Maximum combination of propellant & projectile for Investarms muzzleloading firearm

[cgoding]

My manual states that my .54 flintlock has a maximum either .530 RB or 405 grain maxi ball.
I have 430 grain .54 caliber maxi balls
Should I shoot them anyways?

 

[Phil Coffins]

Yes.

 

[Marc H]

I would use the information, as written, in the owner's manual.

Marc

 

[justinoldguy]

My manual states that my .54 flintlock has a maximum either .530 RB or 405 grain maxi ball.
I have 430 grain .54 caliber maxi balls
Should I shoot them anyways?

Yes, your rifle will safely handle any conical within reason. However, Safe and Best are often two different things. I've been shooting muzzleloaders for 50 plus years, and I have found PRB's to be the projectile I prefer by a large margin. When I was young, I got caught up in ballistics charts and ft.lbs of energy, and wanted the most "powerful" load. Now that I am older, and hopefully wiser, I have found that moderate loads are a far better option.

 

[tenngun]

You gun can more then handle the bigger conical. Provided it’s seated well you could run two of those and a double charge and only your shoulder or the guns wrist would suffer
Howsomever all ml are short ranged weapons for quick clean kills. You will find moderate accurate charges behind a ball to be an effective killer in ml ranges
I used to ‘load for bear’ but found out over the years it was just a waste of powder.
A .54 ball on a hundred grains of three f will make two holes in an elk at a hundred yards

 

[French Colonial]

I do not shoot conicals but in modern guns the stability of the bullet is dependent on length of the bullet and twist rate.

The heavier the bullet for a given caliber, the longer it is and the faster the twist needs to be to stabilize it.

Does going from a 405 grain to a 430 make a difference here?

 

[tenngun]

I do not shoot conicals but in modern guns the stability of the bullet is dependent on length of the bullet and twist rate.

The heavier the bullet for a given caliber, the longer it is and the faster the twist needs to be to stabilize it.

Does going from a 405 grain to a 430 make a difference here?

You would have to shoot to find out. TC made its maxie ball in .54 , I think it was 430, and it stabilized in 1/48 round ball barrel.
Today most RB rifles are slower twists 1/66 is common. I had a green river barrel in 1/66 and got hunting groups at one hundred yards with a maxi, I never hunted with it just ran a box to see.