Its not a question of " tolerable". I have an article on this forum about controlling heavy recoil, which came about as a result of a skinny 11 year old kid shooting a Springfield .45-70 Rifle in .45-70 using original Semi-smokeless powder behind a 500 grain bullet. That short Length of Pull, and steel buttplate made shooting that rifle an " Experience" at that age.
The REAL Question is " WHY "? Why load 145 grains of powder in this gun behind anything?
I don't want to hear anything about "Trajectory" flattening out. Not with a .62 caliber RB! I don't know anyone who can hold that gun well enough with open sights, shooting that load, who can POINT the difference between the POI for a more reasonable powder charge, and that heavy charge. Maybe with a high power rifle scope, off a rest, it might be possible to take advantage of that flattened "Trajectory", but not with iron sights.
If you do penetration testing, that HUGE ( 3/4 oz. lead ball is NOT going to be denied, hitting any game on the planet, even if you use ONLY 90 grains of BP behind it.
If you go to conicals, the weight of the bullet simply increases, and its an even heavier Freight Car you get moving with a reasonable powder charge, that has a better BC, but still crashes through anything it hits. My testing with the .45-70 cartridge, and a .45-140 Sharps convinces me either will kill, and at considerable distances, shooting conicals, because of the weight of the bullets. Its putting them on target that is the problem, at any distance over 150 yds., using iron sights.
Recoil DOES become a serious factor for any shooter- even using my system-- in trying to use IRON SIGHTS to shoot small groups at any long range.
Then, add in wind direction and speed, and worse, gusty wind, or changing winds, Iffy and unpredictable lighting conditions, and shooters soon learn that getting CLOSER to the game is the "secret" to shooting any OPEN SIGHTed Mler. When that range is reduced to 100 yds, or less, all the so-called justifications for using those heavy loads( I normally hear about) just don't make much sense any more.
African Game? If you read the historical accounts of the famous African hunters 100 years ago, Yes, they used very large bore guns stuffed with LOTS of BP. The guns kicked them on their butts when they fired them. But, they weren't trying to shoot Elephants, or Cape Buffalo out at 150 yds, or more. No,instead, they were inside 35 yards, and often as close as 15 yards! The Double Guns those Professional Hunters used then( and some still use) were regulated at 35 yards! A 50 yard shot was a very long shot for them. No one was putting MORE powder in their guns to " Flatten Trajectory" back then.
Please, think in terms of Drams of powder. a dram is equal to 27.3 grains of powder. 3 drams is roughly 82 grains. In the heaviest Magnum loads fired in modern shotguns, a 3 1/4 dram load is a HEAVY load. That's 89 grains of powder, approx. 145 grains of BP is 5.3 Drams of powder, by comparison!
A modern gun has a CLOSED BREECH, and the powder contained in a strong cartridge casing, that gives added protection to the high pressures generated by these load. Your FLINTLOCK, on the other hand, has a HOLE in the back of the barrel, venting to the right side, over your pan, that allows all that pressure to begin escaping out the back, where your hands and face are located.
I don't doubt that the guns, New, are well built, and will handle those heavy charges. But, for how long?
I am not a believer that TH liners are going to blow out with heavy charges, unless they were poorly installed, but I have been hit by enough flint shards, and hot gases shooting my flintlock, and being within 6 feet of someone else who was shooting his flintlock, to not want to be around that vent when a gun is fired. Heavy loads just send out more burning gases, and flint shards fly further.
My gunsmith has made several .62 caliber Flintlocks, and regularly shoots one he has kept for himself. I discussed the caliber with him at length before he made my 20 gauge fowler for me. I have discussed it even further since I got my fowler, and wanted to compare my experiences with my fowler, to his rifle. He shakes his head, and laughs when he hears people stuffing heavy loads in those rifles. Its just not necessary. He has, over more than 40 years experience shooting MLers, and building them, learned how much front sight to hold over a target to hit a deer at unconscionable ranges with his guns. I promised him not to repeat some of the ranges he has killed deer at with his .62, because he doesn't want inexperience and unseasoned shooters even attempting such shots. If we had not known each other since the Mid 70s, when he was still a Teenager, I doubt he would have discussed those ranges even with me. His point was to assure me that a normal powder charge will push a .62 caliber RB through a deer at much longer ranges than we should attempt to shoot at any deer using open sights.
Most shooters today don't, and won't, spend the time to learn hold over, or " kentucky windage" iwth open sights. I read lively discussions on this forum every Fall from members looking for Peep Sights, to put on their MLers. Some because their eyesight is failing with age, but others because they are looking for an " edge" for shooting at longer range game targets.
Its not something you learn easily as a shooter of any kind of gun. The low cost and high quality of scope sights today make it much " easier " for us to grab that laser range finder, and then " Dial in" that scope sight for that long range target.
I have shot revolvers at a club range next to men sighting in their " Scopes", using open sights, and shooting at cans at 100 yds. The rifle shooters were having trouble hitting the cans with their scoped rifles, and became indignant when I hit them with a handgun bullet. [My experience is NOT unique among members of this forum.] These same guys are also furious when you shoot small groups with Any MLers, but especially if you are shooting a flintlock! They storm off the range in disgust, and envy!
Please, stick with loads in the 90-110 grain range with a .62 cal. RB, and lower if only punching paper targets out to 50 yds. That 110 grain charge is 4 drams. It should be enough to kill any animal you might hunt on this planet, with authority, provided the recoil does not prevent you from placing the ball/bullet where it needs to go. Bigger is not a substitute for accuracy. :shocked2:
:surrender: :hmm:
