.45 conical through 1-66 barrel?

[jrmflintlock]

Does anyone have experience shooting conicals through 1-66 twist barrels? I drew a doe tag in Colorado and their regs are screwy. They state that .40 cal to .50 cal ML are legal as long as the projectile weighs 170 grains. A .45 RB only weighs 143 grains.

Its Discrimination I tell you!!! :cursing:

If I can get one to shoot good I will use one, if not I will just use my .54, any thoughts?

 

[Rifleman1776]

No experience doing it because a slow (1:66) twist is regarded as too slow to stabilize elongated projectiles.
Sorry, but you are probably out of luck.
Edit: BTW, if that is a doe deer the regulation writers are nutso. A .45 ball is just fine for whitetails. If an elk, I would agree, more gun is needed.

 

[Zonie]

It might be worth the expense to buy some of these Buffalo Bullet "Ball-et's ".

These are essentially a roundball with the rear half filled in to create a round nosed bullet shape.

The .45 caliber version weighs 200 grains which would make it legal for your hunt and the very short length might be short enough to work in your barrel.

Here's a link:
http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=3623

Because they are loaded unpatched I can't say how well they will work with your gun but it's worth a shot (or several of them :rotf to find out for sure.

PS: If they won't group well you could try patching the slugs using a lubricated well worn out tee shirt.
It might not help with the accuracy but one never knows without trying.

 

[54ball]

I would try a .45 hollow based Minnie. The Minnie ball was developed in the 1850s and was a relatively long conical that done well in slow twist bbls. A lot depends on the lead alloy. For a Minnie to work right the hollow skirt must expand to engage the rifling.
Like all things BP trial and error is the order of the day to work up a load. Try different powder and charges. Then try lubes and even paper patches.
The .45 hollow based minnies are available from TOTW if you want to try them before investing in a mold.
A word if caution, since conicals engrave on loading or engage the rifling on firing they are not as tight in the bore as a PRB. They can slide up the bore so care should be used when hunting. Be sure to secure the prime and check the seat of the ball from time to time.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I have molds for 45 hollow based mini's, both long and short , I could ship you some to try for the cost of a flat rate box if you are interested. :idunno:

 

[Loyalist Dave]

It's tough to answer your question, for it depends on the depth and type of your rifling, plus the style of the conical. Years ago I tried a conical in my .45 with a 1:66 twist..., it keyholed at 40 yards, indicating the bullet was tumbling like a football kicked for a field goal. So I thought that less than 1:48 would not stabilize a conical bullet. Some time later I found that Enfield rifle repros had slow twists such as 1:66 and some Springfield rifle repros had 1:72 twists, but shot conicals quite well. So the idea to get a .45 minnie style bullet or the suggestion to try the ball-et is a good one, but if they don't work well, you may still want to try other designs.

LD

 

[jrmflintlock]

Thanks Guys. I got a hold of a few different conicals and I plan to go shoot this afternoon. I will let you know how it goes.

 

[Deadeye]

The Lee REAL bullets shoot well in my .45x66" as does a Lyman 300 gr. cast bullet.
Deadeye

 

[Walks with fire]

Well a 66 twist .45 should stabilize a .460 max. length conical. I realize formulas only can do so much. Here is the calculation: .45 x .45 x 150 / 66 = .460

If your dead set on using your .45/66 you could take a .45 Buffalo Ball-et and file the tip down to make the .460 length and it would still probably weigh enough to meet the rules. I would bet they shoot just fine too as long as the barrels grooves are not too deep for them to seal well. You could make a jig by drilling a hole in a piece of scrap to make them a pretty consistant weight/length.

 

[rr11]

The ball-ets may be what he needs they shoot well out of my 1 in 66 .54