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Ttownhunter said:
What do you guys recommend for 54 caliber round balls and conicals? Everything I have read states that having the right hardness is important for both performance and to minimize fouling when shooting lead.
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For muzzleloaders I always use pure soft lead. When shooting blackpowder cartridges, you can experiment with hardness…I have a LEE reloading book that has a great section on lead hardness and barrel life
 
well, since She has the tag, anything you work up MUST be something she can shoot with comfort and accuracy. shooting a .54 with a Maxie you don't need Magnum power, just placement. Remember you/she is punching a 1/2 inch plus hole in the deer without any expansion.
look at the stream of water coming out of a half inch hose.
If you load that Rene so stout SHE can't shoot it you are wasting time and a tag. mulies aren't bullet proof and if you get inside accurate range that 54 will knock them over. 6302022 (32).JPGthis years crop. don't believe the time/date stamp. i changed the batteries yesterday and forgot to set it.
 
Red Owl said:
The choice between a patched round ball and a conical really depends on the distance you plan to shoot. The greater weight of the conical is better at a longer range. On the concial, such were used in the Civil War and the Hawken rifle was sometimes loaded with a "sugarloaf" ball so PC. All things equal, a patched round ball is hard to beat. On the conical fouling after the first shot will usually require swabbing the barrel in order to seat another conical bullet. On a patched round ball you cannot "overload" on powder but 80-90 grains is plenty. More than that- just burning up outside the barrel- waste of powder. On the conical the WEIGHT of the conical runs pressure way up and there are charts you should consult on maximum powder charges.
Conicals leave lead fouling in the bore. Muzzle loaders were really designed for a patched round ball.
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Personally I’d choose the most accurate load you find in your testing. Try a few different approaches. The TC can sometimes shine with round ball and sometimes with bullets. Neither has a huge advantage on mule deer except that the bullet will carry a lot more energy out yonder.
Ttownhunter said:
You sold me. I think that your exactly right. So to be clear. 80-90 grains of loose pyrodex and dry cloth patched round ball with the excess cloth cut off before seating. Is that the money load in you guys opinion?
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Pyrodex is just fine. keep your rifle very clean and use good quality caps on a hot shot nipple or similar and it’ll light off just like blackpowder. @Idaho Ron is an expert in the use of thi powder in t/c’s. It’s a good strong powder.
 
Hornady doesn't make the Great Plains in 54 anymore. No excuses makes good conicals. I've shot lubed conicals with 110 grains of powder and zero lead fouling. 90 or 100 grains of powder is my minimum for hunting. Triple 7 is much cleaner but Pyrodex lights easier. Both are available here. Unfortunately Holy Black isn't.
 
Brokenbear said:
Not a dry patch ..buy a bag of caliber sized patches and make a small heated batch of 50/50 bees wax and olive oil and thoroughly soak the patches ..press out the surplus and alow to "set up" but leave plenty of lube in the patch
Powder and patch thickness are your steering wheel and throttle in tuning a PRB smoke pole
I'd start the lady with ear plugs n ear muffs at 60 grains standing but with a rest ..then wean her from the rest to standing with a lean like a tree
Don't make her the test bed ...You are the test bed ..you are the one who will shoot from a sitting bench rest and introduce incremental increases to the powder charge and different thicknesses of patching material searching for the gun's sweet spot
What you are looking for is of course accuracy, intact (not shredded) fired patches are your friend
Ideally we're looking for minimum 70 gr of powder (since a hunting load) but would not expect a need for more than 80gr and are looking for end of a beverage can 100 yard accuracy
The hunt ..the seal the lubed patch makes will keep moisture from the powder and a new cap each morning and afternoon will keep the ignition in good shape ..I personally do not recommend clearing a charge during the hunt but do recommend the rifle stay outside the tent/camper or in the back of the truck bed in a weather proof case as rapid temperature change are your enemy
Not trying to be a know all but this worked very well with my wife and I hope your wife has the success mine has enjoyed

Be safe ..happy 4th

Bear
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Thank you
 
deerstalkert said:
I suspect Ttown is Tulsa Ron. he is a NR here. but if'n he is going to let his wife hunt here we will welcome him and her! best memories i have hunting are my wifes Moose hunt!
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Your right. Tulsa, OK. Idaho is a beautiful state. Thanks for the welcome. I hope to hunt moose there one year. If you guys ever decide to put in for the Oklahoma controlled hunts they have a few decent muzzleloader tags for some big whitetails. Not much public ground though. The draw odds aren’t terrible though.
 
Grenadier1758 said:
No, the money load will require patch lubricant. You do want some lubricant in the patch. A patch lubricant of Track of the Wolf's Mink Oil will lubricate the patch and provide corrosion protection while hunting and not contaminate the powder. You could use a dry patch lubricating process where the patch is dampened with lubricant and left to dry before patching the ball. Mink Oil is easier.
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Follow Grenadier 1758's advice and get a tin of TOTW's mink oil. It will work in hot weather or cold. Mink oil is the best patch lube I've found in my 45 years of shooting BP.
 
On the Grizzlies- I was camped on Henry's Fork a few years ago and a ranger stopped by and said grizzlies were knocking over the trash cans at night. A little north, at the Ranch (Harriman) some guy got charged by a cranky griz. So I think they are around. I was by myself and kept looking over my shoulders through the time there. Maybe the ranger was just having "fun" with the outsider.
 
Red Owl said:
On the Grizzlies- I was camped on Henry's Fork a few years ago and a ranger stopped by and said grizzlies were knocking over the trash cans at night. A little north, at the Ranch (Harriman) some guy got charged by a cranky griz. So I think they are around. I was by myself and kept looking over my shoulders through the time there. Maybe the ranger was just having "fun" with the outsider.
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Nope. They take grizz very seriously.
 
Bad Karma said:
Nope. They take grizz very seriously.
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absolutely! they try to monitor the location of all known griz and let those that may have interaction as to where they are. we have coexisted with the griz here for 30 years amicably. cant say the same for the people critters that come around uninvited.
 
I was muzzleloader elk huntin southwest of there with my brother many years ago when we jumped a grizzly off a elk carcass. My! Things got exciting for awhile! Not the first time I've run into one but they can be cranky!🤔
 

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