A Muzzleloader Scope Worth Saving Your Money For

Last year I wrote two lengthy articles on scopes for our muzzleloaders (Muzzleloader Scopes: How to Choose? and 8 Considerations Before Purchasing a Muzzleloading Scope). I touched on two types of scopes, one type more than the other. The one I spent the most time on was the BDC type scopes, and in general, all brands of them. In those articles, if I remember correctly and I’m quite certain I do, I told you that I really don’t have that high of regard or use for any of them. I’m not going to re-hash that here, I’ll just refer you back to those articles for you to refresh yourself with why I think they’re not all they're cracked up to be.

 

But I did mention, briefly, a real solution to the issue of the tremendous amount of bullet drop we deal with as muzzleloading hunters. The scope I told you about and one I was testing at the time was the Leupold CDS (Control Dial System). I’ve got to tell ya, I’ve been using a CDS now since last November and I can now say for certain that in my opinion this is the very best scope available that truly addresses the needs of today’s muzzleloader! 

I can sum up why this is in 9 words:
     (1) “Leupold” and 
     (2-8) “true, point of aim, point of impact accuracy”. 

Of course with the Leupold brand comes two things: un-questioned quality and dependability  and (the hard part) sticker shock (they can be a little pricey).

But with this CDS scope comes the ability to put your cross hair where you want your bullet to hit all the way out to 250 yards (or more) and know that’s where it is going to hit. No hold over, no little all-but-useless hash marks or (even worse) little circles on the reticule of some BDC scopes. Just get the range to your target, make a QUICK adjustment to your CDS turret and put the cross hair where you want impact, and shoot. 

Here’s why I like it. When I went to the Marine Corps Scout Sniper School, I was introduced to the Unertl scope. In short, this scope was built for the Marine Sniper Rifle by John Unertl. It was built for that rifle, using a certain ammo at a known and always constant muzzle velocity. The elevation turret had the numbers 1-10 around it, 1= 100 yards, 2= 200 yards and so on all the way to the big-boy yard line of 1000 yards and as you may have guessed, 10= 1000 yards. 

So, if your target was ranged at being 600 yards, you turned the turret to the number 6 and let’er rip. In the hands of a well-trained sniper who knew how to deal with the wind, it was deadly accurate. The Unertl scope turret would also not make more than one full revolution. It was fool proof and rugged, it had to be, it was in the hands of US Marines.

The Leupold CDS works the very same way, maybe even better due to the fact range finders are so available and affordable. Here’s how easy it is to get up and running with a Leupold CDS:  

First the hard part, and it does sting a bit, buy the scope. 

Then find a load for your rifle that you like and is accurate in your rifle and zero it for 100 yards with the supplied factory turret. Once you are happy with that load, you will need the below information: 

     •    Cartridge & Caliber
     •    Bullet Weight
     •    Bullet Make/Brand
     •    Bullet Type
     •    Ballistic Coefficient
     •    Muzzle Velocity
     •    Average Elevation
     •    Average Temperature


Don’t worry too much about this stuff, it can be had.  If you use a load from one of my new M.A.X. Load Data Books, everything you need is there. 

Then call Leupold, give them the info and in a few weeks they will send you a turret with your load data laser engraved around the top of the turret. 

This turret is only good for that load. At the time of this article (Right now! Go! Quick!) Leupold is still offering a free turret with your new scope.  If at the time you are reading this that offer is over, each turret is about $60.00. 

 To install the turret, simply loosen the three set screws, lift the factory turret off, replace it with your custom load turret, putting the zero range (in this case the number 1) to the mark on the scope and tighten the three set screws. The new turret will only turn 360°so there’s no way you’re going to lose track of what range your CDS is set to. You can have as many turrets for that scope and rifle as you want.

One of the things that I think will help sell these scopes (besides the above) is the fact that you don’t have the big, tall, target-type turrets normally associated with this type of scope. These are nice looking low-profile turrets, you hardly even know any difference.

Here’s how it works when you're hunting:

  

1) range the target, (let’s say it’s 150 yards)


2) turn the turret to 1.5


3) PUT THE CROSS HAIR WHERE YOU WANT YOUR BULLET TO HIT 


 4) shoot


Imagine that!!




Leupold offers this scope in their VX-3 and VX-R lines. They offer it in several magnification and objective lens diameter options. I’ve chosen the VX-3 3.5X10X40mm for all my rifles. Leupold can also fit the CDS dial on many of the scopes you may already own, you can call their custom shop to see if this is an option for you.

I’m sure there will be questions, so just ask away in the comment section below.  I’m pretty sure I have the answer, if not I know I can get you one.

This is without question, my choice of scopes for my muzzleloader.  If you try one you won’t be disappointed, I guarantee it, and yes it works that well and just that easy. 

And remember, I said it was the best solution, not the cheapest.  That’s why I titled it like I did, to give you time to save for one before this fall!!

MAX Approved Product: the AccuScope

We are all involved in a sport that we love, we love being a part of, and we love to pass on to others. But over the past 20 years or so, the industry has sure made our down-to-earth sport much more complex than it needs to be. It would appear that a simple "meat and potato diet" of deer sign & interpreting that deer-sign no longer cuts it in the woods!

Now it seems we need all kinds of STUFF! And trust me, the hunting industry has spent millions on marketing all kinds of widgets and gadgets that would lead us to believe that we can't be successful without them! In fact, if we don't carry a ton of this stuff to the woods with us, we are just wasting our time!

Well, it just ain't so. I know it and you know it.


But really, there are some neat, new products out there and we just need to sift through it all to find things that are sincerely beneficial to us. Some people might say it's even fun trying to sort the stupid stuff from the useful stuff, but it can sure get expensive (unless you are into passing it off on some unsuspecting newbie or pawning off worthless junk on eBay, or hopefully you have a conscience in which case the best thing to do is take it out in the backyard and kill it).


Now that I got that off my chest, I am someone who does try a LOT of new products, but will always tell the truth about what I find. When I find a useful product that works, I share it with you. And here's one I found and featured in my last video MAXimize Your CVA Accura & Accura V2: The AccuScope.

I found the Accuscope while walking the aisles at the NRA National Convention in Charlotte, NC last year. I looked over, saw it and in less than 30 seconds I knew exactly what it did, knew it would work, knew it would be useful and knew I had to have one. All before I ever even picked it up.


It sells itself, it's that simple.


I bought one at that show and found it more than worthy to pass on to all MAX Customers. The company is based out of Ankeny, Iowa and is owned by Steve Ugolini and Chris Schuling. Two great guys that had a great idea and took it all the way to production!


How useful is it? Very. After bore sighting to where the first shot hits paper, just ask the Accuscope what to do and if you are on your shooting game, your second shot is exactly where you want it.


How simple is it? Very. It doesn't even come with instructions. It's self-contained and self-explanatory. Everything you need to know comes printed on the Accuscope itself.


It comes in several models but the one most useful to us muzzleloaders is the 1/4 MOA & 1/2 MOA Scope Model. If your scope is 1/4 MOA adjustment, that info is on one side. For 1/2 MOA scope users, flip it over and your info is on the other side.


Here's how it works:


Measure the distance of your first shot, be it left or right, up or down from where you want it to be. When measuring elevation and you want your zero to be 2 inches high at 100 yards, add that in as well. To measure, use the grids on your target or use the ruler that is conveniently printed on the side of the AccuScope.

I'll use a target I shot a few weeks ago to show you how accurate the information from the AccuScope really is. In this case, I was using a Leupold 3x9x40mm CDS scope and was shooting from a range of 100 yards.

As you see, the first round was low and right. In fact, it was 2-1/2 inches low and 2-3/4 inches right from center. But for demonstration purposes, I decided to zero this rifle 2 inches high at 100 yards.


First I chose to let the AccuScope do the math for me for my elevation. I was 2-1/2 low so I added the 2 inches height I wanted: 4-1/2 inches total. But first I need to determine the click value of my scope.


You will find this information printed on the dial of your scope or inside the turrent caps.

  

Using the 1/4 MOA side of the AccuScope chart, I slid the card until I could read 4-1/2 in window "A". Next, I went to line "C" to find the yardage I was shooting from, which was "100". It told me the number of clicks to move in window "D", which read 18. So I added 18 clicks "up" on my Leupold.

Simple. 

Next, I repeated the process for windage. I slid the card to read 2-3/4 inches in window "A", found my yardage in line "C" and read the number of clicks I needed to move my impact left, which in window "D" was 11. So I moved the windage dial on the Leupold 11 clicks to the left.


Easy.






The next two shots, as you can see, hit exactly where I wanted them. That's how accurate the AccuScope can move a shot group or one single shot for you.

Then, just to see what the AccuScope (and my new rifle) was made of, I decided to go for the center of the target.

I measured from the center of the two shots to the center of the target. It was 2-1/4 inches. Again, I found 2-1/4 in window "A", then my yardage in line "C" (100 yards). Then I read my needed clicks in window "D", which was 9. So I came down 9 clicks on my elevation dial and you can see the result of my last three shots (I couldn't stop myself after seeing where the first one hit!).

As for the rifle that I was using for this demonstration, you'll have to wait until the summer to find that out. But I was impressed with it to say the least; you will be as well!

All I can say about the AccuScope is: get you one....NOW. It's a great tool that every shooter can use. It is very well built, it's printed on heavy card stock and is laminated for protection and durability. It's easy to read and is very easy to use.

The best way I can think to sum it up is:

          1. It works like they say it will.

          2. It is well worth the price.

          3. If I loose mine, I'll buy another.

You certainly won't see this on a table at a local yard sale, that is for sure!

209 Primers & Modern Muzzleloading

As small as the 209 shotgun shell primer is, it has probably made a bigger bang than any other item in modern in-line muzzleloading.  People just don't realize it.

First, from it's very inception (and as suspected by our industry inventors) it has proven to be a very reliable source of ignition for our modern rifles when properly selected. With today's rifles and powders, the little 209 primer provides more than sufficient fire to ignite our modern rifles. And as I will discuss further in this post, they can and will provide extreme accuracy.

The second big bang these little items have caused are that of the legal kind! There is really no telling how much time and money manufacturers of modern muzzleloading equipment have spent getting the states to except this ignition source.  Although most hunters have excepted it, there are still a few states that are holding out, and still requiring a hunter to use the older types of ignition (like #11 caps, etc).


In the beginning, only the standard 209 shotgun shell primer was available because that's all there was. As time went by, the industry capitalized on the muzzleloading sport by marketing to us "209 Muzzleloading Primers". Many companies have jumped on the bandwagon; some for the money (same dern primer, but they charge us more) and some have truly made a better product for the modern muzzleloader.


By looking at the package we can tell which ones are meant to be used with muzzleloaders, but which ones really work? And which ones are best? And believe me, you better know, cause this one little thing can make or break a good load...or a good hunt.


The main question is: how "powerful" is the primer?


There are three factors that come into play to determine the answer to that question:


     1. How much explosive the primer contains.
     2. The diameter of the flash hole.
     3. The type of breech plug - more specifically, how long is the breech plug and
          how is the face (powder end) built?


To answer #1, a 209 primer has a lot of fire. In most cases, more than enough. As far as how much explosive any primer has, we may never know. But with the testing we've done at MAX, I would say that contrary to popular belief, the primers designed specifically "for muzzleloading" have a reduced amount of explosive. The best way that I've found to test primers to see how powerful they are, is to measure how much deflection they cause.


Keeping in mind that in order to conduct a test, you have to have a standard, here's ours:

First, the ingredients:

     Clean barrel

     Ramrod

     Flat-faced jag and T-handle

     Tape (or something to mark the ramrod with)
Primers (a variety)

Second, the recipe for testing:

     1.  Start with an un-loaded rifle with a clean, dry barrel.  Unloaded, unloaded, unloaded!

(can everybody say: UNLOADED?)

     2.  Then screw a T-handle and a flat-faced jag onto the ramrod. 

     3.  Take 6 to 8 patches and wet them with something like Butch's Bore Shine and then wring them out, as much as you can.  They should just be damp-ish.

     4.  Center a patch over your barrel end, then push it into the barrel using the flat-faced jag.

     5.  When the patched-jag reaches the face of your breech plug, wrap a piece of tape around the ramrod right at the end of the muzzle.  (I use painters tape cause it peels right back off without any mess).

     6.  Insert a primer.

     7.  Cock the hammer.

     8.  Pull the trigger.

     9.  Now, measure the amount of deflection the primer caused. 

      10.  Repeat  (NOTE!  Before you repeat with another patch and primer, be sure to clean the barrel so that you recreate the same barrel conditions for each test.  That's just good science!).

There are a couple of things that will affect the deflection you get in your testing.

1.  The type of breech plug .  The longer the plug, the less fire you get at the powder.  And, of course, a shorter plug = more fire. 

2.  The diameter of your flash hole.  A smaller diameter flash holes will provide less fire at the powder, larger hole = more fire.

3.  The shape of your breech plug face.  A flat faced breech plug will cause more deflection.  I prefer the style of breech plug that has the dished out or cupped face over the flat.  Dished out face = more fire.

Why are we going to all this trouble?  Only two little reasons:

          1.  To find the primer that will deliver the best accuracy and
          2.  To find the primer that will make the rifle go BOOM every time!


The way I use all this info is to cut to the chase as to what primer goes with which powder. 

For instance, when using Triple 7, I want a low impact primer.  For this reason I favor the Winchester 209 Triple-7 Primers and I also really like the Fiocchi 209...a lot! 

On the other hand, a higher impact primer will produce tighter groups in most cases when shooting Blackhorn 209.  Then I opt for primers that cause more deflection such as the CCI 209 M, Federal 209 A or the Winchester "Blue Box" 209.  These are 209's made for shotgun shells, full strength (and are recommended by Blackhorn).  Blackhorn 209 has a higher flash point than Triple-7 and needs the extra fire.



In either case, test 3 or 4 of each primer to insure that they are consistent and cause the same amount of deflection each time.  This is what will lead to accuracy, consistently.

I cannot tell you the times when I was hand-loading for center fire that the only thing standing between a 1-1/4 inch group and a 1/2 inch group was that itty, bitty little primer.  And the same is true here.

If there is a funny part to this, it's the cost.  I've seen muzzle loaders (and I'm going to have to include myself here) change everything including their socks trying to get better accuracy before they change the primer.  Ha!  Bullets, powder, sabots....but that cheap little, low cost primer can and will make all the difference in the world.  Bottom line, test your primers so you know what they do and when you're having problems getting good groups, change your primer FIRST!

Take the primer challenge.  Go spend a few dollars, buy some primers and see for yourself.  For the money, it could give you the biggest bang for your buck$.