Colonial patch/ball

[Mike in FL]

I saw the thread about Kibler's .50 rifles, but I need info on his .54. I recently finished the Colonial in .54. Never had that caliber and I need to order some stuff. I always buy from TOW or Ox Yoke. Anyway, you folks that have a .54 Colonial, what size ball? .530? 535? And pre cut patches. .010 or .015? I know I gotta do my own load testing but maybe someone can help me to not order what won't work. Thanks in advance.

 

[Salty Cracker]

I saw the thread about Kibler's .50 rifles, but I need info on his .54. I recently finished the Colonial in .54. Never had that caliber and I need to order some stuff. I always buy from TOW or Ox Yoke. Anyway, you folks that have a .54 Colonial, what size ball? .530? 535? And pre cut patches. .010 or .015? I know I gotta do my own load testing but maybe someone can help me to not order what won't work. Thanks in advance.

Just my humble experience owning several or more 54 caliber rifles they all shoot well with 80grains FF, a .530 ball and .018 pillow ticking patch. I bet that will be your good starting point and fine tune from there.

 

[Mike in FL]

Just my humble experience owning several or more 54 caliber rifles they all shoot well with 80grains FF, a .530 ball and .018 pillow ticking patch. I bet that will be your good starting point and fine tune from there.

Thank you. Based on that I have placed the order. If I'd doesn't work out, that's on me. I just needed a starting pount.

 

[longcruise]

It's a GM barrel and all four of the GMs I shoot/have shot great with 530 or 535 and #40 drill. Actually, my GPR and tc 54 like the same combo.

 

[duca]

Believe it or not I shoot .520’s out of my .54 Colonial Rifle with great success!

 

[DCAN]

My .54 Woodsrunner seems to like a .530 ball with Irish linen patch. I measured the linen at .010 inches.

 

[Mike in FL]

This is great info. The entire time I was assembling the Colonial I kept wondering what components I would use. Now I got a great starting point. Thanks. All I gotta do now is wait on TOW to deliver.

I know some shooters who have a separate possibles bag equipped with the stuff they need/want for each gun. That way, all they need do is grab the bag and gun that are matched. Not me; I'm cheap. I just assemble my one bag for whatever gun I'm taking. Regardless of caliber, some items are the same.

 

[tenngun]

I don’t believe a ml has a set.
Two identical guns , Jack shoots a .535 with .1,Tom a .527 with .2. And there are lots of combos inbetween.
60 - 90 grains should be your best.
You just have to experiment
That means you have to shoot and keep logs.
Oh darn, I know it’s a lot but sometimes a day at the range is just the cross we have to bare

 

[Grenadier1758]

@tenngun, your patches are a bit thicker than what I use (we know you meant 0.010 and 0.020). Those pesky decimal points simply add confusion. Your point, however, is well taken. Each rifle needs to have the optimal load developed to meet the performance peak for that rifle.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Every rifle has different preferences. Part of this game often involves buying a couple different moulds before settling on a preferred size. With my 45 cal rifles I found myself using .440" for close range off hand matches and hunting. I used a .445" for more serious 'X' hunting and from bench. Choose yer own pizzen.

 

[M. De Land]

It's a GM barrel and all four of the GMs I shoot/have shot great with 530 or 535 and #40 drill. Actually, my GPR and tc 54 like the same combo.

I have a TC I re-barreled with a Douglas in .54 some 30 years ago and it also does well with either ball diameter and shirt felt cut patch at .018 thickness. The .530 of course is easier to push down bore especially after a few shots but neither cuts patches with short starter use.
This gun likes a 90 grain charge of Goex 2F.
Green Mtn. barrels are all I use now because they are made of 1134 barrel quality steel instead of the 12L14 my Douglas barreled .54 is.
I mostly shoot .45 cal now both in Percussion and flint guns for match work.

 

[nuttbush]

In the Kibler Colonial in .54 cal. You can shoot a .530 ball with a .020 patch with good results.

 

[LongWalker]

In mine I shoot .535s using a .019" patch lubed with neatsfoot oil. When using it while teaching newbies I drop down to a .530 ball but otherwise the same. I did polish the crown and lap the bore, which helped ease of loading with both combinations.