Substitute for Jim Shockey's Gold Black Powder

[Dakota_Rookie]

Maybe a dumb question but I'm new to this ML thing so go easy.

I'm borrowing a muzzleloader this year for my first muzzleloader tag. I went and shot it for the first time today. The muzzleloader has been set up shooting .50 Cal - 245gr Powerbelt AeroTip bullets with Jim Shoeckey's Gold Black Powder Substitute Sticks (3ea 50gr sticks) with Winchester triple 7 209 primers.

The guy I'm borrowing from only has roughly enough bullets/powder/primers for another 8-10 shots and I'd like to keep shooting through this fall to get comfortable with it so I started looking for the components. Based on what I've been able to put together the Jim Shockey's Gold Black Powder sticks have been discontinued. Does anyone have a good recommendation on a substitute for this?

It also seems like based on my research that the 3ea 50gr sticks (150gr) are a little hot but since that's what he's been shooting through it I'm hesitant to change it.

 

[DMuzz8]

I think your best bet sticking with pellets would be the White Hots. Seems like they get brought up the most. I quit shooting pellets years ago and haven't looked back, but that's for a different discussion

 

[Dakota_Rookie]

Thanks. Would it be safe to assume those 50gr pellets would be similar to the 50gr ofJim shockeys?


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[DMuzz8]

I believe so, not sure what rifle you are using but 150gr Volume, is generally considered the MAXIMUM amount. I would try 2 pellets and see how accurately it shoots. I imagine your shoulder will thank you.

 

[Dakota_Rookie]

The rifle is a Thompson .50 Cal OMEGA.

The guy I’m borrowing from said that he used to shoot 2 pellets out of it (100gr) but it didn’t shoot well. Someone suggested to him to use three and the rifle started shooting better


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[Honyock]

Unless you're going to be shooting a lot, Blackhorn 209 is hard to beat. It's pricey to say the least but its clean burning, easy to load after a shot, easy clean up and about as close to smokeless powder that you can get. The Winchester primers will work for it as well.

 

[ElDiablito]

I’d shoot Triple Seven or Bh209. Shockey’s pellets never were worth a damn.

 

[Dakota_Rookie]

I was leaning in that direction.

Whichever way I ultimately go I was probably going to start with 100gr to see how it shoots first.

Another question I had was with changing the powder/pellets I’m assuming it would be a smaller size than stacking the bullet on top of three of the shockey sticks. The ramrod currently has a mark to know that the pellets/bullets are seated all the way. If for whatever reason it wasn’t seated 100% of the way, what change of performance can someone expect? Lower velocities? Or something different?


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[ElDiablito]

The ramrod currently has a mark to know that the pellets/bullets are seated all the way. If for whatever reason it wasn’t seated 100% of the way, what change of performance can someone expect? Lower velocities? Or something different?

You could potentially damage the barrel (or yourself) if the bullet is not seated on the powder. This is one of the cardinal rules of muzzleloading. Just mark the rod with a new “witness mark” when you develop a new load. For range work, masking tape or yellow electrical tape work great so you can move it with each new load. Then I mark with a silver sharpie for hunting. (You can always remove a sharpie line with alcohol if you change to another load.)

 

[Ditt44]

I have been using Triple 7 pellets in the TC Pro Hunter with 250 Shockwaves (yellow tip/black sabot) since 2006. I find that two 50 grain pellets is about 1800 FPS and out to 150 yards or so, more than enough. If I were hunting elk, I would be using three pellets. For my general hunting areas and whitetail, the two-50s are more than adequate.

Seating the pellets is no issue, they'll slide right down. Getting the sabot on top is crucial but DO NOT crush the pellets!! You need steady pressure until it firmly stops. Do not pound, bounce or in any way break the pellets. I would drop the rod into the empty barrel and measure what is sticking out.

Lay out the three pellets and bullet/sabot and measure their overall length. Loaded, your rod should now stick out that 'much' plus the extra when empty. A piece of painters tape or similar wrapped around the rod at that estimated length should give you the depth you should see when loaded and seated. Mark the tape or the rod itself, as noted above and that is your firm seating depth.

Most of all....... DO NOT crush the pellets! Oh, and if you do switch up the bullet/sabot combination, keep in mind that different colored sabot will fit tighter or more loose and may require quite a bit of shooting to determine which gives the best accuracy. From my experience and others I know with a TC, the Shockwaves are generally accepted as the most accurate, regardless of it being a Pro-Hunter, Triumph, etc.