r.e.a.l. bullets

[rawhide]

cool!!!!! should I aim for the shoulder or behide it? read a book lyman 4th muzzleloading. said most conical hits should be in the shoulder becuase of expantion is poor with conicals. I don't know all the elk I got with great plains bullets were off the tip of the shoulder blade. and they went strait down. longest shot was at 80 yards or so. the recovered bullet realy didn't expand much. but I didn't have to track a wonded elk all over gods counrty. just wondering on shot placement on a bear cuase if ya wond it you may become his dinner.

 

[texcl]

personally I shoot the shoulders, every bear I've seen shot in the shoulders went down quickly. I use a .560 (.58) patched roundball and 80grns. for all my game now. Never recovered a ball, I've used 90grns in the past with the same results. Bears aren't as tough as elk.

 

[DarenN]

Sounds as though your rifle is one that might profit from experiments with lubed felt wads over the powder. One of my 54's was just like your 50- wouldn't keep them on the paper. Still haven't taken any game with a REAL, but I'm sure impressed with the groups with the felt wads now. As good as RBs at 50 and better at 100.

this advice really hit the mark! (pun intended)
i cut some felt wads with a 9/16" hollow punch, as well as some leather ones. very impressed with the groups i got with both felt and leather. better than PRB groups i've been getting.
my rifle seems to like heavier charges so i went with 80 grains of 777 FFFg behind the 250g REAL.
2" high and holes touching at fifty yards. off the bench. i am well pleased!
thanks for the advice! :hatsoff:

 

[E Poffinbarger]

Rawhide:

For what its worth, I too started out with the .54 REAL, but then I fell in love with the "looks" of the very pointed, hollow based, thick skirted .54,(.542) 425gr Lyman-Minie.

:rotf: Even though they group excellent and have horrific knock down power, there is one rather nasty little draw-back, "recoil"
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee165/Osage_2007/Jul1301.jpg

 

[Idaho Ron]

I am not that wild about the REAL bullet. 50 yard groups are great but open up at 100. My twist is 1-28 andd they shoot sub 4" at 100. Not quite what I am looking for. Paper patching the REAL is not a real option. The tappered design just is not the right over all way to go.
If you want a great shooting paper patched hunting bullet. the Lee C-501-440-RF will get it done. You will need a 1-28 twist, but I know my buddies TC white Mountin Carbine will shoot them and it is 1-32 or 1-38 I can't remember.
They shoot great out of my GM barrel. Ron

 

[BrownBear]

Sounds as though your rifle is one that might profit from experiments with lubed felt wads over the powder. One of my 54's was just like your 50- wouldn't keep them on the paper. Still haven't taken any game with a REAL, but I'm sure impressed with the groups with the felt wads now. As good as RBs at 50 and better at 100.

this advice really hit the mark! (pun intended)
i cut some felt wads with a 9/16" hollow punch, as well as some leather ones. very impressed with the groups i got with both felt and leather. better than PRB groups i've been getting.
my rifle seems to like heavier charges so i went with 80 grains of 777 FFFg behind the 250g REAL.
2" high and holes touching at fifty yards. off the bench. i am well pleased!
thanks for the advice! :hatsoff:

Glad it worked for you, and thanks for the come-back.

I've worked up the most accurate load with the 440 grain 58 cal REAL in my TC Big Boar and a TC Hawken with a custom barrel. Both "insist on" using the wad for accuracy, but want lots of velocity (as in 120 grains of Goex 2f) for best groups at 100 yards. And both rifles are light.... Holymoly. :shocked2:

Lately I've done a little shooting with the LEE Improved Minie (478 grains in 58 cal). It's at least as accurate, and I think I'll like the big wide meplat better than the REAL for performance on game.

Okay, truth time. It delivers accuracy as good or better than the REAL using only 80 grains of 2f!!! :rotf:

 

[DarenN]

a little history.
i bought my Investarms Hawken .50 in 1991 brand new. a guy i knew at the time gave me a big bag of 360 grain maxi-hunters and said to shoot them with 100 grains of RS. not knowing any better, i did so. got a couple deer with 'em. quit hunting and all my guns just sat in the safe.
so a couple months ago i decided to blow the dust off her and try to get a load worked up that was just a bit less brutal to shoot, and yet be target accurate. i picked the 250g REAL as a starting point. bought the mould, then found youse guys, then learned to cast, then bought a .490 ball mould. learned more about casting. :v
now i'm looking at other moulds, and the improved minie is looking like it might want to live at my house. the target minie is also calling, but so is the .495 ball mould. my rifle seems to like fat patches; so i figure maybe a bigger ball.?
guess i'm hooked! :surrender:

 

[YoungGunner]

When You cast your own conicals, what kind of lube do you buy to fill those rings? I'm told that the lube helps reduce lead fowling and so Now I'm curious.

 

[William O.]

I cast .54 380 grn. real bullets for my hakens. rifle they shoot touching groups off the bench. with .90 grns. of rs. haven't gotten any thing with these yet. any one else shoot these? and have you gotten any thing with them. how did it do.

I have used them in my .54 and .50 with pretty good results, accuracy wise but have not yet been able to put any game in my sights yet, but think they would do a good job. Best to cast them from pure lead.

 

[rawhide]

I use wonder lube or bore butter. both work good.

 

[BrownBear]

Yeah, those lubes work fine. So does Crisco. But lately I've become real lazy. On the recommendations of someone here I switched to LEE Liquid Alox. Just slosh the whole conical around in it, pull it out and let the lube harden. Lots easier and lots less mess.

 

[E Poffinbarger]

YoungGunner:

I used to use "White" brand bullet lube, which is actually blue, with a very strong wintergreen odor.

Therefore for hunting, I make my own which is a 50/50 mix of Mink Oil leather treatment and unscented candle wax, which stays in the lube rings very well.

:rotf: And of course does not leave a smelly vapor trail through the woods and/or produce wintergreen flavored meat.

With regard to barrel leading, a highly polished bore will have less fouling and/or lead accumulation, while maintaining more consistent accuracy.

Osage

 

[buttonbuck]

I have the Real mold in 54 I liked how they shot so I bought the mold I was wondering if the exit wound gave an indication of its expansion? I never even got hollow points to expand on deer as they are what they are thin skinned animals. Accept for a shoulder shot that expanded.

 

[rawhide]

on elk they expand very little BUT enough to drop elk in their tracks! :hatsoff:

 

[buttonbuck]

good to know if I ever go for a hog, elk, or bear or something big and gristly I may opt to cast some reals for now in illinois I stick with prb I got my first prb deer last year it went in 54 cal came out 150+ cal

 

[DarenN]

just remember to take them to the range before the hunting grounds.
mine wouldn't hit the paper at 50 without a wad behind them. even at 25 they sprayed like a shotgun.
with both felt and leather wads i got good groups at 50 yards.

 

[buttonbuck]

I shot some at 35 yards and they did well with them with goex 3f and wonder wads.

 

[DarenN]

the wads made all the difference for me. (thanks guys!)
switching to T7-3F (from p-rs)also helped tighten up the groups.

 

[William O.]

the wads made all the difference for me. (thanks guys!)
switching to T7-3F (from p-rs)also helped tighten up the groups.

Always good to hear that!

 

[rawhide]

well gang I tried something differnt last week.same real .380 grain bullet. with 80 grains pyro P. wow what a shooter! didn't do any paper shooting thuogh but I was hitting old pop cans at 80 yards! leaves a big hole. then I shot one filled with sand HOLY SH..! blew the can to bits. then I shot one in to the sand bank didn't expand as much as I thuoght they would. but still enuogh to get the job done. oh and the lead is close to pure.