54 Caliber Rate of twist

[Stophel]

From what little I have been able to gather, 200 year old rifle barrels generally have a much faster twist than they're "supposed" to, with one turn in two or three feet being normal. I have a Massachusetts rifle ca 1820-30, about .58 caliber, and it's been a long time since I measured it, but the twist was somewhere around one turn in 36", or something like that.

 

[jerrywh]

If one does a lot of research he will discover that most those old timers used very light loads compared to what we do today. I think A 58 caliber back then probably use about 58 grains of powder. Those fast twist barrels shot very well with light loads. Why? For several reasons. Powder was not easy to get on the frontier. Game was easier to get close to before people started hunting with scopes and the shorter range shots did not require a heavy load. A long range shooter once told me that all bullets drop. Therefore your sights must be set to compensate for the drop. It doesn't matter what the drop is if your sights are set right. Also if you hit the animal in the right spot it will kill it just as well with 50 grains as it will with 100 grains. It is better to hit an elephant in the heart with a 30 caliber than to hit him in the foot with a cannon.