What bullet should I use?
I frequently get asked, which is the best muzzleloading bullet for me to use?

Well, it would be easiest just to recommend a muzzleloader bullet that I particularly like using. But, that wouldn't answer the question, nor would it be ethical. In order to make an educated guess (and that is all it would be), a little more information is needed, like what would the bullet be use for (hunting or target shooting)? Once that is nailed down then there is a little more to work with. Let's say for sake of discussion, this bullet is going to be used for deer hunting. That brings other things into the equation.

In what type of terrain will it be used? That leads to how far you will expect to be able harvest your deer humanely.

How far (click on link to see muzzleloader ballistics chart) would the muzzleloading bullet be expected to shoot and perform its intended purpose? As a general rule, the farther one intends to shoot nthe higher the bullet's ballistic coefficient (BC) should be. Generally higher the b

Is a heavier or lighter recoil preferred? We have many different bullet weights that will do the job, but some like to use light ones and other heavier. Once this information is established, next thing is to know something about the type of weapon that will be used.

This leads us to rate-of-twist (click the link to see a chart that shows which weight and size bullets do best with different rates-of-twist). The muzzleloading bullet will need to be matched with the rifle's specific barrel twist.

Once all this has been determined, there are probably going to be a number of equally good muzzleloading bullet sizes and weights that might work.

Of course determining which one will shoot best in your smoke pole is a whole other topic for discussion. This involves understanding rate-of-twist and bullet ballist coefficient. Generally the higher the BC the faster the rate-of-twist needs to be and vise versa. Click here to get started..