Asking again. Best load for a .50 cal?

[MrMackc]

On my old.KIT built 50 cal percussion CVA Mountain Rifle (SN7000) I found that 85 Gn was best, but 90 to 100 Gn of GOEX FF a .490 cast ball with pillow tick , cut at muzzle. Spit Patch shot well, above 100 Gn of GOEX ff showed unburned powder when shot over snow. I have a new jug of 777 I bought a couple of months ago I will try out as soon as I take it to the 100 and 200 yard range. I always wanted to get a good CRACK! sound for hunting whitetails and coyotes.

 

[Eterry]

Thanks for the vague question... what are we targeting, at what distance are we doing this?

I would recommend getting a copy of Ned Roberts book, The Muzzleloading caplock Rifle and spending some quality time READING it. He goes into great detail about starting loads for target shooting, but remember what works well in one barrel will stink in another.

Also try clicking on the orange box that says Watch... then you can go back to this thread years later. Unless they reformat again.

 

[RATROD56]

Pyrodex is harder to ignite; with the offset nipple blast, it is not a sure thing. I have had to go so far as to open the drum access screw and add 4gr of FFFFg under the nipple to get things going. I don't buy pyrodex anymore. My residual pyrodex gets used up by dropping half the 90gr charge as holy black FFG first then the second half as pyrodex. No failures that way and it cuts down on holy black consumption. Have about 3 more pyrodex rs bottles to get through.

I use 60gr Goex 2fg with .490 ball and .018” moose milk wet patch for targets.
Better half uses 50gr Pyrodex RS with .490 ball and .015” prelubed store bought patches. She can shoot!!
Walk

I have Pyrodex RS "FFG equivalent"

You can buy ten exact same make and model rifles. Each one of them will have a different load, powder patch combo preference. Same with modern rifles and different types of ammo. You have to make the time to experiment to find the load that suits your rifle.

Thank you. PS. I like the Dan Haggerty

When you start a thread you should make a better title as to what you want. Makes it easier to find later. I've answered threads myself only to think of something to add later and have trouble or can't find it again.

Yeah, my problem is, no matter what I title it, I can't remember what it was. I'm still somewhat learning how to use this forum, i dont really "do technology " it drives my wife crazy. I don't even own a cellphone. If it were up to me, I would go back to the 18th century.

 

[RATROD56]

Thanks for the vague question... what are we targeting, at what distance are we doing this?

I would recommend getting a copy of Ned Roberts book, The Muzzleloading caplock Rifle and spending some quality time READING it. He goes into great detail about starting loads for target shooting, but remember what works well in one barrel will stink in another.

Also try clicking on the orange box that says Watch... then you can go back to this thread years later. Unless they reformat again.

Sorry

 

[RATROD56]

Thank you everybody for the great advice. Thats why I love this forum so much. Everyone is always willing to help.

 

[flntlokr]

Im sorry, I know I've asked this before but, I can't find the thread so I am asking again. What is the best load for target shooting a .50cal Hawken, .490 ball, Pyrodex FFG & .015 patch? 75 grains? Again, sorry to repeat a question.

For target poking, I always used 60gr FFG. in my TC/Green Mountain 50. .495 ball cotton duck .013 patch. About 1200-1300 fps. Shot relatively flat through 25 to 50 yd. (point blank), gradual fall-off to about 5" low at 100 yd. It will depend on your particular rifle to some extent. Wet patch, loose enough to load comfortably with a wooden rod.

 

[RATROD56]

For target poking, I always used 60gr FFG. in my TC/Green Mountain 50. .495 ball cotton duck .013 patch. About 1200-1300 fps. Shot relatively flat through 25 to 50 yd. (point blank), gradual fall-off to about 5" low at 100 yd. It will depend on your particular rifle to some extent. Wet patch, loose enough to load comfortably with a wooden rod.

Thank you for helping a newbie

 

[Captndan]

Goex always Pyrodex never. My Hawken flinter 60gr.

 

[Tannehill]

My TC, green mountain barrel likes 70g fffg, .15 pillow ticking cut at muzzle, with .490 RB.

my .45 likes 50 g fffg. Always real black powder.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

What I did was use the Davenport formula to find the max charge the barrel could take without shooting unburnt powder out the barrel and wasting it.
My ole measure was 75gr for under 100 yards, and 150gr for over 100 yards.
(that is what my horn measure holds).
Then I used the formula and found that 75gr was my max charge, at 2033fps.
To the metal pin in the horn is 55gr (1680fps) and is now my under 100 yard load, and the 75gr full horn is the most the rifle can digest.

 

[swamperkk]

Im sorry, I know I've asked this before but, I can't find the thread so I am asking again. What is the best load for target shooting a .50cal Hawken, .490 ball, Pyrodex FFG & .015 patch? 75 grains? Again, sorry to repeat a question.

i have a 50 cal hawkens,,,i was shooting fffg black powder 20 years ago for deer,,now i am shooting pyrodex fffg pistol powder, mini balls,,,never had a mis fire,,,but i am running out of cci no. 11 percussion caps, very hard to find,,,waiting for deer season to start next year

 

[Bon Sauvage]

Should you put in the time at the range I suggest, due to barrel harmonics, you will end up with two most accurate loads: one with a "heavy" powder charge and one with a "light."

 

[Grenadier1758]

Im sorry, I know I've asked this before but, I can't find the thread so I am asking again. What is the best load for target shooting a .50cal Hawken, .490 ball, Pyrodex FFG & .015 patch? 75 grains? Again, sorry to repeat a question.

Answering again. I can't tell you what will be the best load for your rifle. Its as @deerstalkert responded in the second post. Each rifle is unique. You will have to goo to the range and do the load development. We have different assembly lots of powder. Different patch material. Different round ball. Different patch lubricant. Different ways of holding our rifle. You and your rifle will have to just figure it out.

You may need 3fg powder and Old Eynsford. You may need less powder.

 

[jimairwin]

Im sorry, I know I've asked this before but, I can't find the thread so I am asking again. What is the best load for target shooting a .50cal Hawken, .490 ball, Pyrodex FFG & .015 patch? 75 grains? Again, sorry to repeat a question.

I always used and won and hunted with 100 gns GOEX 2fg. Shorter range and casual use can work well with as little as 60 gns.

 

[longcruise]

If you are talking TC Hawken then I would say go with 70 grains and fiddle up and down a bit. I have compare Pyrodex RS to o goex 2f over a chronograph and found it to be near identical. Still, real BP is easier to ignite so it might be worthwhile to try it.

If I were taking your rifle to the range looking for the answer to your question I would take several more samples of patch material in about .018 and maybe 020 along with the 015 and also some 490 and 495 balls. I'd wipe in a consistent way after every shot. I would try all those combos from a bench at 50 yards using 70 grains. I'd shoot a ten shot group with each combo each on it's own clean target. If a combo is too tight to load, fine and good. That's valuable knowledge.

I'd Put some kind of different permanent marker on each type of patching and search those out after each group to see how it is holding up. It would be a big project but to get the answer the only way is to shoot, shoot, shoot.

 

[user 36911]

Pyrodex is actually much stronger than black powder. They adjusted it so volume for volume it's close to the same. However, Pyrodex is way more powerful if compared with the same weight. Black powder will weigh close to the same as it's volume. Pyrodex is much lighter that it's volume. So, never weigh Pyrodex. Always use a volume measure.

With that said. Sidelocks were originally and still are designed for black powder. You'll get better ignition. Keep the nipple and breech channel clean and use a hot cap and Pyrodex will work ok. I still consider it more corrosive than black powder. Black powder isn't as fussy when igniting it.

Personally, I wouldn't use anything but black powder in sidelocks. They just go together like peanut butter a jam.

 

[swamperkk]

I always used and won and hunted with 100 gns GOEX 2fg. Shorter range and casual use can work well with as little as 60 gns.

i don't use ffg anymore,,misfires sometimes,,,i use fffg pistol powder,,,90 grains,,,great for deer hunting,,never a missfire

 

[user 36911]

2F should never misfire in a caplock. It's not the best choice for fast ignition in a flintlock but still shouldn't misfire.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

70gr of Goex 2F is a deer hunting load.

AGREED, but since I target shoot to practice hitting what I'm hunting, my load of 3Fg 70 grains in my .54 rifle is both a hunting and target load.

Pyrodex is actually much stronger than black powder. They adjusted it so volume for volume it's close to the same. However, Pyrodex is way more powerful if compared with the same weight. Black powder will weigh close to the same as it's volume. Pyrodex is much lighter that it's volume. So, never weigh Pyrodex.

I get what you mean, but Pyrodex is simply less dense black powder.
Pyrodex was designed from the beginning to be a 1:1 replacement for black powder by volume. So it volume measures out just about the same to get similar results on muzzle velocity.
Actually, Pyrodex IS a form of black powder. They cut the potassium nitrate 50/50 with potassium permanganate, and then reduce the sulfur, which results in Pyrodex being classified for shipping and storage in a lesser category than black powder, and thus does not need the storage requirements of black powder. That's also why Pyrodex is as corrosive as black powder, and is harder to ignite in a flintlock and some caplocks.

LD

 

[user 36911]

Yup!