conical bullet loads

[tcsmokepole]

I have a T.C. Renegade in 58 cal. I have always used roundball for all of my hunting. I would like to try a conical but so far I have'nt been able to get very good accuracy with any. I have always loaded 100 to 120 grs. of Goex 2F. Should I load a lighter powder charge? The lighter loads-80 to 100 grs. are pretty slow with heavy conicals. Would those lighter loads still be effective for hunting? I've shot every commercially available conical I could find too.

 

[Plains99]

You may need to drop down to around 70-75 grains of FFg and work your way back up until you get your best groups. I've found that T/C's tend to do best with Maxi-Balls and Maxi-Hunters. Yes, you will probably end up with a lighter powder charge than you are used to using. The massive .58 bullet weight is supposed to make up the difference and it does to a point. The problem is that your trajectory is going to be much greater than you are familiar with as well. You may want to sight in as high as four inches above the bull at 50 yards to get 100 to 120 yard groups within a six inch radius. A .58 conical load is effective however and a wonderful 70 - 90 yard knock out hunter.

 

[tcsmokepole]

I tried 80 grs. of Goex 2F with a 525 buffalo bullet the other day. I got a group about as big as a fifty cent piece with that load. I'm going to try that powder charge with the maxi-ball next. Thanks!

 

[Rat]

So why not stick with that load...sounds really accurate.

Why are you going to a slug??

A slug has more range, or more retained energy at longer range. For 100 yard shooting seems like a round-ball will kill just as well. A slug will give you more penetration at shorter range, a ball a little more "smack" as it will expand.

I'm just curious...I like shooting slugs, and have two .58 minnie rifles. However my main hunting rifle is soon to be a round-ball rifle. (.62" Jeager)

Rat

 

[cayugad]

I have a .58 caliber roundball Green Mountain Barrel on my Renegade rifle. It likes 100 grains and a .570 roundball. The down range energy is fantastic.. just what I was looking for in a hunting load. I did some wet newspaper tests and was very impressed with the penetration and expansion power of the roundball in test I conducted at 50 yards.

I have also shot some Warren 315 grain minnies with acceptable accuracy. Another load to try is the big 405 grain hollow point Buffalo Bullet Ball-et. These with 85 grains of Goex FFFg have produced excellent accuracy. They sure have a good downrange ring when they go through the sand trap and hit the steel backstop...

Actually if I were shooting 120 grains of FFg and a roundball out of that rifle I would not be worried no matter what I was hunting. The power in that load is more then enough to do anything in North America if you can place it..

good luck with your rifle.

 

[tcsmokepole]

I was just hoping to get one of those big conicals to group well. Every deer I've shot with a 58 has been with a roundball. As to penetration, I've put a 570 roundball lenghtwise through a whitetail before. Can't ask for penetration than that.

 

[noah]

I shoot a .54 with a 1 in 30 twist.i use 90 gr 2f goex and a civil war style minnie.exceptional accuracy out to 100 yrds then the weight takes over.Contact[url] bluegrouseblackpowder.intranets.com[/url] Bruce will send a sampler of every kind of conical lead bullet you can think of.Try em,if you find one that really gets her done,order some.He will cast,size and weigh the rounds and send em.He's real reasonable and the sampler will save you a bunch of money buying all those different types of rounds just to experiment.Ya can't get a better deal than that!!!noah :redthumb: