Round ball & Patch question

I am gonna start shooting a Lyman (Cabelas) Hawken 54cal. 1-48 with roundballs and my question is what size ball and what thickness patch should I try for starters with that barrel. Then also, what ball and patch should I try when my Green Mountain 1-66 barrel arrives(same rifle). Thanks. the RB shootin

 

[roundball]

Usually, with items being built to industry specs, most rifles out of the box shoot the nominal sizes pretty well, with a .530 ball and .015" patch being the middle of the road nominal sizes for a .54cal.
Then if need be, experimenting / tweaking can be done with different size balls and/or patches, etc.

I started with .530's and .015" cotton patches, got fine accuracy, then experimented with thicker/stronger .018" pillow tricking and the groups seemed to tighten a little more so I sayed with that.

Either should get into the bullseye with a .530 ball and something like 50-70grns FFFg or FFg for targets

 

[Rebel]

I would buy a box of .530 and .535's. Then some pillow ticking and some #40 drill cloth from JoAnns fabrics. If after shooting both sizes of ball you find one is more accurate than the other, you can always use the left overs from the size that isn't as accurate for plinking. My .54 cal. Cabela's Hawken did better with the .535's though.

 

Fairchase

Question! Where are you finding Green Mountain 1-66" barrels? I know where to get 1-70s...... just curious! I like to store information like that for other future posters lookin' for one!

I heard the T/C aftermarket barrels will fit the Cabelas, Navy Arms, Lyman & Pedersoli. The only place I know that has one (1-66") is T/C's #1 online dealer...[url] Fox-Ridge.com[/url]. But I think they only offer it in 58-caliber. I almost bought one. At the last minute, I decided to change to Track Of The Wolf's 1-70" that's longer than Fox's 26 & 28" version. The Wolf GM is 32". I'm really pleased with it... so are 3-4 other regular posters.

 

Sorry, my mistake it's a 1-70 twist.

 

well,, dis-regard my freinds "roundball" and "triple seven" posts from above, they mean well but don't own that kind of rifle. I do.

The Cabelas Hawkin by Investarms/Lyman has a nickle plated bore.(aka;chrome) now it's late and i'm tired,,but i'll tell ya,, for what you think it's worth..535 ball and an ox-yoke .020 prelube patch will get you close,,,thet rifle likes tight!
Put that over 75grs(or a bit more) of a hot swiss 2f/1.5 or T7 2f and you'll begin to see the potential,,,,if you use goex or pyrocrap forget it, you'll never learn and be wasting your money.

Think really tight prb,, and hot powders. I follow Dutch.

p.s. T7 ya old gimp!! I finally went and got new cloth!! want sum?? pm,,,,

 

No more gimpy-me Tacks! I'm walking fast, straight & no limp these days. Those new Duracell pLastic hips are space-age stuff. How's the bum, repaired knee doin'? I'll bet you ain't walkin' straight yet.. eh? Might be another month before that happens eh?? I'm practicin' uszin alot of ehs' in my vocabulary cuz the wifey & I are goin' to Canada to visit for a spell in August.

I retired that Shenandoah to the family house wall & I'm shootin' 58-cal Buffalo Ballets 380s and 315 grain Warren Minies in my Renegade 1-70" so I really don't need any of your linen. I'm uzin' a .005 patch with the Minie cuz' if I don't they plop right down the barrel with no stick to push em'. I don't suspect ya' bought sum .005s did ja'?

However, despite all this, don't use that Wally World garment all up cuz' things could change overnight. You see.... Ol' Trip-7 actually bought a tin can of FFF Goex the utter day & I'm trying it out today or tomorrow... depends on when the lovely ol' wifey lets me.... lol. If I needz sum, eye'll email ya... tanks for askin'.

 

[buckknife]

Trip ya bounced back fast,thats good.Didnt know ya old gezzers were so resiluant. ::Har Har...Really its good it came out good for you.
A can of goex!!!!there may be hope for you yet /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gifAnuther rb gun an real black.Hmmm only one thing missen. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

The knee repair is slow goin. I'm back ta work after 5 weeks and doin most other stuff, but its a "pain" if I do too much or do too fast! Gonna try to keep the O.E.M installed as long as possible though. Family history proves after-market parts do work,,but I'm a traditionalist :haha:

That's a good idea using 05's to snug-up them bullets. I had the same trouble with REAL in my gun when I tried'm, they dropped right down! gave-up prb works for me and there's little need for improvement

BTY; if your goin to canada, it's not "eh". The proper enunciation is "ahy" (french venicular) the term should end with a question like sweep of tone,,,thanks fer staying in touch,,see ya round,,

 

[NoJacketRequired]

Hey sumtacks,

Not all Canadians are or ever were french-speaking. In fact the french speaking portion of the population is less than a third of the national population. That having been said, I can vouch for the proper pronunciation of "eh", having travelled all across this great country and to many of its norther and southern extremes. In Quebec you'll hear the "ahy" to which you refer, but not always, and especially not in the Montreal area where other cultural influences have diluted the french accent. In the maritimes it's a much shorter sound but one which is used often with great regularity, while in the west it's pronunciation is highly variable, depending on the region from which the individual's family emigrated. The truest form of "eh" is used in the north where the inutitut language has made the "eh" into an almost gutteral sound somewhere between "uh" and "ugh". This word is used with astounding accuracy to pose a question, to seek confirmation, to acknowledge another statement and to undeniably exclaim. From what I'm lead to believe the fabulous Canadian "eh" is slowly making its way into the vernacular of the northern states of the US.

Not bad for a little two-letter word, eh? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif