your favorite load

[whyohe]

we talk about loads in the in-line and smokeless board so i decided maybe we could do the same here. I have a T/C PA Hunter with a 1:66 twist. I had a hard tome getting this thing to group. it finally took some one telling me to try a .495 round ball with either a .015 or a .020 patch and start with 90 grns of FFG. well apparently I have a loose bore because i had to use the .020 but i got a good grouping with 100grns of FFG! this is at 100 yards.



so since i don't shoot at deer with a bulls eye in the side and we can use open sights only i put up a deer target and this is what i got.



the first shot was the one back and low. the second was the one high. the last 2 where the ones in the heart.

i use hornady RBs in .495
Ox-yoke .020 patch which I lube with T/C bore butter
100 grn by volume(112.0 by weight) of schuetzen FFG powder

now if you use maxi balls or bullet sabot combo let us know it might give others some thing to try or help a newbie.

I have been considering getting another flinter with A 1:48 twist to try maxi-balls again and maybe cast my own.

[DHinMN]

I'd suggest you do some research on barrel twist before you get a 1 in 48 twist to shoot conicals. From what I've learned and read 1 in 48 is too fast for round balls and too slow for conicals. The 1 in 48 got started because that is what the hawkins had for a rifling machine. Not necessarily because it was the best choice. The 1 in 66 is good for round balls. 1 in 32 might be a better choice for conicals. I have a 1 in 48 TC Hawkin. I shoot it with 70 grains of T7 and a 240 grain saboted jacketed bullet. It shoots that good. A longer bullet will not stablize. DH

[10ga]

Favorite loads:
.58 with 1/48 = 95 grains of 2F Swiss heavy patch and .565 RB
.50 with 1/66 = 90 grains 3F Swiss patched .490 RB
.50 with 1/28 = 85 grains 3F Swiss 260 gr HP saboted or 295 gr aerotip belted
All loads shoot very good.
Ignition is with Rotweil Brenke Musket caps and "Spitfire" nipple.
If you want to shoot conicals or saboted boolits go with a faster twist, 1/48 too slow for .50 conicals or sabots.
10 ga

[whyohe]

i have been reading about the 1:32 twist but i think that is for a bullet 1.125 inches or longer in a 50 cal by going by the green hill formula. www.z-hat.com/twistrate.htm

i wish i could find the length of some of the molds out there. that 1:32 would work for a SST or the like but shorter (by the formula) a 1:48 would be better.

[whyohe]

has any one had any experiance with a 1:32 twist?

[mountainam]

I have a .58 Morse rifle with a custom Montana Rifle Barrel Co. 1/32 twist 32" long. I have no problem stabilizing Rem. 300 gr HP Saboted loads. If you want to shoot slugs may I suggest Lee R.E.A.L. bullets. They make them in 250 gr and 320gr. they will shoot like nobody's business in your .50 cal. The rings get progressively tighter toward the point. Use a felt wonder wad or two under the bullet. Another that may work with your 1/66 twist is Buffalo Bullet's PA Ballet. It looks like a foster slug with a knurled sides. I'd use a wonder wad on those also. My son used a CVA Mountain rifle when he was younger that had a 1/66 twist. We used Harvester Green sabots with a Speer .430" 240gr HP and 110 Goex FFFG and it would group1 1/2 in at 50 yards with iron sights. Since you said that your bore is larger may I recommend that you try a harvester short black Sabot with a 240 gr .452 XTP. That way the shorter bullet will work better with the slow twist. I know it's conventional wisdom to use certain bullets with certain twists but it's better to actually shoot and see. I can shoot a .530 patched round ball in my Remington .54 1/28 twist rifle. Conventional wisdom say that a 1/28 twist will spin the patch off the ball. I use 160 gr. T7 FFG and they group at 1 1/2 " at 100 yds. The spent patches look great. The groups are not as good as saboted loads but they're acceptable for hunting. If your using FFG powder on your .50 kick it up to 120 grs. for the slugs. That will increase the RPM and better stabilize the slug or saboted load. Give them a try. A lot of time conventional wisdom doesn't fly right either.

[whyohe]

thanks moutainan. i was considering getting a new flint lock in 1:48 but every one says a 1:32 would be better. I just found out my brother-in-law just bought one for his lyman deer hunter. cant wait to see what he can do with it.

as to my 1:66 pa hunter i have tried the mini/pa ballet and didnt do so well. but i might go and try some 250 XTPs in a sabot at 120 grns of FFG.

[orion]

My favorite load in the .54 is 120 grains of real black FFG and either a round ball or the Hornaday great plains bullet (if they still make it). The old TC maxi balls are real crushers to - but you need to make sure they don't slide down the barrel if you tilt your gun down. As far as twist-don't know. Try some things see what happens.

Sabots in a side lock? Thats blasphemy.

In my opinion there is nothing like real black! I just bought a new bottle of Schutzen as the last can of Goex finally ran out. It sure worked good, don't hesitate to buy some.

[swampmen]

It don't make muck difference in twist .i don't think I have a old cva kentucky 45 1-66 that will shoot a maxi ball better then a round ball Then a 1-48 twist tc hawkens that will shoot a round ball and sabot but no maxi ball Then a New England that shoot maxi not round balls Then a scout rifle and pistol rifle is not like round balls so does pistol same way but shoot sabots great . These guns first bunch 50 cal 1-48 twist .The scout 1-20 twist Its just the barrel an what it likes

[kb]

I shoot 80g 3f under a 220g PRB in both my .54 GPR's, one flint and one cap. Havent had any deer laugh that off!

[hydrodog]

Years ago I hunted with my renegade 1:48 and it was a decent 100 yd. gun,then green mountain barrel came out with a drop in barrel called the LRH 1:28(long range hunter) and I went to sabots and xtp's and started shooting pyrodex because black powder became hard to find and the hunting laws changed. The 1:48 shot a round ball decent and the LRH barrel shot the xtp's really well. When I started muzzleloading in 1976 the deer hunting season season was called "primitive" season. Black powder,cap and flint locks only and patched round ball only. I would like to see the DNR bring back a primitive season. It was a challenge,hangfires, misfires, unloading every evening,putting saran wrap over the muzzle secured with a rubber band in the rain. Challenging to say the least.

[mike3132]

.45 T/C Hawkens= 60grains of 3F Olde Eynsford, 127 grain RB, .022 patch lubed with mink oil.

.54 T/C Hawkens= 70 grains of 3F Goex, 230 grain RB, .022 patch lubed with mink oil.

With my old eyes I can shoot 2" groups at 65 yards with open sights with both of them.

[madjack]

50 yd OH
25 yd OH
My Early Lancaster .54 cal likes 70gr FFg Goex, .015 Cotton patch, .530 rb

I also have a .54 cal Early Lancaster smooth rifle that shoots the same rifle load; But
for the 28ga load that bbl likes .75 gr FFg, OPC, wad, 105 gr any size shot, OSC. This load
gives me a 40 yd #6 shot average of 16-18 bb's in a Turkey target neck area.

[10ga]

Nice shooting Jack. Wish I could still use open sights. If you're going to get old you better be tough! 10