Savage 110 MkII Muzzleloader

[Faedrus]

I'm in the market for a Muzzle loader these days. All I've shot is a Traditions Buckstalker ML.
The Savage ML appeals to me b/c it can shoot smokeless powder which is easy to clean up and no doubt leads to high performance.
Does the smokeless powder lead to much higher accuracy?
What is the difference in recoil? (from black powder)
All in all this looks like it would be a good choice. One thing I wondered about is whether a muzzle loader season will involve a restriction on smokeless powder muzzleloaders. I thought this would be a good place to find out if there has been any talk about restricting MLs with smokeless powder. I'm in Manitoba Canada here but the trends in the US tend to come this way
thanks in advance

[SHKYBoonie]

Faedrus, I am also buying a new ML this year. I have set my choice to the Savage ML II. From all I have read and herd about this ML it is the best thing going. You don't have to shoot smokeless powder in it. It still seems to out perform other ML's on the market with black powder substitutes. So, even if they put some sort of smokeless powder restriction out, you would still be benefiting from this gun. I am getting mine in a few weeks. There have been other threads on this forum discussing these guns. Look them up. There is some very good info to do your research with. I have many different powder and bullet combos listed to try once I get the gun. A hunting friend of mine got one a few years back. I have seen him shoot really tight groups with it out to 100 yards. He swears it will hold a 3" group at 300 yards. That's impressive enough for me to own one.

[RedBud]

I have been following the proposed changes to hunting regulations in Ohio. I haven't heard anything about not allowing smokeless powder. I don't think it is very likely that they will make such a change since there is no real advantage to using it except for the smoke. I like T/C guns myself. I got the 50 caliber Hawken and killed a lot of deer with it but it is heavy and a pain to clean. I recently went to the Omega.

[CB on the run]

ORIGINAL: SHKYBoonie

. I have set my choice to the Savage ML II. From all I have read and herd about this ML it is the best thing going. You don't have to shoot smokeless powder in it.

Make sure if you decide to shoot smokeless powder that the charge is determined by weight not volume. I belong to a turkey hunting forum where pictures of a Savage ML were just posted. The gun's barrel is split the entire length with the following very graphic pictures of the owners left hand. He probably will never regain full use of it. He unfortunately used a black powder volume measure to determine a smokeless charge. The second picture is graphic.

CB

[SHKYBoonie]

ORIGINAL: CB on the run

ORIGINAL: SHKYBoonie

. I have set my choice to the Savage ML II. From all I have read and herd about this ML it is the best thing going. You don't have to shoot smokeless powder in it.

 

Make sure if you decide to shoot smokeless powder that the charge is determined by weight not volume. I belong to a turkey hunting forum where pictures of a Savage ML were just posted. The gun's barrel is split the entire length with the following very graphic pictures of the owners left hand. He probably will never regain full use of it. He unfortunately used a black powder volume measure to determine a smokeless charge. The second picture is graphic.

CB

 
I would like to think that I am not that big of an idiot. If you don't research all of what you need to know about your ML, then you need not be using one. Especially one that uses the same powder used in rifle cartridges. Thanks for posting this as it may stop someone else from doing the same thing. I have been hunting with ML's as long as I can remember. You have to side with caution on any of these front loaders. If you do it right, it can be as safe as any other gun. If you are careless and don't know what you are doing, it is like playing with a hand grenade.

[Everyday Hunter]

I have a Savage 10ML and it's a great rifle. I have the stainless model with the laminated stock. I've shot several deer with it so far, and I have no complaints. I'm using a 250 grain pistol bullet, the Hornady XTP.

I don't think you have to worry about regulations. I think these are legal everywhere during any ML season which allows a modern in-line. If not, then shoot the smokey stuff.

As for the photos of barrel ruptures, there is some controversy but they may well be cases where the shooter fired the gun with a barrel obstruction. I know for sure that one was a case where the ramrod was left in the barrel.

Good luck. I don't think you can go wrong with the Savage 10ML

Steve

[Faedrus]

Thanks for the feedback fellas.
I was going to excuse the price of the Savage to my wife by calling it the "safest". ha ha
That picture of the ruptured hand is pretty freaky. I'm glad I saw it. I'm still mulling over my possibilities for an ML.
T/C owners are outspoken about their rifles. Traditions rifles come with a lot of whistles and bells but there seem to be quality issues or occasional lemons according to the reviews.
Can anyone tell me whether having a 28" barrel adds much accuracy compared a 24"?
thanks

[SHKYBoonie]

If you decide against the Savage or you don't want to use the smokeless powder, I recommend using the new BlackHorn 209 powder. I bought some this year just to see what it shot like. This stuff was amazing! No fouling or rusting. You could shoot all day, not cleaning in between shots, then store it dirty and it would clean up with regular gun cleaning solvent with no pitting and no burn ring. The Pyrodex is known for the burn ring it leaves at the base of where the bullet seats. If you get one in your barrel, let me just tell you, it is a pain in the a** to get out. This was one of my main reasons for trying the BlackHorn 209, but it also shot better groups too. I'll be going to the Savage next year with smokeless powder but give this BlackHorn some though if you decide to go the other route.
 
 
As for the barrel length, the longer the better. The longer the bullet stays in contact with the rifling the more stabilized it will be. This is why you see most magnum rifles with longer barrels. Most in-line ML have a 1:28" twist rate. This means that the bullet will twist one full rotation in 28" of travel. If you have a 24" barrel, the bullet doesn't even stay in the rifling for one full twist before it exits the muzzle. This is also the same reason most hand guns aren't accurate out pasted 25 to 50 yards or less, depending on the caliber of course.