.58 Carbine 3F Recommendations

[Condahaw]

.58 Hawken Hunter Carbine 22" 1:48 arrived the other day. I will shoot mostly round ball and wonder if FFFg may be a better choice of powder over FFg due to the short barrel. Better/faster/more complete ignition of powder per given volume? I am thinking of starting with about 70 grains FFFg and adjust accordingly. What do ya'll think?

 

[bkovire]

i shot my pards58, he was loading 3f 50g and one big slug,we were shooting 50yards at paper mind ya, but it was a fun rifle and load too shoot, hunting load, 90g 3f, we all use 3f a the club i shoot with and 4f as well for the flint's. :thumbsup:

 

[BrownBear]

In my 26" and two 28" 58's, 3f definitely performs better than 2f. 2f is good in my 36" 58, but since 3f is just as good there, I use 3f in all four of them.

My "go to" charge with RBs is 90 grains. If I was shooting lots further or bigger game I might up it, but I'm keeping my deer shots inside 75 yards. That charge is accurate as sin in all of them, using .562 balls, pillow ticking and mink oil grease.

 

[Titegroups]

Made it back to the range today, pulled the nipple and trickled some powder in and put it back together, pulled the trigger, and a big bang, there was powder under that ball after all. Put several more balls through it and seems to be fine. Thanks for all the advice from everyone, find the muzzle loaders to be enjoyable to shoot after a steady diet of cartridge guns. I will be adding more to the collection.

 

[nkbj]

.58 Hawken Hunter Carbine 22" 1:48 arrived the other day. I will shoot mostly round ball and wonder if FFFg may be a better choice of powder over FFg due to the short barrel. Better/faster/more complete ignition of powder per given volume? I am thinking of starting with about 70 grains FFFg and adjust accordingly. What do ya'll think?

I think you got a fine idea.
Please yell back about how that 48 twist shorty barrel works out. Sounds like a nice combination.

 

[Condahaw]

Thanks for the replies! I will give that FFFg a go and keep you posted.

 

[Swampman]

I use 3f in everything. I have for years. It's cleaner and you can use less to get the same velocity. My Brown Bess prefered 90 grains of 3f.

 

[Condahaw]

I use 3f in everything. I have for years. It's cleaner and you can use less to get the same velocity. My Brown Bess prefered 90 grains of 3f.

Thanks Mark. I'm coming around to those facts. The 2F I was using in my .54 a couple of weeks ago sure fouled the barrel fast. I will use FFFg for it as well from now on.

 

[paulmarcone]

Right now I use about 60 grains of Goex FFG for my Armi Sport 2-band Enfield.

If I switched to 3FG, how many grains would be equivalent?

I have about 6 to 8 cans left of FFG, so it will be a while until I would make a switch...if I was inclined to do so...

 

[BrownBear]

The rule of thumb is to reduce by 10% or so, so about 6 grains. No one is going to call the cops if you round it to 5 and shoot a 55 grain charge, I bet.

 

[Joel/Calgary]

The rule of thumb is to reduce by 10% or so, so about 6 grains.

The 10%-15% rule of thumb is fairly often said to work nowadays, but things can vary quite a bit with the individual firearm & load. When I first got interested in BP in the '60s, the most common rule of thumb was to increase charges by ~1/3 going from 3Fg to 2Fg (which is equivalent reduce by ~1/4 going from 2Fg to 3Fg) to get the same velocity. This was with references ranging from the 19th century into the '50s, and naturally varied with bore size, barrel length, and other such variables. Whenever I examine the data in loading manuals and the like, where both granulation are tested with the same barrel & projectile, I find charge differences between 3Fg and 2Fg ranging from something less than 10% to nearly 50% to get the same velocity, but the average increase is in the 1/4 to 1/3 range. Naturally, the pressure is higher with 3F, and IIRC the heavier the projectile for the bore size, the greater the difference (but this memory is somewhat sketchier). Getting the same velocity does not necessarily give the same POI at a particular sight-in distance - barrel harmonics, recoil, and such can come into play - which may be why the 10-15% rule-of-thumb seems to work so frequently. I don't have a chronograph, and I've never shot enough comparisons to say anything from personal experience.

Accuracy is a separate matter. As has often been said, accuracy may or may not be significantly different with different powders. Every gun has its own preferences, and some are fussy while others are not.

Regards,
Joel

 

[Swampman]

It doesn't really matter. Just use the amount of 3F that's most accurate. Frequently use the same amount and I can't tell any difference on paper.

 

[badpenny]

i pretty much use 3f for everything too