.54 Cal Minnies

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Hello, I received a batch of .54 cal Minie balls from S&S. They weigh about 390-392 grains. I was wanting to try them in my T/C Renegade. Has anyone ever tried these? If so, what is a decent charge of FFg powder that doesn’t blow out the skirt? What kind of results did you get? Accurate? Any information would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
I wouldn't go heavier than 70 grains of 2f/60 of 3.
I have a .54 Renegade myself and I like the idea of a good minie load. Sometimes, bear hunting comes to mind, a fast(er) reload is beneficial.
Used to hunt with my repop P53 Enfield .577, using paper cartridges and minies. I could actually get 3 rounds per minute. Best time was 52 seconds, from an empty rifle at shoulder arms.
Good fortune to ye.
 
They are probably .533-535 in diameter so watch they don't pop back up the pipe when ramming or slide down when you aim

They will drop out of the barrel of my Plains Pistol which has a bore of about .543

However, my Euroarms .54 Mississippi loves them
 
Mine were a Lyman 575213OS lubed with Bore Butter, the heat and dip jar version, and 65 grains of 3f Goex or Elephant.
Velocity was 1150 fps with Goex. 1000 with Elephant.
It quickly removed the will to live from 4 deer.
 
Mine were a Lyman 575213OS lubed with Bore Butter, the heat and dip jar version, and 65 grains of 3f Goex or Elephant.
Velocity was 1150 fps with Goex. 1000 with Elephant.
It quickly removed the will to live from 4 deer.
The bag says they are Lyman. I dipped them in the lube I made for my Armi Sport P53 which is half beeswax and half beef tallow. They do fit a little snug with the lube. Would the 65gr FFFg charge equate to approx 70gr of FFg?
 
I was going to suggest not going over 70 grains myself, but you would probably be better off asking the folks who supplied them. They'll have gotten better feedback than you will and probably tested loads themselves. Also, they got a horse in the race in that they want you to buy more of 'em. I've known people to used lubricated fiber wads as well. I can't really say if it helps or not though.

Minie balls were a pretty good idea around the time of the civil war, but they were conceived of with the idea of use in a paper cartridge. I'd suggest at least putting an appropriate thickness paper patch if you don't want to make cartridges. Also, the T/C Renegade has fairly shallow rifling compared to the Springfields that Minie balls were used in originally, so if you get just too carried away with charges, you can certainly blow out the skirt or strip it.

You might also want to check your bore diameter and the diameter of the bullets. Any gunsmith can do it for you at a minimal charge if you don't have the equipment.

Let us all know how things go for you.
 
I was going to suggest not going over 70 grains myself, but you would probably be better off asking the folks who supplied them. They'll have gotten better feedback than you will and probably tested loads themselves. Also, they got a horse in the race in that they want you to buy more of 'em. I've known people to used lubricated fiber wads as well. I can't really say if it helps or not though.

Minie balls were a pretty good idea around the time of the civil war, but they were conceived of with the idea of use in a paper cartridge. I'd suggest at least putting an appropriate thickness paper patch if you don't want to make cartridges. Also, the T/C Renegade has fairly shallow rifling compared to the Springfields that Minie balls were used in originally, so if you get just too carried away with charges, you can certainly blow out the skirt or strip it.

You might also want to check your bore diameter and the diameter of the bullets. Any gunsmith can do it for you at a minimal charge if you don't have the equipment.

Let us all know how things go for you.
Thanks. I happened to see these and thought to give them a try. I have loads worked up with LRBs for target and hunting. I don’t want to sound blasphemous but it’s accurate with saboted bullets. 😳 I could get pin gauges to determine the bore diameter. That’s how I determined what size minies to use in my P53.
 
Thanks. I happened to see these and thought to give them a try. I have loads worked up with LRBs for target and hunting. I don’t want to sound blasphemous but it’s accurate with saboted bullets. 😳 I could get pin gauges to determine the bore diameter. That’s how I determined what size minies to use in my P53.
I shoot sabots in my T/C Renegades and Hawkens all the time, usually with Hornady XTP pistol bullets. It's a silly rule in my opinion, but the SysOp can set the rules he wants as it is his website and not mine. It's a small price to pay for having all this expertise available. I thought I knew my way around muzzleloading pretty well, but I've learned quite a bit just reading the posts here.
 
Hello, I received a batch of .54 cal Minie balls from S&S. They weigh about 390-392 grains. I was wanting to try them in my T/C Renegade. Has anyone ever tried these? If so, what is a decent charge of FFg powder that doesn’t blow out the skirt? What kind of results did you get? Accurate? Any information would be appreciated. Thanks.
When you say minie, are you referring to the hollow base military? Or a conical with a solid base?
The hollow base one may not work very welll in a renagade.
 
Minies are always hollow based. Otherwise, they're just conicals. I'd go with a 60 grain charge of 3f to roughly match 70 of 2.
I just bought a Lyman 542266 minie mold. 425 grains and seems to have a thick skirt for heavier charges. I may have to get a sizer for proper use as my Renegade has a .541 bore. A .539 would be dandy!
No reason a proper sized minie wouldn't work in a Renegade or Hawken
 
Try, you may get good results.
I’m not a conical shooter so have little experience with them. However the renagade was made for its compromise rifeling. Could handle a ball or the maxie. It may be too deep for the hollow base to fill, as it’s made for more shallow rifle groves
The original .54 military was made in a 1/48 twist.
Your problem will be finding the sweet spot where you blow the base enough to grab the rifeling but not blow out the skirt.
The worse that can happen is you get some fun range time playing with the load
I would start in the fifty grain range.
And fifty will be plenty of powder to put paid to deer at reasonable ranges
 
Minies are always hollow based. Otherwise, they're just conicals. I'd go with a 60 grain charge of 3f to roughly match 70 of 2.
I just bought a Lyman 542266 minie mold. 425 grains and seems to have a thick skirt for heavier charges. I may have to get a sizer for proper use as my Renegade has a .541 bore. A .539 would be dandy!
No reason a proper sized minie wouldn't work in a Renegade or Hawken
I have a range report:
Just got back from the range. I was rather impressed. The Minies performed well. I used Schuetzen FFg. CCI magnum #11 caps…The sights are currently set for a 90gr charge of Schuetzen 2F for a 230gr .535 LRB w/ .015 patch; zero at 75yds…. The targets were at 50yds using a 6 o’clock hold.The photo with the two SR-1 targets w/ four shot groups are 70gr (bottom) and 75gr (top). If you look at the top target, the pasted areas are 65gr… The second photo is with 80gr; you can see they opened up little. I eventually want yo zero them at 75yds. They could make an awesome hunting bullet.
 

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You're off to a good start! My mold drops a .545 diameter. Too large, so I'll be looking for a sizer. A .540 and a .538. My bore is .540.
Minie rifles typically have shallow rifling. Originals had progressive depth, starting at .015 in the breech and ending at .005 at the muzzle. Gave the fouling a place to go.The .005- .006 of the 1-48 T/C barrel is fine for minies and conicals. Match the length in relation to diameter to the rifling and have a(n) ( elongated) ball!
The twist rate for rifle muskets, aka 3 bands, was typically 1-78. In theory, not sufficient to stabilize the minie. BUT! The hollow base of the minie puts its weight forward, so it drag stabilizes. Think badminton birdie. As it tries to pitch/ yaw, air resistance pushes it back in line.The 33 inch rifles, usually issued to sergeants, were 1-48. The faster twist fouled more in combat, but sergeants weren't expected to do much shooting. The 1-48 was more accurate though.
 
You're off to a good start! My mold drops a .545 diameter. Too large, so I'll be looking for a sizer. A .540 and a .538. My bore is .540.
Minie rifles typically have shallow rifling. Originals had progressive depth, starting at .015 in the breech and ending at .005 at the muzzle. Gave the fouling a place to go.The .005- .006 of the 1-48 T/C barrel is fine for minies and conicals. Match the length in relation to diameter to the rifling and have a(n) ( elongated) ball!
The twist rate for rifle muskets, aka 3 bands, was typically 1-78. In theory, not sufficient to stabilize the minie. BUT! The hollow base of the minie puts its weight forward, so it drag stabilizes. Think badminton birdie. As it tries to pitch/ yaw, air resistance pushes it back in line.The 33 inch rifles, usually issued to sergeants, were 1-48. The faster twist fouled more in combat, but sergeants weren't expected to do much shooting. The 1-48 was more accurate though.
Funny you mention the rifling depth. I noticed the rifling in the Renegade is shallower than the rifling in my T/C Hawken.
 
They should be the same, or close to it.
Now my Pennsylvania Hunters are a whole other story! They're cut rifled 1-66 and constitute a trip hazard being .01 deep. Even so, they work well with Hornady Pa conicals and Lee 250 grain R.E.A.L.s. Do not forget wads with those! They control blowby in the deep grooves and the resulting leading. Cast of pure lead and launched by 70 grains of 3f Swiss, they obdurate very well.
The Hawken/Renegade barrels are button rifled. .005 is about the deepest practical with the button process.
 
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