Bore twist

[Salty]

Can anyone suggest how I might find the twist in the bore of my Hawken?

 

[Coolhand]

Push a patched jag down the bore. See how much the ram rod twists in reference to how far it was pushed. It will probably be 1:48 or 1:66 or so

 

[Justin.44]

Here's a video from Bob McBride that should help you determine it.

 

[Salty]

Push a patched jag down the bore. See how much the ram rod twists in reference to how far it was pushed. It will probably be 1:48 or 1:66 or so

Excellent idea. Thank you

 

[Salty]

Push a patched jag down the bore. See how much the ram rod twists in reference to how far it was pushed. It will probably be 1:48 or 1:66 or so

I’m trying to determine if I can shoot mini a maxis. I have read that I can only if it’s 1:66

 

[necchi]

"remove"

 

[necchi]

I’m trying to determine if I can shoot mini a maxis. I have read that I can only if it’s 1:66

Well ya got that backwards,,,, go back and read again.
But to find your twist rate, read this;
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/measuring-rate-of-twist-in-your-rifle.51176/

 

[david w]

I’m trying to determine if I can shoot mini a maxis. I have read that I can only if it’s 1:66

You really don't want faster than 1:48 when shooting Minnies. Slower twists are meant for round balls. The longer a bullet gets in relation to the diameter, the faster it needs to rotate to keep it stabilized in flight. Round balls have little sectional density, so it requires little rotation to keep it stable. Diameter also makes a difference. The larger a ball gets, the slower it needs to turn. The rule of thumb is 1:48 in small calibers up to about 40, and around 1:66 for a 62 caliber ball.

 

[nchawkeye]

Is it a production gun or a custom? What is the depth of the rifling ???

If the rifling is deep (.012-.015) then it's made for a patched round ball, if it's shallow (.06-.08) then it is made for minies, maxies, etc...With deeper rifling, the flair of the skirt won't fully fill the rifling grooves...Whereas patches grip better with a deeper groove...This is one reason why some report problems finding the sweet spot with shallow groove production rifles...Custom round ball barrels are much more forgiving when it comes to powder charges...

 

[Salty]

Found that my bore is 1:48
Rifling is .014
It shoots round balls well at 25 & 50. Haven’t tried 100y.

Am I correct in assuming that this bore probably would not shoot minis very well?

 

[david w]

Found that my bore is 1:48
Rifling is .014
It shoots round balls well at 25 & 50. Haven’t tried 100y.

Am I correct in assuming that this bore probably would not shoot minis very well?

What are you planning to hunt with Minnies? Many moons ago, I shot a white tail deer with a 58 cal Minnie. I quickly found out, NOT NEEDED!

 

[Des52]

Found that my bore is 1:48
Rifling is .014
It shoots round balls well at 25 & 50. Haven’t tried 100y.

Am I correct in assuming that this bore probably would not shoot minis very well?

I don't know about minis but it probably will shoot a maxis or real type bullets. My 1:48 shoots both roundballs and maxis good.