.530 Ball vs .535

[SinCityPatriot]

I have a T/C Hawken .54 Caplock and was wondering about the different ball sizes. Is there any reason to use one or the other between the .530 and the .535 RB? Can I still use .018 per-lubed pillow ticking patch with the .535?

Charlie

 

[Eljay]

Unfortunately the answer to these kinds of questions is you have to see what the gun likes, especially if you haven't actually measured the bore (they vary more than you might think). That being said I would think a .535 ball and a .018 patch wouldn't be very fun to squash down there.

 

[alrod013]

I have been using a .535 ball with a .15 patch with my T/C .54 Hawken and it was a little tough sometimes to get the ball down. Last time I used a .10 patch and it was much easier. Try a .530 ball with the .18 patch and see what happens. Each rifle is different. Don't think there is a standard answer for any of them.

:grin:

 

[shguns]

.535 is tough to load in mine, even with a .010 patch. I prefer .530 and .018 pillow tick lubed with TOW Mink oil or TC wonder lube

 

[SinCityPatriot]

Exactly what I thought! Thanks for the reply.

 

[stinkyfeet]

Well I have 3 TC Hawkens in 54 cal, each one likes something different and are picky too. See loads below.

54 (Flint) 29 inch barrel
3f 90 grains, .530 ball, .015 patch spit lubed only (Swab every 7 shots)

54 (percussion) 32 inch mowry barrel
3f 85 grains .530 ball, .018 pillow tickling, cva bore lube (Swab when it gets tough to load)

54 caliber (percussion) stock renegade barrel on hawkens
2f 100 grains, .535 ball, .015 ball, .015 patch TC bore cleaner - the blue color (Swab every 3 shots)

So my friend the best advice I can tell ya is get out there try everything and figure out what drives the best groups for your guns. Then write it down, I wrote mine with a sharpie marker on inside lid of patch box (i forget which combo for which gun and had to look to write this) The diffence is from not doing it right with what the gun likes is double the group size. Have fun trial and error and the key word is patience.

 

[stinkyfeet]

Ohhh side note my Lyman GPR I have been to the range 3 times and still havent figured it out yet. Just never settle for close enough, try and perfect.

 

[SinCityPatriot]

Very good advice! Thanks very much.

 

[paul54]

My .54 Lyman Trade Rifle likes a .530 with a .018 pillow ticking patch with 90gr of Pyrodex RS, so far. I just bought it and have had it at the range 2 times.

It does fairly well with a .535 and a .015 cotton round ball patch with 80 gr of the same powder. So far, not as well as the above.

Still working on different load combinations. To me, working up loads for muzzleloaders is like working up loads for the other kind of rifle. Here we are just loading the barrel rather than a brass case.

Hope this might help.

Good luck and be safe!

Paul

 

[mooman76]

I have a T/C Hawken .54 Caplock and was wondering about the different ball sizes. Is there any reason to use one or the other between the .530 and the .535 RB? Can I still use .018 per-lubed pillow ticking patch with the .535?

Charlie

Like others have said it's kind of a try and see thing. The only way I could get 535 down my bore would be with a hammer. I could give you some of both to try if you don't know for sure.

 

[Billnpatti]

You can usually shoot either but you will have to select a thinner patch for the .535 ball. It is one of the fun things a shooter must do to determine exactly what your particular gun prefers. If you happen to find that your gun prefers the .535 ball with, for instance, a .010 patch, you may find that the thinner patches are burning through. If you find that happening, you can load a lubed felt OP wad to protect your patch from burn through or you can use another method and after settling your powder in your bore, add about a 10 to 20 grain volume of corn meal, grits or Cream of Wheat on top of your powder before seating your ball. The cornmeal or whatever acts as an inert buffer between the burning powder and the patch. I know it sounds odd but it is a relative common practice and will do absolutely no harm to your rifle. The cornmeal will get a bit toasted as it exits the muzzle and you may get a few folks asking who's baking cornbread. Anyway, give it a try if you decide on a thinner patch and are getting burn through.

I'll relate a humorous story about using corn meal as a filler in the black powder cartridges for my Sharps .45/120 rifle. I was shooting in a cross sticks match and did not want to take the punishment of a fully loaded .45/120 cartridge. So, I loaded them down to only 70 grains of 3f black powder. You can never leave a void in a black powder cartridge so I finished filling them to the top with corn meal. As I was shooting, the wind was blowing directly back toward me. There were a few guys standing behind me watching me shoot. after I had finisned my allotted number of rounds, one of them asked me "What the heck are you shooting in that gun?" "70 rains of 3f Goex with a corn meal buffer." I replied. "Corn meal, huh. No wonder every time you fired, I got hungry for cornbread." :haha:

 

[daniel collums]

thats about the same as using bacon grease for patch lube,it works and kinda gives a early morning breakfast smell to the smoke. my only problem was the dogs kept eating them before i could inspect them.

 

[Little Wattsy]

I have a T/C Hawken .54 Caplock and was wondering about the different ball sizes. Is there any reason to use one or the other between the .530 and the .535 RB? Can I still use .018 per-lubed pillow ticking patch with the .535?

Charlie

When I made the switch from .530 to .535 I saw my accuracy increase noticeably. I was sold. I can still use .020 patches but prefer .015; but yes .018 will still work with a .535 ball. I would suggest its worth a try to shoot side by side groups and see what you prefer and then go buy a mold.