PRB or Modern Projectiles

[Hatman/2nd line]

I'm a PA hunter and shot my deer a few years ago with a .50 cal RB using 70 gr. of 3f, never moved and the ball went right on through at about 70yrds.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Is there anything other than a PRB for a flint long rifle, do it the old way when you connect the satisfaction is amazing. You just time traveled to the days of our past ancestors, it also makes the woods feel good about you being there to test your skills and not just kill something.

 

[Howard Pippin]

Hi Chase. Seems like we all have a dog in this fight, I have one of them Lyman rifles in flintlock, 1in48. Works good as a compromise, I'm also able to shoot R.E.A.L. bullets from Lee company and Lee also makes a minie ball mold in 50 caliber. Not really important stuff, but I love to experiment so I have tried them all. I think that probably only works well in a 1 in 48 twist. Fact is it has become a very popular twist in many guns. I'm not trying to sell you on it, nothing like that, and it has its limitations for PRB as I can't go above 75 grains or it seems to strip the patch in the rifling. Doesn't bother me a bit as I hunt deer with 60 grains max and sometimes even less. Like everything, there's two sides to every coin. I've tried every patch lube I could use that sounded reasonable. To me that's a part of these kind of rifles, I'm always striving to improve either The cleaning aspect or the accuracy. Otherwise I would do like what I do with cartridge guns. Once they are sighted in with a good chronograph load at maximum Velocity, what more is there to do?
. Squint

 

[Stumpkiller]

Round balls for me. But firearm season comes hereabouts after a month of bow season - so being able to shoot 80 yards instead of 20 or 25 yards seems like a treat.

If you need more - shoot a larger round ball. I like the .54 cal.

 

[jwberns]

I'm probably late to this party but having been in a similar place when I got into muzzle loaders many moons ago, I recommend a patched round ball. In my humble experience the round lead ball takes game with ease and far better than the paper ballistics would suggest. There's nothing magic about them though, and bad shot placement is only the fault of the shooter but the 50 cal PRB is more than adequate. I would recommend you go with the Lyman Great Plains (GPR) and 3f real black powder such as Goex. Only use real black powder in a flintlock. Start with 50 grains and shoot three times, swabbing the bore after each shot. I like to use 100% cotton flannel for swabbing and cleaning that is just barely dampened with rubbing alcohol. Barely dampened too, so that you can't squeeze a drop out of the patch. Swab the bore; down and up then you're done. After three shots, aiming at the same point on the target, increase the powder charge by 5 grains and repeat. You should see your groups get tighter with each increase in powder, not exceeding the maximum recommended amount. Once you've found what your rifle "likes"and gives you the most accurate groups, then and only then should you adjust your sights or change anything else. The only variable you should change at first is the powder amount. For your patch material, always use 100% natural material. Anything synthetic can melt and become ONE with your barrel; and that's a giant P.I. the A. to remove. I've had the best results using 100% cotton pillow ticking. Sometimes it's called mattress ticking but buy it by the yard at your local fabric store. Then before you use it, wash and dry it to remove the sizing or starch. Yes, it will fray around the edges and you'll loose some but that's to be expected. There are literally millions of lube recipes but good old olive oil works great. Again, your shooting patches shouldn't be dripping with oil or any other lube as it will render your powder charge inert or even cause a very painful hang-fire. If you have to make your own mistakes I understand, but take it from uh, a "friend", the hang-fire hurts. If you need to stiffin up your patch lube then add some beeswax by melting the olive oil and BW together in a warn but not hot pan. The poor it into an old empty cap tin or similar container. Then just rub your shooting patch on it before loading, lubed side down.

Last bit of advice; take one practice shot for each yard that the longest possible shot could be for where ever you'll be hunting. For example, my eyes can't focus the front sight clearly on a deer past 80 yards, which would actually be a long shot for most of the places I hunt here in South Texas. So I place my target at 80 yards and take 80 practice shots using the most accurate load combination for the rifle I'm using. For my .54 caplock, that is 85 grains of 2f Goex. For my .50, I use 3f and a lower powder charge. Totally different amount and patch material if I'm using my .62 smoothbore, at closer distances as well. Each rifle is an individual and what works in my .50 might not work in yours. I hope this helps and you have good luck.

William O, you may be late to the party but that advice was well worth waiting for! Excellent examples of all the components needed for a good shot.........a true Texan.

Hope all is well up in the Hill Country!

John in Houston

 

[William O.]

Glad I could help John. You get to have all the fun though, which is just getting out there and shooting. Working up an accurate load combination should be something to look forward to, at least in my opinion. I live kinda at the foot of the Hill Country in the the flat land but most of the places I've hunted are in the Hill Country proper. The Balcones fault line and Edwards plateau is just a short drive away.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Often the new muzzle loader shooter can’t believe that a primitive gun will perform well as it is. The quest to cross breed modern technology that they are accustomed to soon has them trying to reinvent the sport that they haven’t learned. Only the person that will listen will learn.

Extremely well said, Phil.