Ok you 40 caliber shooters.

[BP Addict]

Mine is a Chambers 40 caliber Issac Haines Rifle. I couldn't find anything but .395 Round Balls and molds so that's what I shoot. Patching is .015 to .018 Pillow Ticking Lubed with Bumbling Bear Grease from October Country. I usually shoot 40 grains for Target work. Surprisingly, an experiment showed that 60 had the same point of impact and would probably work for deer. 40 is the minimum caliber here in Oregon.

Good Luck!

Walt

 

[Crow#21957]

Well thanks appreciate the help. I installed a peep sight on my 40 yesterday evening and made a filler for old sight dove tail. Hard to even find the filler,,looks good.went out about 1:30 fired 3 shots high but much better group. Moved rear peep a little and shot 4th set down some. Still need to sight in after seeing what load it likes 3 shots were 5/8in. The 4th would have been right there with them but I moved the sight. That was good enough for now. I knew I was having a hard time seeing the sight yesterday.

 

[Grenadier1758]

In my Sharon .40 with 1-72 twist, I use a .395 RB and a thin patch made from old jeans pocket material. Great accuracy.

Nothing much better than well washed cotton drill cloth taken from the pockets of well worn jeans. I do worry about cloth getting a bit thin but since it is working, not much more to add. Of course by the time my jeans are worn enough to be used for patching, the cloth is too thin and I would probably need more patching.

 

[ColonialRifleSmith]

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/1202/1/LEE-380-DC

You don't have to buy lead, go to a local tire shop and get stick on wheel weights. Most shops, like Monro or Firestone, will just let you pick 'em out of the scarp bucket for free. Semper Fi.

I use these. They make excellent round ball.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

You don't have to buy lead, go to a local tire shop and get stick on wheel weights. Most shops, like Monro or Firestone, will just let you pick 'em out of the scarp bucket for free. Semper Fi.

I use these. They make excellent round ball.
View attachment 213684

I have used wheel weight metal for casting bullets for unmentionables but will stick with soft lead in muzzle loaders. I want to see the patch fibers have been pressed into the ball.

 

[Reds]

What barrel - gun combo do you have Mr Crow. I may have missed it

 

[Crow#21957]

The barrel I believe is colerain. I found enough markings to figure that out. Draw filing ate the rest. Round bottom rifling.36 in Vincent half stock. Did you see the pics above. My big problem was seeing the sights. With my 42 in. Guns its easier ,,got that rear sight farther out. Put the peepsight on the 40 and done a lot better.I don't shoot comp with any of my guns.Only thing I'm really against with my ml,s is a unmentionable black tube with magnifying glasses built in.LOL

 

[Reds]

Gotcha on that tube. Just got a TC .54 Renegade that had a black tube, removed it and there was a little rust crud underneath but it cleaned up nicely. The mount was a TC that used the original sight holes and the one in the breech so no extra holes. Only problem is the guy can’t find the sight so looks like I will have to find one on ebay. I don’t shoot comp either but love to shoot paper and hunt everything I can with muzzleloaders. Was thinking of a .40 that why I was wondering if your set up. Really would like that Kibler SMR in .40

 

[user 34300]

Watch out for Zinc wheel weights. Even one will ruin all of the the lead for casting purposes. Even after dumping the pot and dipper, any zinc residue will poison the new lead. And, yes lead alloy wheel weights are excellent for modern bullets but not suitable for ML rifles. The alloy will cast larger balls and be to hard to load with the patch. Stuck balls will likely result. You can beat it down with a metal rod but you will have poor accuracy. The patch will tear and the ball can not obturate upon firing.

It depends on where you are located as to freebie wheel weights or any scrap lead. In California it is treated as hasmat. You can not buy or be gifted scrap from a business, like a tire shop or metal recycler. Yes it is stupid.

 

[gustrolland]

I hate to say what I'm thinking about this barrel. Won't mention manufacture. So it's a 40 cal round bottom rifling which I am thinking that's where the problem is buti hope not. One thing I didn't like was having to hit the ball starter with some force. The balls are 396 and patches.016.
I believe a smaller ball maybe
390 and a .018 or .020 patch would be better. Does that sound logical?
So what powder charge and ball and patch do you get accuracy from your 40 cal?
Thankyou very much.
I'm going to start changing one thing at a time to see what I can come up with.
SORRY SUPPOSE TO SAY 40 ABOVE NOT 50

Depending on the gun, can really be a large difference between guns.