Whats cheaper to shoot

[TrapperJ]

I just wanna start off with yes 22lr is cheaper to shoot. Anyways here around muzzleloader season I wanna buy one and I found one for about 200 without a scope. I also though own a 7mm-08 which most know and I got thinking what one would be cheaper to shoot I pay about 50$ for 7mm and I know that a muzzleloader takes a few more things but for 50$ what all could I expect to get to shoot the muzzleloader with also which one is gonna be easier to maintain(I feel the 7mm is) thanks for any help on this topic

 

[BAKPAKR]

If you end up being like me and find that you hate cleaning a muzzleloader, the muzzleloader will be much cheaper to shoot because you will get it out right before season, shoot it to make sure it is still sighted in, clean it, shoot a shot or two at game, clean it, and then put it away until the next year.

BTW - if you are just wanting to shoot the 7mm-08, you can find ammo much cheaper than $50 a box.

 

[TrapperJ]

If you end up being like me and find that you hate cleaning a muzzleloader, the muzzleloader will be much cheaper to shoot because you will get it out right before season, shoot it to make sure it is still sighted in, clean it, shoot a shot or two at game, clean it, and then put it away until the next year.

BTW - if you are just wanting to shoot the 7mm-08, you can find ammo much cheaper than $50 a box.

I know I can order ammo for about 18 bucks but I prefer just something I can run to town grab and come back not wait a few days then shoot also cleaning the muzzleloader is something I do dread but I like muzzleloaders so I'm give it a go

 

[TN2shot07]

If you end up being like me and find that you hate cleaning a muzzleloader, the muzzleloader will be much cheaper to shoot because you will get it out right before season, shoot it to make sure it is still sighted in, clean it, shoot a shot or two at game, clean it, and then put it away until the next year.

BTW - if you are just wanting to shoot the 7mm-08, you can find ammo much cheaper than $50 a box.

Good plan when it works! Same one I have for muzzy season, went to the range Sunday and had to move to 25 yards to get on a poster board and am assuming a new scope is in order

 

[TrapperJ]

Good plan when it works! Same one I have for muzzy season, went to the range Sunday and had to move to 25 yards to get on a poster board and am assuming a new scope is in order

Do they chew scopes up or can I slap a cheap under 100$ one on for awhile?

 

[TN2shot07]

Do they chew scopes up or can I slap a cheap under 100$ one on for awhile?

I bought that muzzleloader from an older guy I know, it’s over 20 years old and has had the same bushnell scope with see through rings since it was new.

I’m going to stick a Leupold freedom and some new rings on it, I don’t think they require anything fancy unless you have one of the new smokeless ones and want to take advantage of the extra range.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Thread about what's cheapest to shoot - prefers $50 ammo to $18 ammo because it doesn't take a few days to arrive. Answer - It's 2.5x cheaper to know that at some point 3+ days in the future you will want ammunition for your rifle so you buy it slightly before you actually need it for a fraction of the price.

Generally speaking, muzzleloader bullets are not cheap.

 

[BrentD]

Thread about what's cheapest to shoot - prefers $50 ammo to $18 ammo because it doesn't take a few days to arrive. Answer - It's 2.5x cheaper to know that at some point 3+ days in the future you will want ammunition for your rifle so you buy it slightly before you actually need it for a fraction of the price.

Generally speaking, muzzleloader bullets are not cheap.

Patched round balls are certainly cheap. And if you are a real scrooge you can miserly cast your own. Cheaper yet.

And if you're ultra cheapskate, you can crawl around on your knees in the parking lot. Popping wheel weights off of people's cars and use that to cast with.

I think people overs think muzzle loaders more than any other firearm. Maybe because they're so on familiar with them.

Scope? You don't need a scope on a muzzleloader. Pinch those pennies and use them to buy more (real) black powder.

You never know. You might find this is a lot more fun than you thought and your 7-08 can go down the road to someone else who has yet to see the light.

 

[mevertsen]

It's like buying a $50k car to replace a good running car to get 5 MPG better gas mileage.

For the cost of the muzzle loader itself you can buy 10 boxes of cheap ammo offline, or several spendy boxes and have plenty left over.

Buying a new gun is not a way to shoot cheaper. It's a way to spend more money.

 

[BrentD]

It's like buying a $50k car to replace a good running car to get 5 MPG better gas mileage.

For the cost of the muzzle loader itself you can buy 10 boxes of cheap ammo offline, or several spendy boxes and have plenty left over.

Buying a new gun is not a way to shoot cheaper. It's a way to spend more money.

Not if you sell the old gun.

Doesn't anyone here shoot just for fun? A lot?

 

[Gravelyctry]

Patched round balls are certainly cheap. And if you are a real scrooge you can miserly cast your own. Cheaper yet.

And if you're ultra cheapskate, you can crawl around on your knees in the parking lot. Popping wheel weights off of people's cars and use that to cast with.

I've cast pistol bullets using wheel weights, but I recall reading somewhere that wheel weights aren't pure lead and are too hard to deform and allow them to be pushed down a muzzle loader barrel. Just looking to understand if LRB's can be cast from straight wheel weights.
Thanks, Neil

 

[BrentD]

I've cast pistol bullets using wheel weights, but I recall reading somewhere that wheel weights aren't pure lead and are too hard to deform and allow them to be pushed down a muzzle loader barrel. Just looking to understand if LRB's can be cast from straight wheel weights.
Thanks, Neil

You are right about them being not pure lead. They have tin and antimony as well, which makes them hard. And most of the new ones have zinc, which does not cast for crap. So, be careful about wheelweights. I was just being a bit sarcastic. You can find cheap lead at scrap yards and other places. Old wheel weight mixed with some pure tin will work well. How hard is too hard for a round ball, depends on the details and I do not have the answer.

Frankly, while I'm a pretty cheap bastard most of the time, I buy my roundballs (Hornady), and cast all of my other bullets, which keeps me more than busy. I go through a couple thousand cast bullets per year.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Doesn't anyone here shoot just for fun? A lot?

A lot is a debatable measure but a lot more than the avg hunter. I sure wouldn't be shooting a lot or having as much fun doing it if I had to dump powder and stuff a projectile down the barrel for every shot!

 

[BrentD]

A lot is a debatable measure but a lot more than the avg hunter. I sure wouldn't be shooting a lot or having as much fun doing it if I had to dump powder and stuff a projectile down the barrel for every shot!

To each his own. Nothing finer than a Saturday morning match dumping and stuffing, in my opinion. That said, by far most of the lead I cast is for cartridge rifles, also using black. Sometimes it is just for fun, sometimes it is for the win. Shoot more, be happy.

 

[95tigerbill]

A lot depends on what you are stuffing down the barrel of the muzzleloader. With Blackhorn 209 powder, primer, and quality bullet in a sabot it is easy to get to $2 per pull of the trigger.

 

[MThuntr]

I have a cheap inline that shoots surprisingly well and several sidelocks that shoot pretty good too. A muzzleloader rifle will require a bit of cleaning equipment to ensure you get them scrubbed clean. Real black powder is hard to find in stores and usually requires expensive shipping so many use a black powder substitute. Besides a rifle you'll need a bullet starter, powder measure, and powder horn.

Price rundown for Inline with current prices for 100 shots is approximately $100 with lots of powder leftover. If you want to shoot BlackHorn 209 my god have mercy on your wallet.
Triple 7 or similar = $38/lb
Fed 209A primers = $8
cheapest Hornady Sabot = $60/100


Price on Sidelock with current prices. 100 shots is about $80 with powder and patch lube leftover:
Triple 7 or similar = $38/lb
CCI #11 percussion caps = $12/100
.490 round balls = $13/100
pillow ticking patches = $6/100
patch lube = $10 for basically a lifetime

As mentioned you can get 7mm-08 ammo for as low as $18

 

[BrentD]

A lot depends on what you are stuffing down the barrel of the muzzleloader. With Blackhorn 209 powder, primer, and quality bullet in a sabot it is easy to get to $2 per pull of the trigger.

Well, my best match rifles, which are About as good as they get , shoot for 54 cents a pop, with the very best components. my hunting rifles will be a little bit less.

 

[Ben Lamb]

dumping and stuffing.

That's one way to talk about breakfast, I guess.

Per shot - muzzies are cheaper than center-fires. A pound of powder and 100 round balls with 100 caps.

Cleaning is easy - warm soapy water with an oil wipe down afterwards. If the colonial man (who generally had less education and elucidation than 21st century man) could handle it, you can too!

 

[buffybr]

Not if you sell the old gun.

Doesn't anyone here shoot just for fun? A lot?

I shoot at least 10 shots from 2 centerfire rifles almost every week throught the year. With a maximum of 3 in-state big game tags a year (which I don't always fill), that averages to about 500 practice shots for every shot hunting.

 

[buffybr]

Patched round balls are certainly cheap. And if you are a real scrooge you can miserly cast your own. Cheaper yet.

And if you're ultra cheapskate, you can crawl around on your knees in the parking lot. Popping wheel weights off of people's cars and use that to cast with.

I think people overs think muzzle loaders more than any other firearm. Maybe because they're so on familiar with them.

Scope? You don't need a scope on a muzzleloader. Pinch those pennies and use them to buy more (real) black powder.

You never know. You might find this is a lot more fun than you thought and your 7-08 can go down the road to someone else who has yet to see the light.

In the early '70s I still lived in Colorado, and a friend of mine there got me started shooting muzzleloaders. They were something new to me and were fun to shoot. My first muzleloader was a percussion .45 caliber Kentucky rifle that I built from a CVA kit.

Since I was already casting wheel weight lead bullets for my .357 and .45 acp pistols, I also started casting round balls for my muzzleloader. Wheel weight lead contains Antimony and make great centerfire pistol bullets, but they are too hard to expand well at the slower muzzleloader velocities.

Also in the early '70s, Colorado started their first modern muzzleloader deer and elk seasons. I used my .45 Kentucky with a patched round ball back then to shoot my best mule deer.

Colorado then changed their rules and required a minimum of .50 caliber for muzzleloader elk. I then bought a .54 caliber Hawken rifle from a Green River kit, but I left Colorado before I could use it there, but I did use it here in Montana shooting a 435 gr lead TC Maxi Hunter bullet to shoot a Buffalo.

While I was on my muzzzleloader kick I also bought two single action army BP revolvers, one in .36 caliber and the other a .44 caliber, and I built a single shot .45 cal percussion pistol from another kit.

And, because Montana does have some BP or shotgun hunting areas, I bought a Traditions in-line .50 cal BP rifle with a scope. I've only used it once, on a friend's farm in Illinois, but it has yet to draw blood.

I have also expanded my bullet casting to include round ball or conical bullet molds for all of my BP guns.

Back to the OP's original question, I've always gone (I think) the cheap route and have handloaded for all of my firearms to the point that I even make my own shotshell shot. The initial cost of the tools can be a little high, but I make it up with a lower cost per shell and I get to shoot much more.