Anyone shoot a New Englander?

[John from MD]

I came onto a buy for a .50 and a .54 that I couldn't turn down. The twist is the same as the Hawken and Renegade so I am going to use their starting loads.

John

 

[swinokur]

I thought about a couple I'd like to but then thought better of it.

 

[Half-cocked]

I have a .50 cal. T/C New Englander, 48" twist.

It shoots patched round balls horribly. I've never had much luck with them, although they're cheap fun to practice with.

My best groups have been with TC conicals/minis, 375 grains IIRC, with a maximum load of powder (I think it was 90 grains of FFg - but check the manual to be sure.)

I'll see if I can dig out my last target (I record the load on paper targets with the last test group I shot, for reference) tonight, and post it here.

 

[John from MD]

Thanks Half Cocked, that data would help.

John

 

[Mr. Ed]

New Englanders?

I didn't know there was a season for them. Where do I get a license?

 

[Threeband]

Three hundred thousand Yankees lie stiff in southern dust.
We got three hundred thousand before they conquered us.
They died of southern fever and southern steel and shot;
I wish they was three million instead of what we got.

 

[august1410]

I once punched a guy from Connecticut. Does that count?

 

[Allium]

You really had me there - spent 18 years north of mason dixon - 16 in real New England, born over looking Narragansett haba. great great Grandpa was stationed in Dc during the southern rebellion and if we go far enough back we helped sentance witches in salem mass and also put Metacomet's rebellion in 1678. So when you aim at a New Englander - remember what happened at North Bridge.

 

[Clovis]

Got one in .50. Shot a few deer with maxihunters at about 90 grains 2F if I recall correctly.

Last deer I shot with it I used .490 PBR (should be PRB, sorry) with 70 grains of 2F and it worked just fine.

The 12 gauge barrel dropped a goose several years ago too.

Enjoy.

 

[John from MD]

Thanks for the input Clovis.

John

 

[Half-cocked]

John, I looked last night but couldn't find my target... currently we have everything packed up in boxes in the garage, to make room for our daughter and her family who just moved back in with us for a short while. It's no doubt buried in there somewhere.

I was shooting T/C Maxi Hunters. They must have been 350 grains, not 375 grains, as Cabela's doesn't show a 375 grain bullet in that line. I am pretty sure my best groups were with a 90 grain charge of FFg powder.... BUT, obviously, please refer to the manual and make sure you don't exceed safe limits.

Obviously, every rifle is different, and you'll want to work up your own best load, but in my particular rifle, the heavy conical bullets performed much better than round balls. I never tried sabots, though - you may want to give them a try as well.

Also and FWIW, I've shot BP, Pyrodex, and Triple 7 and all have worked well. Never tried the pellets, though.

 

[Uncle Duke]

John, I looked last night but couldn't find my target... currently we have everything packed up in boxes in the garage, to make room for our daughter and her family who just moved back in with us for a short while. It's no doubt buried in there somewhere.

I was shooting T/C Maxi Hunters. They must have been 350 grains, not 375 grains, as Cabela's doesn't show a 375 grain bullet in that line. I am pretty sure my best groups were with a 90 grain charge of FFg powder.... BUT, obviously, please refer to the manual and make sure you don't exceed safe limits.

Obviously, every rifle is different, and you'll want to work up your own best load, but in my particular rifle, the heavy conical bullets performed much better than round balls. I never tried sabots, though - you may want to give them a try as well.

Also and FWIW, I've shot BP, Pyrodex, and Triple 7 and all have worked well. Never tried the pellets, though.

Don't own the Thompson Center New Englander myself, but a friend of mine had one years ago and we'd shoot our rifles together, usually prior to muzzleloader season. His experiences were identical to the above. His rifle also shot much better with the Maxi-Hunter than it ever did with patched ball. He was using Goex FFg if my memory serves. I don't recall the charge.

 

[John from MD]

Thanks guys. I just picked up some fresh 2F from Clydes yesterday. My old stuff I'll use for plinking. Now I need to find a mold for a Maxi Ball or Maxi Hunter. The prices for 20 of the factory made are getting out of hand. Hell, it will take 20 or more just to work up some loads.

The bitch is that I have Maxi ball and Maxi hunter molds for my .45 Kentucky that I used to hunt in PA. (flinter) It shoots great but weighs a ton and that curved butt plate digs into my shoulder these days.

The New Englander is lighter and has a shotgun butt plate for which my shoulder will be grateful.

John

 

[biermkr]

Thanks guys. I just picked up some fresh 2F from Clydes yesterday. My old stuff I'll use for plinking. Now I need to find a mold for a Maxi Ball or Maxi Hunter. The prices for 20 of the factory made are getting out of hand. Hell, it will take 20 or more just to work up some loads.

The bitch is that I have Maxi ball and Maxi hunter molds for my .45 Kentucky that I used to hunt in PA. (flinter) It shoots great but weighs a ton and that curved butt plate digs into my shoulder these days.

The New Englander is lighter and has a shotgun butt plate for which my shoulder will be grateful.

John

You could still use those with a sabot, might be worth a try.

 

[Uncle Duke]

Thanks guys. I just picked up some fresh 2F from Clydes yesterday. My old stuff I'll use for plinking. Now I need to find a mold for a Maxi Ball or Maxi Hunter. The prices for 20 of the factory made are getting out of hand. Hell, it will take 20 or more just to work up some loads.

The bitch is that I have Maxi ball and Maxi hunter molds for my .45 Kentucky that I used to hunt in PA. (flinter) It shoots great but weighs a ton and that curved butt plate digs into my shoulder these days.

The New Englander is lighter and has a shotgun butt plate for which my shoulder will be grateful.

John

I hear ya on both the curved buttplate and the prices. Fun off a bench for extended sessions, huh?

Muzzleloaders are fun, but for me were never a whole lot more than being about an extension to hunting seasons, which were REAL fun. But yeah, they most definitely have their preferences, and it takes some work and some expense to find out what they are. My T/C Hawken as an example always shot the Maxi-Ball better than the Maxi-Hunter. His New Englander was the opposite.