What
Every New 10ML-II Owner Should Know
I. Maintenance
The 10ML-II is the most
hassle-free, maintenance free muzzleloader you can own. However,
that does not mean "NO" maintenance at all. You absolutely
need a 5/32" drill bit, and will need to service your breechplug
after every 100 shots (one box of 209 primers). Remove the ventliner
and using an electric drill, go in from the primer side and drill
out the hard carbon residue left by the primers. Clean then relube
your breechplug and ventliner with Birchwood-Casey choke tube lube
(or any Mil-Spec 907E Anti-Seize such as Permatex, Never-Seez)
and reassemble. It is the only regular maintenance your 10ML-II
needs, other than that-just treat it like a center-fire rifle. Breechplug
drilling out is mandatory as described for both accuracy and best
reliability. 209 primers create the same carbon in other muzzleloaders;
you can guess where it ends up. With the Savage 10ML-II, no bolt
disassembly is ever needed.
II. Primers
Start with Winchester
209 primers. They fit most breechplugs the best, and are considered
magnum primers. I like Federal 209A's as well; they are hotter,
will give you a small velocity increase, but have a larger OD and
may make your bolt a bit harder to close.
III. Bases
You need a pair of Weaver
S46 steel bases. Save yourself a headache, and make sure the base
screws are no too long. It is easy to check. Screw in the screw
without base, counting the number of turns as you do so. Repeat
with the screw in the base. If it goes in the same number of turns,
you are hitting a false bottom, and there is no proper tension against
the base. You need to take off 2 - 3 turns of thread. It is the
front base where this is most likely to be found. Bases fit a variety
of guns, so the makers have no idea what gun a base is actually
going on-the screws need to be long enough for all applications.
It is a one-time check, but please be sure your bases are on firmly.
IV. Shooting
The absolute best thing
you can do to eliminate the possibility of double loading or overcharging
with any muzzleloader is the religious, continual use of a witness
mark of your ramrod. It is easy with the Savage; you won't have
any false stops due to fouling crud at the bottom of the barrel
to confuse the issue. Please verify seating depth of your powder
/ saboted bullet combination prior to each shot with a mark on your
ramrod, and please remove your ramrod from the barrel after you
do so.
V. Hot Weather Shooting
With no spit patching
between shots, and no filthy Pyrodex or Triple 7 residue to insulate
a sabot, you may need to wait three minutes between shots in warm
weather. You can also make things easier on yourself by using 40
grains of Vihtavouri N110 and 250 grain Barnes Expanders or Hornady
XTPs. With 300 gr. Barnes bullets or XTPs, use 55 grains of Vihtavouri
N120 in hot weather. With Accurate Arms 5744, use 39 grains with
either bullet weight. All are still excellent 200 yard loads,
low recoil, and are easy on a sabot-- even a warm sabot. Actually,
all are also fabulous year-round hunting loads, and unless you are
intending on taking anything past 200 yards, it makes little sense
to go "high recoil" to get just another 10 - 15 yards
of 6" vital zone point blank range. Deer still don't care how
fast you miss them.
VI. Misc.
Low-strength primers
can do nothing for accuracy, avoid them. Whether you select a blued
or a stainless barreled 10ML-II, they both will shoot 1-1/2"
groups assuming a competent marksman, excellent range conditions,
and a steady rest. There is no accuracy difference. Stainless barrels
cool faster and last longer. With the stainless / laminate model
10ML-II one MOA group capability is more often the rule than the
exception, if you work at it a bit. Shoot out your load at the end
of the hunting day with your Savage. With a non-corrosive propellant,
there is just no reason not to if at all possible. You need no fouling
shot the next morning.
VII. Congratulations
Thank you for reading
this. With just a small extra attention to detail, you are well
on your way to getting the most enjoyment out of your new 10ML-II.
I know I've said it perhaps a bit too often, but if you are a muzzleloader-you
are a reloader. If you want to be a good muzzleloader, you also
need to be a good reloader-with any muzzleloader. Don't fall prey
to those who try to make this gun complicated, it was designed to
be easy to use and as close to maintenance free as a muzzleloader
can be from the beginning. Regardless of other factors, it is shot
placement that counts. The 1.60 millisecond locktime of the Savage
10ML-II action, the Accu-Trigger (the best factory trigger ever
placed on a muzzleloader), and the closest barrel tolerances
in the entire muzzleloading industry all combine to make the Savage
the most effective muzzleloading tool there is. That it is the most
hassle-free, softest-shooting, longest lasting, and cheapest
to shoot is all a bonus.
A
very, very good one, though.
© July, 2005 by Randy Wakeman
