# Muzzleloader Bullets 300grn vs. 200grn



## shwagy357 (Aug 10, 2006)

I was wondering what some of the advantages and disadvantages are to using a 300 grn bullet vs. 200 grn bullet in a muzzleloader. Should you use 150 grains of powder behind both loads? why or why not?


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## striped1 (Aug 17, 2005)

try a 250 grain shockwave sabot with 150 grains 777.

It shoots like a centerfire out to 250 yards.


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## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

The heavier bullet will drop a heckuva lot more than the lighter one but will have a more controlled expansion. They'll also fly slower. I'd say pick up a couple different weights of the bullets you want to shoot and see what kinds of groupings they get. If the lighter ones group better, great, use 'em. If the heaviest ones you try shoot best, go for it, just practice at different ranges a bit more as the drop on heavy bullets will be greater. I shoot 245 grain powerbelts with 100 grains of Pyrodex and it does the trick as far as I could think of shooting with the open site laws on muzzleloaders of MN.

Also, I don't see the point in packing 150 grains of powder or pellets. Just because a gun CAN handle it doesn't mean you have to use that load. I found that when I shot my 245 grain bullets, they wheren't as accurate out of my Knight with 150 grains of powder so I just use 100 grains. Took out a doe at 120 yards last year with that setup with open sites and she dropped on the spot. That 50 extra grains will make the bullet shoot faster and flatter and hit harder, but imo, it's not worth sacrificing accuracy if a lesser charcg shoots better. So when you're testing load accuracy, also try not only different bullet weights, but also different power charges. It's a pain in the butt to find the right loads for a muzzeloader, but it'll greatly improve your chances of dropping deer more effectively at longer ranges.


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## goatboy (Dec 29, 2003)

I went in the middle with the 240 gr dead centers and 150 gr 777 pellets, when I went up to Manitoba last week. I had the gun shooting 6 inch groups at 200 yds with a 3x9 scope. They were close to touching alot of the times at 100yds.
I ended up taking my buck at 60 yds and most shots would have been less than that. If I could do it over again I'd probably go with a heavier bullet up in that bush country and 100 gr of powder.
To bad we can't use scopes around here, it sure makes them allot more accurate thats for sure!

I put it on his shoulder and he dropped in his tracks.


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## shwagy357 (Aug 10, 2006)

So does that mean that one advantage of using a 300 vs. a 200 grain bullet is that the 300 will shoot through brush better, and have more knockdown power than the 200?


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## goatboy (Dec 29, 2003)

Well I don't suggest shooting through a bunch of brush but up there it is fairly common, but it's hard for me to pull the trigger like that.

I just think anytime you are hunting animals at close distances like that it never hurts to go heavier, more knockdown power I'd guess.
I'm by far no muzzleloader pro thou, heck the setup I used worked fine.
You should read up on anything that Randy Wakeman writes, he seems to really know his stuff.

Here's a good link for you, good luck!

http://www.chuckhawks.com/index2h.muzzleloader.htm


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