.50cal hawkens woodsman round ball alternatives

[chironomidkraut]

my flinter has a 28" blued octagonal barrel with a 1:48" twist rate would there be any other alternatives but the round ball to shoot

 

[petew]

You can get good results with a conical, like the TC's or Lee Mini, or REAL bullets. just about any pure lead conical is worth trying. Sabots and pistol bullets, not so much. If you don't cast them yourself they are expensive !! Round balls are a lot cheaper, you will get 100 RB's for the price of 20 conicals.
take a look at what Lee offers. http://www.titanreloading.com/index.php?route=common/home Lyman also has moulds but 6X the price up here.

I like the R.E.A.L. http://www.titanreloading.com/molds/black-powder-molds/r-e-a-l-bullet-for-muzzleloaders and the improved Mini.http://www.titanreloading.com/molds/black-powder-molds/minie-bullet-mold-improved-minie-modern-minie/lee-sc-mold-500-360-m-improved-minie-50-cal
and the Lyman version of the TC Maxi http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/bullet-casting/mould-details-blackpowder.php?entryID=86

Heree is another one I have good results with from Lyman http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/bullet-casting/mould-details-blackpowder.php?entryID=85

 

[Spikebuck]

Hornady PA Hunter Conical would probably work. Due to being smaller than other conicals, they don't cost quite as much, but should fly well and add some weight over a .490 ball. If you shop the web you will find them for less than direct from Hornady.
http://www.hornady.com/store/50-Cal-240-gr-PA-Conical/

Are you having problems getting a Round Ball to be accurate or just don't want to use them?

 

[petew]

Realy if you want to play this game up here start looking for pure lead, not wheel weights and get a couple moulds. It pays in the long run. A lot of the guys here don't realize the M L void we are in when it comes to our needs. Pure Lead is difficult to find, so start looking even if you don't plan on casting right away.

 

[chironomidkraut]

Hornady PA Hunter Conical would probably work. Due to being smaller than other conicals, they don't cost quite as much, but should fly well and add some weight over a .490 ball. If you shop the web you will find them for less than direct from Hornady.
http://www.hornady.com/store/50-Cal-240-gr-PA-Conical/

Are you having problems getting a Round Ball to be accurate or just don't want to use them?

Just trying different things and seeing what shoots the best

 

[Don Steele]

That barrel was designed as a compromise with new shooters in mind and as such, it has done very well. The twist gives real decent results with roundballs, but not the BEST results. It also gives real decent results with the T/C "Maxi-ball" (370gns pure lead) and Hornady "Great Plains"(385 gns).
The operative word here is decent. If you want to see "one ragged hole" groups other barrel choices might be better. Plenty good enough for "minute of deer" shooting.

 

[petew]

I think the 1/48 twist is capable of a lot better than Minute of deer accuracy if the shooter does his part. :wink:

 

[54ball]

Agreed....
The 1-48 twist goes way way back. The M-1803s had close to 1-48 twists.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Agreed....
The 1-48 twist goes way way back. The M-1803s had close to 1-48 twists.

Bingo. TC did not invent the 1:48" twist. He wants to try other stuff, his bizness.
But those bullet thingys won't kill and dedder than a .45 prb or a .50 prb and take more lead. Whatever, the economy is bad. If he buys a lot of funny bullets, moulds and lead to play with he will help the economy. That is the main advantage I can see of what he wants to do.

 

[rafterob]

Although I shoot only PRB now, I did experiment with my Hawkin woodsman when I first got it. They have a fairly deep rifling and I found it real hard to get the solid style conicals to go down the barrel. The three banded maxi balls worked pretty good and I found a 2 banded maxi that was easy to load. As said, that PRB is gonna take out whatever you are hunting. Just for your reference, I shoot 70 grains 2f in mine with a .495 ball, Pretty much same POA/POI at 25 and 50 yards with about a 5" drop at 100 yards.

 

[Albertan]

my flinter has a 28" blued octagonal barrel with a 1:48" twist rate would there be any other alternatives but the round ball to shoot

I have a Lyman Deerstalker flintlock, it has a 1:48" twist as well.

I tested out a bunch of different conicals, and found that Lee R.E.A.L. bullets seem to work the best.

Give them a try. You can buy Lee R.E.A.L. bullet molds for not too much, I am using the 250 grain conicals.

 

[BrownBear]

Just trying different things and seeing what shoots the best

Good to try different things, even if the path leads you back to square one. Best of all, it's kinda fun to watch some guys walkin stiff legged with their panties in a knot. :rotf:

 

[chironomidkraut]

my flinter has a 28" blued octagonal barrel with a 1:48" twist rate would there be any other alternatives but the round ball to shoot

I have a Lyman Deerstalker flintlock, it has a 1:48" twist as well.

I tested out a bunch of different conicals, and found that Lee R.E.A.L. bullets seem to work the best.

Give them a try. You can buy Lee R.E.A.L. bullet molds for not too much, I am using the 250 grain conicals.

I picked up some 275Grain Maxi-Hunters that's what they recommended in the gun manual so that's what I went with :grin:
going to blow some smoke on Sunday!
gunna try them out compared to the "ol" patch and round ball

 

[tenngun]

I dont have much use for them long french things,though I know some folk swear by em. Your gun was made to shoot them so give em a try. In the end I think you will come back to prb. The greeks thought the circle was the perfect shape and the sphear perfect in three dimensions, spect I agree.

 

[petew]

Push them hard. I never got good results with maxi's or Mini's untill I was close to a max load.

 

[tenngun]

ow

 

[chironomidkraut]

Push them hard. I never got good results with maxi's or Mini's untill I was close to a max load.

ya it feels like they will take a little bit of grunt work to get them down the barrel

 

[Spikebuck]

Push them hard. I never got good results with maxi's or Mini's untill I was close to a max load.

ya it feels like they will take a little bit of grunt work to get them down the barrel

Slap 'em good with a short starter. Once fully engaged into the rifling, they should be relatively easy to push down onto the powder.

It probably will take a fairly stout load to completely obturate to the barrel and seal the bore upon firing.

 

[petew]

They should start pretty easy if you lube them up good. After they are in a half inch they should push in easy to the bottom. I was referring to the charge when I said to push them hard. Light loads and maxi/mini's don't seem to behave to well for accuracy.

 

[Billnpatti]

To get an idea, but just an idea, for the best length conical for your rifle, you can use the Greenhill formula. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifling

I know this will raise a lot of argument from naysayers so I will include this disclaimer. The Greenhill formula is actually not an exact formula for calculating the exact length bullet based on your caliber and twist rate, it will only act as an approximation and give you an idea of what will work best in your gun. As stated in the above reference, the formula is for calculating the best twist based on the bullet's length. However, all you have to do is rewrite the equation to solve for L rather than the twist rate. If nothing else, it will be a fun math exercise and give you a chance to blow away some of those Algebra cobwebs. :hatsoff:

If you get stuck in rewriting the formula, get back to me and I will give you some help. :thumbsup: