Hey everyone. I am new to muzzleloaders, but am interested in them. Hunting season opens up about a month earlier for muzzleloaders here (I live in sc but have family land in nc I hunt on), and it would be helpful for me to be able to use them.
My father got a cva muzzleloaders about 20 years ago before we moved with the intention of black powder hunting, but it has never been shot and he told me I could use it.

It is a cva eclipse hunter 50 cal with a 1:32 twist barrel. What would be a safe load to start out with? And any advice on a good bp to start out with that’s not terribly expensive? As well as primers? I have some 300 grain projectiles that he gave me with it, but that is all. And I will not hunt with it until I am confident with it.
Also, I am comfortable with ammunition components. I have been reloading for several years now, just never made the jump over to black powder. Any information would be helpful!

Thanks

Find out if you can use blackhorn 209 loose powder - that stuff make blackpowder fun and not a chore!

I love my cva wolf with a 200 he bullet with 80 grains powder - it will shoot clover leads at 100 yards

Red

Wow, I had no idea they were that accurate. Are they like normal rifles where they like certain types of bullets and powder's, or are they less finicky when it comes to ammo than a conventional rifle?

Had to look that one up.  It looks a lot like my TC Firehawk.
If it's any thing similar it will really shine with sabots.  Try a .50 cal sabot with a .451 230gr (iirc) JSP bullet.  I think the heavier bullets will kick more.
I use Pyrodex loose powder.  70 grains.  And CCI #11 caps.

Killer!

You'll want to try several different projectiles/sabot/powder combinations to find what that barrel likes best.

Finding and working up a load will be pricey, but once you find it, you'll be happy and can stack deep at a reasonable price.

I've tried everything in my CVA's...  A whole slew of sabots and bullets (in 44 and 45 cal), PowerBelts from 245-295gr and up, pyrodex and 777, loose and pellets.
Some of my loads changed over the years... and I actually settled for fractionally larger groups for better terminal performance... A tighter group on paper is meaningless in the field if it doesn't penetrate or expand reliably.
My old Optima Pro absolutely loved the 295 HP Powerbelts over 3 Pyrodex pellets... 100 yard Cloverleafs.  Kicked a bit, but hit where I wanted, expanded AND penetrated deep enough to ensure whatever was under the crosshairs was DRT.
My newer Optima V2 shoots almost the same POI at 100 yards with 295gr HP Powerbelts and 300gr 44 cal XTPs in smooth green Harvester Sabots (Both with 100gr loose 777, 1" poi difference at 100).... It cloverleafs the XTPs, groups the PBs about 1.75-2".
The PBs group widens considerably past 100.... the XTPs shoot much tighter and more predictably past 100 (due to higher BC).

I'm (finally) about to make the switch to Blackhorn... been sitting on a can and the replacement QRP plug for almost 2 years waiting to shoot up my remaining 777.
I've heard nothing but good things about it (besides the price) and look forward to a decent weather Saturday sometime soon to start working it up.

Blackhorn for the win.....

You all can thank me - Let me know if you want my Paypal e-mail....LOL

I do have a line on some neat Blackhorn Tubes if you want to premeasure your powder for the field and range.... Just send me an IM and I will fix you up.

Red