Hunting
DOC
- Illustrations of the effectiveness of the White Muzzleloading System are available in the many videos participated in or produced by White. See White Rifle’s latest catalogue for up to date hunting action. Net users, click on www.whiterifles.com