Muzzleloading Mulies

Be prepared for some long-range shooting in open country.” I had heard that statement from mule deer outfitters before, and in times past I had lost no sleep over it because I knew I’d be shooting a centerfire rifle. But this time the words came as somewhat of a surprise because outfitter Steve Jones was talking about a muzzleloader hunt.

Long-range shooting with a blackpowder rifle? I used to hunt quite often with various muzzleloaders and even took a few deer and a couple of black bear with them. But I used those rifles in heavily wooded country where anything over 50 yards was considered long-range shooting. I did feel a bit better about my upcoming mule deer hunt when I learned that the state of New Mexico allows the use of in-lines with telescopic sights.

When it comes to hunting with a muzzleloader, I don’t mind admitting I am not a pure traditionalist. True, I usually lean toward a more traditional rifle with iron sights, and I also enjoy using the patched roundball rather than a conical bullet. On the other hand, when bringing home venison is just as important as having fun, I usually reach for an in-line outfitted with a good scope.

I like the in-line because in addition to increasing my effective range, it is a bit easier to make weatherproof. The .45 caliber Knight Disc Extreme I would be using on the mulie hunt really shines in this regard. It employs a 209 shotshell primer housed in a plastic disc. Closing the bolt pushes the mouth of the disc over the nipple for a perfect seal, preventing water or moisture from making its way to the powder charge from that end of the rifle.

I am sure it paid off during my hunt because the weather was mostly foggy and rainy, something I had not expected to see in New Mexico in October. Having the primer in a disc also made it easier to handle with cold thumbs.

In-line rifles are not new to me, but this Knight was, and I spent a good deal of time with it at the practice range before heading west. I had a good supply of Knight 175-grain Red Hot saboted bullets on hand, so I decided to try them on paper first. I also wanted to see how the rifle would perform with Pyrodex and also with Hodgdon’s Triple-7.

It didn’t take long to find the level of accuracy I was looking for. When pushed along at an average of 2,176 fps by 100 grains of Triple 7, the rifle consistently kept three 175-grain Red Hots inside two inches at 100 yards, and it averaged two to three inches at 200 yards. The smallest groups I fired at those two ranges measured 1.2 inches and 1.3 inches, respectively.