Loads for a .58cal Fusil

[40calFlintlock]

2017! I am finally going to zero-in my rifled .58cal Fusil. It is a TOTW kit that I had built a few years ago. However, before I start, I am asking for any help from members that have the same rifle.

I am looking for loads: grains, granulation, patch thickness, and round ball diameter, that when benched, will place 3 shots within a 6inch circle at a range of 50yds.

My bucket-list goal is to use it for elk. :thumbsup:

Thank You! :hatsoff:

 

[Zonie]

Most Fusil's are smoothbore but I notice TOTW offers a rifled .58.
I assume this is barrel one you have?

Obviously, I don't own one but if your barrel is rifled, for starters I would use a .570 diameter lead ball and a .012-.015 thick patch lubed with a thin lube like Stumpkillers Moose Juice.

I also lean towards using 2Fg powder in the big bore guns so maybe 70 grains would do the trick?

If the patches show signs of ripping or burning thru going to a thicker patch might help but because your barrel is new the corners on the rifling are probably sharp.
You might want to do something to dull them up a bit.
If the patches aren't showing any distress, don't forget to try going to some heavier powder loads.

Somewhere around 90 grains of powder under a .570 ball will be more than enough for deer or elk.

 

[Spikebuck]

I am looking for loads: grains, granulation, patch thickness, and round ball diameter, that when benched, will place 3 shots within a 6inch circle at a range of 50yds.

If you have a rifled barrel, you are setting your goal way too low to be happy with 3 shots in a 6" circle at 50 yards when benched. You should easily be able to attain much better than that with some load development. Clover-leaf groups at 50 and even 75 benched would be a good goal. This will give you a little more "latitude" when in the field and you don't have a bench.

Start with the load Zonie advised and then play around with 5 gr increment changes of powder charge. You might try thicker patching, or even a .575 ball.

 

[excess650]

I don't have that rifle, so don't know the particulars of the barrel.

My .58 is a 1-56" twist Getz. I generally feed it .562 in .025" duck or .570 in .018" pillow ticking, and up to 100gr fffg Goex.

Do yourself a favor and work with it until you can hit clay birds consistently at 100 yards.

 

[smoothshooter]

6" groups at 50 yards with a rifled bore should not be difficult, because many SMOOTHBORES are capable of that.

 

[40calFlintlock]

Thought about 100yd shooting, but dismissed it. I'll go for it. Thx for the patch & ball diameter combinations. What charge would be recommended to get good groups at 100yds?

 

[Spikebuck]

40Cal: A number of recommendations have already been given, so not sure what you're looking for.

START by experimenting with some loads at 25 yards to 50 yards. At 25 yards benched you should be getting pretty much a ragged hole with 5 shot groups. When you have that, shoot at 50 yards. It will open up a bit, but if you have the right patch, ball, lube, powder combo, you will have a bigger ragged hole with 5 shots. When you get that, move to 75 yards. Maybe it won't happen all the time, but you should get groups where pretty much all the shots are touching or very close. Let's just say 2" to 3" for the heck of it. Move to 100 yards. The combination you started with and got a ragged hole at 25 yards may have to be tweeked, but in the end, the best you can do at 100 is your load for all yardages. You may need to hold a little higher at the extended yardages, but you have set up for the best group you can get.

No one can tell you what that is for your gun. You need to experiment to find the best load for your gun. It takes time and effort and cannot be avoided if you want your gun shooting the best it can. :idunno: Maybe I'm missing what you want.

 

[40calFlintlock]

Thanks for your reply.

I was looking for someone who has a specific load combo that gives them a tight group at 100yds. With powder at $25/lb, I didn't want to start with say 60grs only to find out I should've started at something like 80 - 85grs.

Well, when the weather breaks in NE OH, I'll be at the Log Cabin burning powder, working a load for 100yd shooting!

Thanks again everyone for your comments. :hatsoff:

 

[Grenadier1758]

What most of us have learned while shooting and sighting in our rifles is that even if we have the same gun as someone else, barrel make, lock and trigger, use the same source for our lead ball, same brand of powder, source of patch lubricant and patch material, the load particulars will be different to obtain the tightest groups.

The best method to tighten the group at any distance is practice. AS you practice you determine the optimal load procedure for your rifle.

So one person's load of 90 grains of 2f Old Eynsford pushing a Hornady swaged ball wrapped in 0.022" thick canvas patching lubricated with mink oil may not produce the same sized group when fired from your rifle. The differences in tolerances in the materials or you can't find the same brand or lot number of powder make all manner of subtle differences.

 

[40calFlintlock]

Darn it! You know what this means??? I'll have to spend the better part of the summer shooting.
Sigh :grin:

 

[Grenadier1758]

Well, you don't have a very difficult requirement to meet for accuracy of a 6" group at 50 yards off a bench rest. Your rifle should be capable of a 2" or less group.

An elk load with your 58 (0.570" ball wrapped in 0.020" mattress ticking, lubed with spit, mink oil, or Murphy's oil soap) round ball of 90 to 120 grains of GOEX 2fg should go into 6" off the bench. Go ahead and try it. Then its time to get in more practice for improving your group. Remember to change only one component of your load for each group.

 

[mooman76]

With a bit of work you should be able to nail it down in a day or two barring any problems. A little longer for the ultimate accuracy you can get out of it.

 

[40calFlintlock]

In 2010, when I was earning my Graduate degree, I took a class in Design of Experiment and used that to sight-in my 40cal flintlock. The results gave me the powder load, ball diameter, and patch thickness where I can now clover leaf 3 shots and cover the hole with a Nickel, 25yds benched. However, before the class, just 'plinking' 60 grains was showing me the most consistent grouping.

Properly done, the same sequence has to be performed 3X then the results put through MiniTab to find the optimal combination.

As stated earlier, I don't want to waste $$ starting at say 60gr, through say 80gr, when I should've started at 90gr.

Shooting will commence when the weather is a little bit warmer in NE Ohio.

I do sincerely thank all members who responded. :hatsoff: