OK, this may be a long post. Sorry.
I have a T/C Renegade in .54 cal.. The reason why I have a .54 is because I want the larger bullet. I LOVE Flintlock season here in PA., and look forward to it every year. For ever and ever I have been trying to get more knockdown power out of my rifle, BUT, I always shoot deer and end up chasing them and sometimes finishing them off. I HATE that! I have used round balls with patch, two round balls with patch at a time, Powerbelt bullets, cast lead bullets, you name it, I tried it. Still the same results. I am not talking about bad hits on deer either, I am talking about poking holes right through the boiler room and end up chasing deer.
I think the real problem is that I do not have enough velocity to expand the heck out of a big wad of lead and get lots of hydraulic shock on a deer. A big, lumbering wad of lead just plows right through the rib cage without much expansion and shock.
I want to stick with a conical bullet, I do not want to use round balls any more.
I know what you are going to say......that my Renegade has a 1 in 48 twist that is too slow for bullets. Well, I am getting a new barrel made with a fast twist.
I have two choices for my new barrel:
.54 caliber, any twist rate that I choose.
.62 caliber, any twist rate that I choose.
I am thinking the .54 with a 1 in 22 twist may be best.
I want to go with the .62, "just because", but in the back of my mind I somehow think that my problem may not get better, maybe even worse, since I will not be able to drive the heavier bullet any faster.
I am just buying a rifled tube, and doing all the work myself.
As far as conical bullets, I make my own bullet molds, and I can make anything I want. I am a Tool & Die Maker and I own a very well equipped Tool & Die shop.
Your thoughts on caliber and twist to solve my problem?
I have a T/C Renegade in .54 cal.. The reason why I have a .54 is because I want the larger bullet. I LOVE Flintlock season here in PA., and look forward to it every year. For ever and ever I have been trying to get more knockdown power out of my rifle, BUT, I always shoot deer and end up chasing them and sometimes finishing them off. I HATE that! I have used round balls with patch, two round balls with patch at a time, Powerbelt bullets, cast lead bullets, you name it, I tried it. Still the same results. I am not talking about bad hits on deer either, I am talking about poking holes right through the boiler room and end up chasing deer.
I think the real problem is that I do not have enough velocity to expand the heck out of a big wad of lead and get lots of hydraulic shock on a deer. A big, lumbering wad of lead just plows right through the rib cage without much expansion and shock.
I want to stick with a conical bullet, I do not want to use round balls any more.
I know what you are going to say......that my Renegade has a 1 in 48 twist that is too slow for bullets. Well, I am getting a new barrel made with a fast twist.
I have two choices for my new barrel:
.54 caliber, any twist rate that I choose.
.62 caliber, any twist rate that I choose.
I am thinking the .54 with a 1 in 22 twist may be best.
I want to go with the .62, "just because", but in the back of my mind I somehow think that my problem may not get better, maybe even worse, since I will not be able to drive the heavier bullet any faster.
I am just buying a rifled tube, and doing all the work myself.
As far as conical bullets, I make my own bullet molds, and I can make anything I want. I am a Tool & Die Maker and I own a very well equipped Tool & Die shop.
Your thoughts on caliber and twist to solve my problem?