cabelas blue ridge 54 percussion...

[54MAN]

hey, new to the forum, fairly new to muzzleloaders, but know enough to know i dont like inlines lol. SO, when i was in iraq i went shopping and ended up buying the cabelas blue ridge/davide pedersoli 54 percussion rifle.... now that im back and looking at it im like holy manure... its huge! lol so... does anyone have any tips or general info about this gun, or how it shoots? so far ive got some pyrodex RS, a powder measure and FINALLY found a synthetic range rod long enough for it cause the wood one seems a bit on the weak side... now i just have to find some caps and i should be good to go... and if you sighted it in did you have to file alot off the front sight?

 

[RC]

lil brother jus bought one..he was usin goex 2f 80 grains an used a .520 rball, cause the 530's went down hard with a thick patch .20 ...filed off a bunch on the front site..got it shootin pretty good group,good nough fer deer huntin..he'll try it again, soons he gets a lil time afore huntin starts..

 

[cowpoke1955]

I have a .45 Blue Ridge flinter that is a great shooter. When I sighted it in I had to file a lot. The front sight has a slight taper to it, so as you file it gets wider. I finally replaced it with a silver blade from Track of the Wolf. Here it is: http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(5...=14&subId=167&styleId=762&partNum=FS-TC-HB-TH . It also looks better than the factory front sight. I started with a .54 GPR percussion and shot 80 grains of Pyrodex RS and a .530 ball. I switched to Goex FFg, because it ignites better and surer than Pyrodex. Both of my .54 GPRs take .530 balls, but my .54 T/C Hawkens has a tight bore and takes .520 balls. You can also get them at Track: http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(5...atId=2&subId=25&styleId=58&PageSize=25&Page=2 . Welcome to the forum and welcome home :hatsoff:

 

[Zoar]

The mighty 54 is a fantastic caliber!

I have not shot a blue ridge but it looks sweet.

You need to get patches and I would start with .530 round balls.

Wonder patches are great for beginners. They are lubed and make the first effort less complicated and more reliable.

Also a ball puller is always good when you're just beginning. (A small screw-tip that attaches to your ramrod and can be used to PULL a ball from the barrel in the event you goof up and need to retrieve the ball.)

Also, and I am NOT an ultra purist, however, really, the very best powder for traditional flint or percussion is real BLACK POWDER. GOEX works great and is cheap. Get some 3F. The experience shooting a more traditional gun is also heightened with REAL Black Powder. The sound is better and the smoke is way better and I think the ignition is much better as well.

And yes you will need to get those percussion caps and then you are on your way. Enjoy!

I would shoot it a few times and experiment with powder amounts (80 grains to 120 grains, let's say) before you break out your file and start lopping off any metal.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

I second the advise to not be too quick with the file. Initially anywhere on the paper is OK as you'll be looking for groups size. Only after you have found what it likes for best groups will you then want to get the groups centered.

 

[TXnorton]

I have a flintlock version of the Cabela's Blue Ridge (Pedersoli Frontier) in .54 cal. My shooting buddy has the same rifle. First time out with his he was shooting FEET low at 100 yards. To lower the front sight, we filed and filed and barely got on paper. Then I purchased mine and we had the identical results. I have now bought two different front sights from DGW (one Hawken and one Kentucky) both have lower profile silver blades in brass dovetail bases. I plan on trying these out this week-end. By the time I would have filed down the original front sight enough to get on target at 100 yards, the width of the front blade (it is tapered in cross section) would have more than filled the notch in the rear sight. The replacement front sights are only $5-$6 each at DGW and if I need to file these, the silver blade will be a lot softer and easier to file than the original steel.

 

[Zoar]

Good advice there.

Oh by the way, you really want to get a 54 caliber cleaning JAG to put on your ramrod. (Regular buy-em-anywhere square cleaning patches work great for me) It makes cleaning these barrels so much easier!

Otherwise, with those few items mentioned above, you should be able to get started shooting this thing and being able to take care of it.

 

[cowpoke1955]

Another thing to get is a good range rod. The wooden ram rod that comes with it are not up to par. I got my range rod from Dixie: http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_99_320&products_id=1303 . You can load, clean and it even has a ball puller. Very nice thing to have :thumbsup:

 

[54MAN]

wow, thanks for the info... i sure hope i dont have to take that much off the front sight... and the 54 jag, new i was forgetting something... went to cabelas the other day and they didnt have anything for a 54... no jags no brushes, ended up getting a 28gauge brush that might have to work with a reg cleaning rod....

 

[54MAN]

and thnks for the dixie site, i now have the proper jag, brush and i went ahead and ordered the silver sight so if i do have to file alot ill have it ready.... again thanks for all the advice

 

[TXnorton]

As a follow-up to my earlier post, don't even try to file that front sight. Go to Dixie Gun Works and order Part #EP0405, the Kentucky silver blade front sight. I installed this in place of my already significantly filed down front sight on my Cabela's Blue Ridge (Pedersoli Frontier) flintlock on Friday and I shot it on Saturday. Elevation was spot on at 100 yards. I was shooting .530 round balls with .010 patches (for the first 40 balls for break-in) and then .015 patches with 100 grains of Goex 3Fg.

The brass dovetail on this sight was not a tight press-fit. So once you are centered, you may need to use a center-punch to dimple the brass (sight) dovetail near (but not at) the barrel dovetail cut to make the fit-up more secure. I did 4 hard "dimples" two on each side of the blade, as my frst attempt left the dovetail a little too loose when I was shooting.

 

[cowpoke1955]

I put my silver blade sight upside down in a vise and peened the bottom edges of the base. This will give you a tight fit in the barrel dove tail cut. Also, you won't take a chance of damaging or marring your barrel. Works for me :thumbsup:

 

[Zoar]

so 54man----any update on your shooting? Did you get to try that new 54 caliber out yet?

 

[54MAN]

not yet :shake: im still playing the waiting game, i need a day off and for the stuff i ordered to come in.... i should be getting 7th and 8th off but if my stuff doesnt come in i wont be able to hit the range for another week... soooooo we will see...

 

[Billnpatti]

Most muzzleloaders come with excess front sight and you have to file off what ever it takes to get you on target. If you wanto to do a small calculation to figure out how much sight to file off, you measure from your rear sight to the front sight and write that number down. We'll call that number "A" Then calculate the number of inches from your muzzle to your target and write that number down. We'll call that number "B". I'll assume that you have fired enough shots at that range to know where your POI is. So the next number that you need is the distance you want to raise your POI. Write that number down and we'll call that number "C". Okay now take A and divide it by B. Then multiply that number by C and you will have the number of thousandths of an inche you need to file off the front sight. :thumbsup:

 

[rkite]

Have not seen one but I think you have made a great choice. The slow twist barrel is perfect for round balls. I have a Lyman great plans in .54. I use a .530 ball, .018 Ox yoke pillow ticking for patch and 80 grains GOEX FFF powder. The load is a bit stout but works well for hunting and target shooting.

 

[Billnpatti]

I was just re-reading my answer and I realized that I forgot to include one bit of advice and that is to not remove all of the metal from your front sight that you calculated. Stop a bit short and leave a little bit extra to be filed off at the range. When you go to the range, take a fine mill file and ease off the last few thousandths as you shoot and determine that you still need to raise your POI just a bit. The possible problem in removing all of the front sight off that you figured, you could possibly end up hitting higher than you intended. It is easy to remove metal but pretty hard to put it back on. If you file it too much, you will have to buy a new front sight and start all over. Also it leaves no room for charge development. Before removing that last bit of front sight, take time to try different powder charges to see which one gives you the best group. Once you have that, you can finish dressing a few more thousandths off your front sight until you have a nice tight group in the X ring. :thumbsup:

 

[Zoar]

54man--- I hope all your goodies came in. I started into muzzleloaders not long ago and am having a blast. I also started with a 54 Caliber and think it is a great choice. I have a Lyman Flintlock and can get ragged holes at 50 yards, standing/field position, using the iron sites it came with. I hope you are as equally amazed at the accuracy of your 54 cal. After bow season I intend to go with this 54 caliber flintlock for all of gun season. My advice is just shoot the thing and vary the powder. Again, I hope you pick up some REAL Black Powder. My 54 caliber loves 80 Grains of 3F Black Powder behind a .530 round ball.

 

[yakfisher]

A couple of other things you might want to consider instead of filing your sight. You can install a rear peep sight. I would drill the hole out a little larger and paint the drill hole flat black so you don't get reflection. Also raising and lowering your load amount can make a big difference in POI.

 

[cowpoke1955]

Never seen a peep sight on a Blue Ridge. I think it would look a little out of place. Once you settle on a load and adjust your sights (filing the front and drifting the rear), you are set!