Powder charge for .45 cal rifle

[belld416]

I've recently purchased a FIE .45 cal Kentucky rifle from a friend. It has a 32" barrel. I use 3f Goex powder with a Hornady .440 round ball with .010" patch.

I was playing around with powder charges ( 40,45&50 gr) and it seemed to shoot best with 40 gr of powder. Or shooting good for me anyway, any of my guns are better shots than I am. I am shooting between 35 - 50 yds.

After cleaning I noticed much less fouling in the barrel, and loading between shots were much easier with 40 gr.

Is this due to less powder and less fouling and is there a rule of thumb for powder charges as for light charges? I've always used 1 grain per caliber for rifles and half that for pistols.

I was just wondering what is to light of a charge for rifles?

 

[mooman76]

You can run the powder all the way down without a problem, it won't be a safety issue. Won't shoot that good but you can. We often, when we have an ignition problem or forget powder, remove the nipple and put a pinch of powder in to shoot it out so that's only a couple grains.

 

[Leighton]

My .45 has a 1:48 twist. I use 60 grains of FFg for 25 yards, 70 grains of FFg for 50 yards and 80 grains of FFg for 100 yard targets.

One grain per caliber is too light for most uses.

 

[hanshi]

I have a .45 with a 25" barrel that does wonderful things with 60 grains of 3F. I have no desire to change that.

 

[nkbj]

When I was shooting a Kentucky with .44 round ball my load was 65 grains of FFFg.
Cracked like a bull whip and was very accurate.

 

[belld416]

Sounds like I will try more powder the next time I shoot and see how it does. A friend told me that 1gr per caliber was a good starting point. I just never went over that amount, always seemed to hold pretty decent grouping.

 

[bob308]

my go to match rifle for the last 20 years has been a under hammer with 32 inch barrel. the load it likes is 45 gr 3f .440 ball .018 patch. it shoots to 100 yards no problem knocks down a bowling pin at that range. shoots clean also don't have to wipe between shots.

 

[belld416]

Well, that's good to hear. I am shooting a .010" patch in mine. I may try a little thicker patch and see if that tightens up even more. I am no expert by no means, and most of my knowledge is from trial and error. But if I go from 40grs to 50or55grs I don't feel as though its helping my accuracy but only making my bore much dirtier between shots.

Again, I am no expert at these longarms. I only know they are fun to shoot.

 

[mooman76]

Again, I am no expert at these longarms. I only know they are fun to shoot.

In the long run, that's all that matters. Have fun and keep shooting.

 

[William O.]

Sounds like I will try more powder the next time I shoot and see how it does. A friend told me that 1gr per caliber was a good starting point. I just never went over that amount, always seemed to hold pretty decent grouping.

Your friend was correct as 1 grain per caliber is a good starting point, but from there you should shoot a series of 3-5 shots, aiming at the same spot then increase by 5 grains until your groups get really right, then you've found your rifle's "sweet spot" as far as powder charge goes. Each one is different so that's half the fun. Only change one variable at a time and I recommend swabbing the bore between shots to return things to as close to the same way each time. It's only when you've found out how much powder your rifle is most accurate with is when you begin to experiment with patch thickness, lube type, etc. You also don't want to be adjusting your sights if you haven't found the best powder charge. Changing more than one variable, adjusting or even filing your sights will become frustrating real quickly and it's about that time that folks start believing the old rumors about muzzle loaders and give up.

 

[belld416]

What is the best method to swab your barrel between shots? I have been just running a dry patch back and forth a few times every 4 or 5 shots?

This particular rifle is no high end rifle by no means, but it sure is a delightful gun to shoot. I have purchased up several black powder rifles over the past year or so and this is one is one of my favorites.

I think it has a lot of potential, I just have to get all my ducks in a row.

Thanks,
Donald

 

[bpd303]

To swab the barrel between shots use a damp patch with something like windshield washer fluid or even plain spit/water. Do not run the patch back & forth as this will push fouling down, just one pass down & back out.

 

[timothy prouty]

Take a bore mop and moose milk run it up and down about3time's and then take one. Piece of paper towel rip off a piece and fill it up and put on the jag moose milk is made from Murphy's Oil Soap canola oil and water

 

[Cowboy]

I have a couple of .45 long guns. One likes 50 grains of Goex 3F with .018 patch.

The other one shoots best with 60 grains of Goex 3F with .018 patch.

One has a Douglas 32" barrel with 1:75 twist, the other is a Spanish 33" barrel with a 1:66 twist.

Respectfully, Cowboy

 

[William O.]

To swab the barrel between shots use a damp patch with something like windshield washer fluid or even plain spit/water. Do not run the patch back & forth as this will push fouling down, just one pass down & back out.

This is good advice. Swabbing is just that; in and back out, then throw the cleaning patch or swab away. Never ever use a dry patch though as it will get stuck. On the other hand, whatever you use, don't use too much or you'll render the next powder charge inert. Ask me how I know this...... :redface:
Anyway, you're not trying to clean the bore when swabbing, just getting most of the fouling out and returning the bore to as close to the same state as the previous shot. There are about as many cleaning solutions, mixes and concoctions out there as stars in the sky, so first some advice about the material to use. Store bought cleaning patches are about the most expensive items for feeding your muzzleloader habit out there, so just cut your own. Yes, old t-shirts are cheap but in my experience they just aren't thick enough to do what I need so I go to the local fabric store and buy a half yard or more of plain white, cotton flannel. Cut it in squares so it covers the cleaning jag when pushed into the bore but not so big as to bind up and be difficult. About the same size as store bought cleaning patches if you've already got some. Now, whatever fluid you put on the swabs needs to be just slightly damp. If it's dripping then it's too much. Spit will do and some people are happy with it. Some just use water, Ballistol, mixtures, potions and secret family recipes they swore to protect with their lives. Just don't use too much! Ask me how I know this..... :redface: But I digress. I have found that for me, 91% rubbing alcohol is it. Cheap, found everywhere and just plain works. Now, because pure alcohol will pull humidity right out of the air, there's always going to be some water in it. Second, because it evaporates more quickly than water alone it's less likely to kill the next powder charge. It seems to remove fouling better than spit, water or other mixtures in my experience. As with everything, your own results may vary, but being so cheap if you don't like it then there are plenty of other uses for it so nothing wasted. I'm just letting you know what works for me. I get both the material for my cleaning/swabbing patches (cotton flannel) and my shooting patches (mattress ticking) at the local fabric store.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Sounds like I will try more powder the next time I shoot and see how it does. A friend told me that 1gr per caliber was a good starting point. I just never went over that amount, always seemed to hold pretty decent grouping

Yes, the old rule-of-thumb is that one starts with a load matching the caliber, rounded to the nearest 5. So you'd start with 45 grains, a .50 would start with 50 grains, a .54 with 55 grains and a .62 with 60 grains. As folks mentioned you then increase by five grains until you find the very best grouping.

Why round to the nearest 5? Well many of the factory made, adjustable powder measures are graduated in fives...but you could use something like the Thompson Center measure which is graduated in 10's, and round to the nearest zero, and it would be fine.

Now in Maryland for deer, the minimum load is 60 grains of powder in a long arm, so here the starting point for deer hunting rifles or smoothbores is 60 grains. :idunno: I think this is the only state that lists a minimum powder load for deer. As it happens, my deer rifle and my shotguns all like 70 grains of powder; the rifle 3Fg and the smoothies 2Fg.

A lot of folks then when they get that right load, get a fixed powder measure, sometimes called a "charger" for that pet load. Another school of thought is to get a charger in 1/2 that pet load for target shooting. So if your pet load was 60 grains, you'd get a charger in 30 grains for punching paper up close or going for bunnies or squirrels, then dump two loads of powder into the barrel before loading the ball when going for deer.

As mentioned there are lots of swabbing methods. I cut my patches at the muzzle so I use a spit dampened remnant of the patching cloth to swab. Rubbing alcohol is also a good idea, and I like it as it leaves no residue behind.

LD

 

[Flintleather]

I have a 36" Rice that loves 60gr of Goex 3f with a Hornady .440 and a .018 pillow tick patch lubed with BC#77. It will shoot one hole groups at 50yds if i do my part.👍🏼

 

[belld416]

I was able to get out today and put around 20 shots through my .45 cal rifle at 50yds. I started out with 45 grs of 3f Goex for a 3 shot grouping, swabbing the barrel after each shot. I was shooting a 1 1/2" group. I moved to 50 grs and it opened up to about 2" group. Up to 55 grs and it didn't change anything. I was in the same holes from before. I jumped up to 60 grs and it fell very inconsistent, about a 3-4 " group.

The only thing consistent about all the groups that I had shot was I was shooting around 4" to right. I drifted my rear sights a bit and dropped down to 45 grs again. My first shot was dead center of my bulls eye and my remaining shots was 1 1/2 " or less.

For some reason this gun likes 45 grs at this distance. I wanted to take a few 100 yd shots but the forest fires here in Georgia right now prevented me from even seeing that far with all this smoke.

I want to try a little thicker patch as some of you guys have mentioned to see if that will change anything up any. Btw, I was shooting off sand bags from my bench. I wanted to try to keep everything the same while shooting.

Donald

 

[coloradoclyde]

There is always a trade off between power and accuracy...Choose what works best for your needs....

 

[BrownBear]

I'm speculating because it's your rifle and not mine, but I'll give you something to watch for based on me shooting my own guns.

When I've seen that kind of deteriorating accuracy with increases in powder charges, it's usually pointed to a patch too thin. Increasing patch thickness usually ends up improving accuracy on lower charges, while also doing the same as you move on up the scale.

From my prejudiced viewpoint, I'd say you're on the right track in trying thicker patches.

Keep us informed on your tests and results. It's great fun to see how different guns perform, even all the way across the continent.