45 and 50 cal sweet spots?
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longcruise
70 Cal.
A lot depends on factors other than caliber such as twist rate, groove depth, etc.
My .45 and .50 are both 48 twist. The .45 does not seem too picky and shoots well from 30 to 55 grains of ff. The .50 likes 70 grains but have never tried to identify a lower charge that would shoot well. The 70 load is a do-all for me.
My .45 and .50 are both 48 twist. The .45 does not seem too picky and shoots well from 30 to 55 grains of ff. The .50 likes 70 grains but have never tried to identify a lower charge that would shoot well. The 70 load is a do-all for me.
MikeChapin
58 Cal.
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I just worked up loads for two .45s. One for a CVA flinter I built for a friend and the other for an old FIE that I repaired for 4H. The CVA ended up liking 45 grains of 3F and the FIE 40 grains. I didn't try to work up a 100 yard load for either.
I have three .50s. One likes 50 grains 3F for target and 75 grains 100 yards and hunting. Another likes 55 grains and 75 grains of 3F. The last one likes 50 and 70 grains 3F.
You will have to work up your own load to see what your rifle likes. I work up a load at 50 yards because at 25 yard there is not enough spread to see much difference. I start at 10 grains below caliber and work up in 5 grain increments until the group starts opening up again.
Patch and ball combination enter into accuracy, probably more than charge. Of my .50s two use a .495 ball and the other likes a .490. All use about .023 ticking for a patch.
I have three .50s. One likes 50 grains 3F for target and 75 grains 100 yards and hunting. Another likes 55 grains and 75 grains of 3F. The last one likes 50 and 70 grains 3F.
You will have to work up your own load to see what your rifle likes. I work up a load at 50 yards because at 25 yard there is not enough spread to see much difference. I start at 10 grains below caliber and work up in 5 grain increments until the group starts opening up again.
Patch and ball combination enter into accuracy, probably more than charge. Of my .50s two use a .495 ball and the other likes a .490. All use about .023 ticking for a patch.
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I've tried this quite a bit in 50, 54 and 58 caliber and always found it more of a "concept" for using a single powder measure for multiple purposes, rather than a ballistic fact for any rifle I've ever owned or been around.
I'm yet to meet a 50+ caliber rifle that didn't absolutely love 30 grains of powder for small game shooting, but as caliber goes up above 50, the utility goes down for using two scoops from that measure to generate a big game load. In fact I prefer something on the order of 80-90 grains in 50, 90-100 in 54 and 100-120 in 58 for trajectory and whomp. But if I halve any of those charges for a measure to throw small game charges, the loads are just too darned hot for the purpose.
Move down to 45 caliber and below, and maybe things get sweet for using a single measure for both loads but I just can't say. There's a 40-45 caliber "hole" in my lineup of rifles, and I don't load heavy loads in my 32 and 36 caliber rifles, since they're small game-only in my life. And as a matter of fact, my charges in those have slipped down below 20 grains for ideal small game performance.
I'm yet to meet a 50+ caliber rifle that didn't absolutely love 30 grains of powder for small game shooting, but as caliber goes up above 50, the utility goes down for using two scoops from that measure to generate a big game load. In fact I prefer something on the order of 80-90 grains in 50, 90-100 in 54 and 100-120 in 58 for trajectory and whomp. But if I halve any of those charges for a measure to throw small game charges, the loads are just too darned hot for the purpose.
Move down to 45 caliber and below, and maybe things get sweet for using a single measure for both loads but I just can't say. There's a 40-45 caliber "hole" in my lineup of rifles, and I don't load heavy loads in my 32 and 36 caliber rifles, since they're small game-only in my life. And as a matter of fact, my charges in those have slipped down below 20 grains for ideal small game performance.
Pete Gaimari
69 Cal.
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My main use for my .50 Hawken is deer hunting. I worked up a load that is accurate and has enough power for a clean 75 yd kill.
.495 ball .010 patch. 70 gr Swiss 2F.
.495 ball .010 patch. 70 gr Swiss 2F.
hanshi
Cannon
In my experience bp is pretty forgiving stuff and the rifles that use it are mostly laid back. All my rifles - for me and I'm not that great a shot - appear to shoot very well with about any charge I feed them.
If I were you I'd simply start with a (reasonably) low charge and move it up a little until it makes a tiny group consistently at 25 yards. Forget about any formula for determining two loads. Your high load should make tiny groups at 50 plus yards and deliver a good whack. I have three rifles that use two different loads each. But these are a hunting load and an everyday load and may only vary by as little as 10 grains. For small game I just use a small bore rifle.
If I were you I'd simply start with a (reasonably) low charge and move it up a little until it makes a tiny group consistently at 25 yards. Forget about any formula for determining two loads. Your high load should make tiny groups at 50 plus yards and deliver a good whack. I have three rifles that use two different loads each. But these are a hunting load and an everyday load and may only vary by as little as 10 grains. For small game I just use a small bore rifle.
John Wasmuth
50 Cal.
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My .45 CVA likes 80 grains of FFg, .440 hornady roundball and a .010, or .015, or even a .020 patch, it aint picky.
The .50 Pedersoli Kentucky likes 90 grains of FFg. a .480 Hornady and a .020 patch, its picky on the patches but settles for the 90 grains of FFg just fine.
The .50 Pedersoli Kentucky likes 90 grains of FFg. a .480 Hornady and a .020 patch, its picky on the patches but settles for the 90 grains of FFg just fine.
Horizontal Hunter
36 Cal.
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The sweet spot for my CVA Mountain Stalker .50 is 85 grains of Goex FFg with either .490 PRB using a .020 pre-lubed OX patch or a TC 370g Maxi-ball using a felt over powder wad. Both shoot clover leafs at 50 yards which is all I need for deer.
Bob
Bob
