.40 Cal Load Advice

[oscarlovel]

I have wanted a .40 cal flintlock for several years now and bit the bullet last week. I bought a Lehigh .40 cal with a Bill Large 42", 1-66 barrel from BigSkyRambler here on the forum. While I am waiting to take possession, I have been accumulating the various accoutrements. I now have a Lee two cavity .395 roundball mold and have a couple of boxes of Hornady .395 balls on the way to get me started. I'm wondering about Target loads for this rifle with the 1-66 twist. I've read here on the forum that many have faster twist rates. Anybody here that can share their personal experience shooting .40 cal roundball loads? Thanks.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Read for days …

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/everything-40-cal-muzzleloader.149306/

 

[Cruzatte]

This is part of the fun of muzzle loading. Every piece is different. And every one who shoots one is different. Only you can answer the question satisfactorily for yourself. It's worth the time, effort, & expenditure of powder & lead. Post pictures when you think you've found the load.

 

[olskool]

here is a group with mine. the ones on the right are sight in. it says 4 shots on the paper but that was 5 shots in the center. mine does its best with 55gr. this group was shot 50yds off the bench, rice barrel 1/48 twist. with the 1/66 you will have to just experiment and see what charge it likes, on mine the hotter i load the better it shoots. but it does well with 55.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Togo]

Target loads, try .395 ball, .018 patch and 35gr of Goex 3f. Lube is really a personal preference. I use a 50/50 mix of simple green.

 

[RobertE]

Each is different. My Kibler .40 preferred .395 balls and 40 gr 3F.
My latest build with a Rice barrel shoots more accurately with .390 balls and 45 gr. 3F.

 

[Eric Krewson]

My 40s seem to like whatever I put in them, from 30gr to 60 gr of 3F, .015 patch lubed with mink oil or Hoppes B/P solvent. I prefer the easy loading of a .390 ball but have shot a .395 and even a .400 which shot great after I pounded it in.

Although I haven't killed a deer with my .40, it is legal in Alabama so I worked up the 60gr deer load.

 

[T Gregory]

I have wanted a .40 cal flintlock for several years now and bit the bullet last week. I bought a Lehigh .40 cal with a Bill Large 42", 1-66 barrel from BigSkyRambler here on the forum. While I am waiting to take possession, I have been accumulating the various accoutrements. I now have a Lee two cavity .395 roundball mold and have a couple of boxes of Hornady .395 balls on the way to get me started. I'm wondering about Target loads for this rifle with the 1-66 twist. I've read here on the forum that many have faster twist rates. Anybody here that can share their personal experience shooting .40 cal roundball loads? Thanks.

As others have said, each rifle is unique in what it likes. My rifle isn't particular about the powder charge, it shoots anything from 20-60gr well. However, I have found that it is very particular about the patch lube. Mine loves lots of bore butter on the patch and hates mink oil. I have tried several other lubes with varying results. Also I have tried .395 ball vs .390 and .010 patch vs .018. I ended up using .390 with .010 patch. That combo shoots as well or better than the other combos and is way easier to load. So my message here is tighter load combos don't always equal better accuracy. The rifle will tell you what it wants so test it extensively and ENJOY getting to know your gun.

 

[Cruzatte]

@T Gregory Well said!

 

[oscarlovel]

As a follow up, the rifle arrived last Friday and I spent a few hours making a repair to the toe of the stock where a previous repair was separating at the glue line. On Sunday afternoon, I drove 35 minutes to my club range and spent three hours shooting this .40 and my .20 ga Po-Boy. I started off with 40 grains of Goex 3FG, .395 ball and 0.010 patch with spit lube. Results were not spectacular. Checked downrange and found the patches were disintegrated, so I switched to a different 0.120" patch material. Still not great, so another search downrange revealed burn-thru on the patches. I then tried some 0.018" pillow ticking for patch material, and things came together on the target. I really thought this ball/patch combo would be too tight, but when I was cleaning later that evening, I looked really close at the Bill Large rifling. Man, those are some deep grooves, and yes, I did have to use a ball starter, but once started, and patch cut at the muzzle, it was no problem seating the prb. I probably fired 25-20 shots from the .40 and was pretty frozen due to the near freezing weather we had. The Small Siler Flintlock gives instantaneous ignition. Lots more shooting and load development ahead.

 

[hanshi]

Deep grooves seem to often prefer thicker patches because they compress into the grooves.

 

[mike54]

30 or so years ago when i competed my 40cal green mtn barrel shot best with .018 ticking and a 403 roundball. It was a shooter and i miss it.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

30 or so years ago when i competed my 40cal green mtn barrel shot best with .018 ticking and a 403 roundball. It was a shooter and i miss it.

WHERE did you find .403 round ball ???

I have a Green Mountain barrel on my .40 and it just doesn't have the accuracy I think it should when shooting either .389 or .395 ball.

I have considered giving a .401 conical a try, but based on geometry I don't know if it will be stable in flight from a 1:48 barrel, and not sure how much swaging will be needed when loading.

LD

 

[mike54]

WHERE did you find .403 round ball ???

I have a Green Mountain barrel on my .40 and it just doesn't have the accuracy I think it should when shooting either .389 or .395 ball.

I have considered giving a .401 conical a try, but based on geometry I don't know if it will be stable in flight from a 1:48 barrel, and not sure how much swaging will be needed when loading.

LD

I picked it up at a gun show years ago. It was a lyman mold. My 40 with that combination needed 60grs 3f. It to was a 1:48 42inch barrel. I think there ar some mold makers than can make a .400 mold.

 

[ronaldrothb49]

Only had one .40, that was the first one I built from parts. It was a Douglas barrel so it had a slow twist. Probably the most forgiving rifle I have ever shot and I won more matches with it than any other rifle I have owned. As long as it had a fairly tight patch and ball combo it would shoot one hole groups with most any amount of powder. I started with a .390 ball and .015 patch and usually used 45 grains of 3f and bumped it up to 50 grains at 100 yards. I shot a lot back then so eventually had to go up to a .395 ball and then a .400. When the accuracy started to fall off then instead of going up another ball size decided it was time to retire it because there wasn't much rifling left.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I picked it up at a gun show years ago. It was a lyman mold. My 40 with that combination needed 60grs 3f. It to was a 1:48 42inch barrel. I think there ar some mold makers than can make a .400 mold.

Thanks. I know that Lee offers a service, a bit pricey, that will make a mold for you. I wonder if a sphere would be as expensive ; I shall endeavor to find out.

LD

 

[oscarlovel]

Let us know what you find out.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Larry Calahan will make a mold in whatever diameter you need. It's a custom mold, but not that much more cost.