Bullet for TC 1:38

[Idaho Ron]

That is what I am going to shoot...about 90..a little more or a little less.. grains of T7 at 1300 to 1400 fps out of a 1:38 54 cal barrel I am having made, but I have the later through bolt to the trigger assembly model and have also added some strengthening of my own, like bedding the tang face and tang and adding a through bolt on the back screw hole on the tang. I also relieved the screw holding the lock and ensured that the lock is seated correctly.

Having been instructed by a Spanish master gunsmith from Eibar on such things (shotgun sidelock double rifles in heavy calibers) on how to reinforce a sidelock gun, I think I am ok.

But the proof will be in the shooting!

Sounds like a fun gun.

 

[chorizo]

Sounds like a fun gun.

I hope so. With the deeper cut rifling I am getting , it should spin the conicals well in the 1:38 at the higher velocities/powder loads I am looking at.. My version of the Hotrods

 

[chorizo]

I won't need that much juice. Just a nice 50 yard and in deer bullet.

The Hornady Great Plains 385 HP-HB would be a good bullet for that also. even at lower velocities it expands well and engages the shallow rifling well.

 

[Kbrocky]

My Tree Hawk shoots PRBs surprisingly well !

 

[Okie Hog]

Deleted

 

[chorizo]

One of my rifles is a Fire Hawk in .54 caliber with 1:38 twist. That rifle shoots patched round balls like a laser: It has accounted for several large hogs.



What Idaho Ron said.

i've seen six or eight busted stocks on these rifles. Those stocks have slim wrists. Watched two guys on the range destroy a nice Black Diamond stock on their Lead Sled with the first round of a heavy conical.

Told them not to do it.

Much of it has to do with the early design. The two screws holding the tang cause most of the problems. Spanish SxS sidelock double rifles have very thin wrists as do the heavy game/competition shotgun shotguns and don't suffer a propensity to cracking. Even T/C recognized the issue by moving to a through bolt system on later models.

The solution to the issue is talked about in another thread.

TC White Mountain Carbine

Now, if you don't do those mods and have an early screw tang version, you provide wise counsel. Otherwise, with those mods it should be no different than the like Spanish guns of which I speak. They use a through bolt on their tangs.

Rifle Express R-4 Monteria - Arrieta Shotguns Here is an example. Check out the thin wrist on it.

They come chambered for the 458 Winchester and 470 Nitro, both stout shooting guns used in Africa.

 

[chorizo]

But we will find out and I will report back, because I plan on shooting 485 grain No Excuse conical with 90 grains of T7 in a 1:38 twist 54 cal as soon as I get the barrel back from Mr. Hoyt

 

[Relic shooter]

That is what I am going to shoot...about 90..a little more or a little less.. grains of T7 at 1300 to 1400 fps out of a 1:38 54 cal barrel I am having made, but I have the later through bolt to the trigger assembly model and have also added some strengthening of my own, like bedding the tang face and tang and adding a through bolt on the back screw hole on the tang. I also relieved the screw holding the lock and ensured that the lock is seated correctly.

Having been instructed by a Spanish master gunsmith from Eibar on such things (sidelock shotgun and sidelock double rifles in heavy calibers) on what to look for and how to reinforce a sidelock gun, I think I am ok.

But the proof will be in the shooting!

Chorizo is correct concerning need to bed & reinforce the breech area, especially important on thin wristed Rigby styled slug rifles.
In my 50 + years of ML gunsmithing most breaks I've repaired in the wrist & lock areas were caused by poor factory fitting of the tang, breech plug & lock components.
relic shooter
Kuna, Idaho

 

[chorizo]

Chorizo is correct concerning need to bed & reinforce the breech area, especially important on thin wristed Rigby styled slug rifles.
In my 50 + years of ML gunsmithing most breaks I've repaired in the wrist & lock areas were caused by poor factory fitting of the tang, breech plug & lock components.
relic shooter
Kuna, Idaho

@relic shooter I am 5 miles up the road from you, south of the interstate.

 

[gunpa]

Speaking of conicals, if you don't cast your own No Excuses can fix you up with some pretty good ones. They've been around quite awhile. Dave is a big-time smokepole hunter.

 

[Relic shooter]

I hope so. With the deeper cut rifling I am getting , it should spin the conicals well in the 1:38 at the higher velocities/powder loads I am looking at.. My version of the Hotrods

If the rifling in your barrel is deep enough it should produce excellent accuracy out to 125 yds with the right PRB combo.

I shoot mostly big bore original Jaeger rifles that commonly feature one-turn in the length of their relatively short barrels.
They produce exceptional patched round ball accuracy out to 125 yds due to much deeper rifling in the .014-.018 range.
That said, they sure can't compete with the long-range accuracy & velocities produced by British Rigby styled long range slug shooting rifles.

 

[redcarpet]

Speaking of conicals, if you don't cast your own No Excuses can fix you up with some pretty good ones. They've been around quite awhile. Dave is a big-time smokepole hunter.

I have some of his .504 420 grain bullets.

Wanting to shoot a heavy conical from this rifle. I have a PRB .54, no interest in a PRB from this .50

 

[chorizo]

@relic shooter If the rifling in your barrel is deep enough it should produce excellent accuracy out to 125 yds with the right PRB combo.

Not a PBR type of guy. A hunter and I like my conicals.

 

[chorizo]

Chorizo is correct concerning need to bed & reinforce the breech area, especially important on thin wristed Rigby styled slug rifles.
In my 50 + years of ML gunsmithing most breaks I've repaired in the wrist & lock areas were caused by poor factory fitting of the tang, breech plug & lock components.
relic shooter
Kuna, Idaho

I have the tang properly inletted, as well as the lock and trigger assembly. The trigger assembly is glass bedded, the tang glass bedded at all contact points and solidly seated in the stock, both tang screws are threaded into the trigger assembly, the screw channels on the lock and tang are relieved so as not to have the screws banging up against the wood.

If that doesn't work, well it is time to move on to another gun. I surely didn't buy it to toss soft pitch at elk.

 

[redcarpet]

But we will find out and I will report back, because I plan on shooting 485 grain No Excuse conical with 90 grains of T7 in a 1:38 twist 54 cal as soon as I get the barrel back from Mr. Hoyt

I will be following this.