Shout out to @TraderMike for some good advice, and giving me a heads up on the sale that Knight was running. I picked up a new Disc Extreme, and started down the surprisingly annoying path of getting open sights that pair well with non-saboted heavy bullets.
I am grateful to all the folks who posted about their struggles, because it showed me everything NOT to do.
I ended up settling on the XS ghost ring setup. I ordered one made specifically for my rifle, knowing it likely wouldn't work out. So I also picked up a weaver base, and the rear sight that mounts on that. It ended up giving me the equivalent of about a 1/4" shim/spacer under the sight, versus the ramp made specifically for the rifle.
I took both to the range, and ruled out the shorter one quickly. Once I mounted the weaver base and XS sight, I installed the test kit back in the front sight, and figured out which height front blade I needed. I called up XS, and they calculated which height was needed - then shipped the front blade to me. I opted to pay for it, instead of an exchange for the standard one, as I one day may shoot sabots as well. EDIT - the front sight I ended up with is .400 height.
Today was my fourth shooting session with the rifle, the first with the right setup installed. I am shooting No Excuses 460 grain .503's, wonder wads, and Triple7 FFG powder. I had a 3" group at 50 yards with 90 grains of powder. I decided to see what that group would look like at 100. Well, I was less than pleased, as it was about 12". I backed down the powder to 80 grains, same result. I was swabbing the barrel clean between each 3 shot group. I backed down to 75 grains of powder, and like magic, the group closed to 3". It felt so good!
For folks looking to figure out how to get sighted in with these big heavy bullets, try using a weaver base/sight combination. I believe Williams makes one, and I can speak for the XS Ghost ring. You will have to use some measuring, or the test kit with the XS, to determine which height front blade or sight you want. I'm considering putting a front globe on, but honestly, if I can shoot this well with the blade, I'm pretty happy.
Question for you guys - I'm new to Muzzleloading, and am struggling to figure out ballistics. Is there a calculator somewhere that I can input rifle, bullet weight, powder type and amount, and get some idea of muzzle velocity? I know I can figure out trajectory with my shoulder and time, but it would be nice to have some data to save both. Also, I'd like to know how much energy I'm packing with only 75 grains of powder. I'm preparing for a Colorado elk hunt, and want to get a good idea of how much juice I'm sending down range.
I was about 3" high at 50, and dead on at 100, that may help with the above information.
Thanks!
I am grateful to all the folks who posted about their struggles, because it showed me everything NOT to do.
I ended up settling on the XS ghost ring setup. I ordered one made specifically for my rifle, knowing it likely wouldn't work out. So I also picked up a weaver base, and the rear sight that mounts on that. It ended up giving me the equivalent of about a 1/4" shim/spacer under the sight, versus the ramp made specifically for the rifle.
I took both to the range, and ruled out the shorter one quickly. Once I mounted the weaver base and XS sight, I installed the test kit back in the front sight, and figured out which height front blade I needed. I called up XS, and they calculated which height was needed - then shipped the front blade to me. I opted to pay for it, instead of an exchange for the standard one, as I one day may shoot sabots as well. EDIT - the front sight I ended up with is .400 height.
Today was my fourth shooting session with the rifle, the first with the right setup installed. I am shooting No Excuses 460 grain .503's, wonder wads, and Triple7 FFG powder. I had a 3" group at 50 yards with 90 grains of powder. I decided to see what that group would look like at 100. Well, I was less than pleased, as it was about 12". I backed down the powder to 80 grains, same result. I was swabbing the barrel clean between each 3 shot group. I backed down to 75 grains of powder, and like magic, the group closed to 3". It felt so good!
For folks looking to figure out how to get sighted in with these big heavy bullets, try using a weaver base/sight combination. I believe Williams makes one, and I can speak for the XS Ghost ring. You will have to use some measuring, or the test kit with the XS, to determine which height front blade or sight you want. I'm considering putting a front globe on, but honestly, if I can shoot this well with the blade, I'm pretty happy.
Question for you guys - I'm new to Muzzleloading, and am struggling to figure out ballistics. Is there a calculator somewhere that I can input rifle, bullet weight, powder type and amount, and get some idea of muzzle velocity? I know I can figure out trajectory with my shoulder and time, but it would be nice to have some data to save both. Also, I'd like to know how much energy I'm packing with only 75 grains of powder. I'm preparing for a Colorado elk hunt, and want to get a good idea of how much juice I'm sending down range.
I was about 3" high at 50, and dead on at 100, that may help with the above information.
Thanks!
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