Ball size?

[WildWill]

Grow up you creetons. @BrentD I was at the local gunshop today and they had some precut lubed .015 patches. I picked them up to try some round balls in the Hawkins. What would be best with those patches 490. or 495. balls?

 

[shb]

That's not how it works.

Get an average patch like your .015's there.

Then try the different sized round balls.

Your rifling/twist/groove style will like one more than the others.

Then try different patch thickness.

Then try different powder amounts.



TC rifles seem to need a 490

Lyman Great Plains do best with .495


Hawken, not hawkins.

 

[mevertsen]

I would start with .490 and around 70 grains volume 2f or Pyrodex RS.

I imagine you should find an acceptable load before 100 grains.

 

[choc dogs]

Yuge

 

[Potsie]

Yuge

2lb brass clackers.

 

[Hammsolo]

Yuge

That’s exactly what I was going to say. Great minds think alike.

 

[David58]

The T/C rifles (Hawken, Renegade, etc) with the 1:48 twist seem to like .490 or .495, and a max of about 85 grains of 3F in a .50. 490 loads easier. I have gone to looser loads (smaller round ball size) in all of my MLs, because I don't like the bruised palm from short starting.

My approach would be to start with .490 ball, 70 gr 3f, and experiment with patch thickness and lube. I used to grease with vaseline for the loads in the loading block, since the spit patches for target shooting dry out. Now I might use crisco/bear grease, bore butter, don't seem to matter too much as long as I can load.

All in all, it is experimentation. Seems MLs are somewhat variable in what they digest the best, so have fun at the range!

David
NM

 

[TakeABreakAndTouchGrass]

Smaller since I started low T treatment . . .

Wait, what was the question??

 

[noharleyyet]

*
Cre·tin
/ˈkrētn/

noun

• 1.a stupid person (used as a general term of abuse).informal, derogatory
• 2.a person whose mental and physical development has been impaired by a deficiency of thyroid hormone in fetal or early life.
• 3. a person suffering from diminished testicular circumference

 

[Potsie]

*
Cre·tin
/ˈkrētn/
View attachment 356607
noun

• 1.a stupid person (used as a general term of abuse).informal, derogatory
• 2.a person whose mental and physical development has been impaired by a deficiency of thyroid hormone in fetal or early life.
• 3. a person suffering from diminished testicular circumference

So you’re saying that stuff I mix into my protein powder is making my clackers smaller???

 

[noharleyyet]

So you’re saying that stuff I mix into my protein powder is making my clackers smaller???

...stunting the boys

 

[WildWill]

Was able to do some shooting yesterday and tested a few loads. Here's my 50 yard group with a 490. round ball with a .015 patch 65gr of 2f Swiss.
I've only shot a handful of shots to get the gun roughly sited in for hunting and haven't had a chance to properly sight in the gun yet. So I went ahead and did some testing besides the 490. ball I also shot 370gr Maxi balls, 320gr Maxi balls, and hornady 385gr great plains bullet with different loads of schutzen 3fffg and Swiss ffg. Ended up settling on a 370gr Maxi ball with a felt wad between 85gr of Swiss ffg. Was shocked how much the felt wad helped tighten up the group. Far left shot was second to last when I over corrected the sight. Moved it back over a hair and ended with the bull.