Tip 1: Start Clean and Dry.

Tip 2: The 13-Yard Rule.
Sighting-in a muzzleloading rifle is essential, but you can use the “13-yard rule.” You adjust the sights, or learn where to aim to hit dead-on at a target 13 yards away. When zeroed at that distance, your muzzleloader will be a bit high at 50 yards, almost right-on at 75 yards, and a little low at 100-yards. By getting a rifle to group on a target at close range, you only need to fine-tune the rifle for longer ranges.

Tip 3: Modern is

.
A ramrod gets a good workout, handling both loading and cleaning duties. Traditional wooden ramrods meet their limits when it comes to loading sabot and belted projectiles down rifled barrels. Stout, modern synthetic rods are available today for any muzzleloader. These loading/cleaning rods feature a threaded end to take a loading jag and cleaning brush, with a concealed projectile puller at the other end.

Tip 4: Witness Safety First.
Regardless of what your ramrod is made of, scribe permanent ‘witness marks’ on it. These are lines scratched in the ramrod, even with the muzzle, at the positions that indicate the loaded and unloaded status of the weapon. Then, just by dropping the ramrod down the barrel, you can safely verify the load status of the rifle.

Tip 5: Keep it Clean.
Even if you shoot a modern muzzleloader, you must still perform the required maintenance on your rifle. Thorough cleaning and lubrication are essential to maintain the rifled barrel, firing mechanism, trigger, and breech. Good old hot water and soap will still get the job done, but there are also many blackpowder solvents available. Rifles with a removable breech plug allow for straight-through breech-to-muzzle cleaning to properly remove fouling from the trigger assembly and firing mechanism.

Tip 6: Gear and Gadgets.
Muzzleloading components used to be carried loose in an over-the-shoulder bag. Now there are pocket-held speed loaders containing the powder, projectile, and ignition source. Other necessary accessories include a short-starter for starting the projectile down the barrel, and a brass or synthetic in-line capper to reach into the breech of your modern muzzleloader so you can install a 209 primer with a gloved hand.

Tip 7: Do the Twist.
The fast twists found in modern muzzleloading rifles are intended to shoot modern conical projectiles, which have a greater mass than a round ball. A .50-caliber rifle shooting a .45-caliber sabot bullet achieves superior trajectory and ballistics  compared to a .50-caliber round ball. Blackpowder or replicas in 100-grain loads pushing 250- to 350-grain bullets are comfortable to shoot, and more than adequate for white-tailed deer.

Tip 8: Know Your Distance.
Comfort, accuracy, and your potential shooting distance should always dictate the choice of projectile and powder charge for your modern muzzleloading rifle. In recent years, 150-grain powder charges have been touted. However, long-range shooting with a muzzleloader is nothing to guess at. Only if your hunting situation dictates long-range shooting should you sight-in such stout powder charges.

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