-
Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.
We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.
Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103
THOMPSON CENTER 1 IN 48 TWIST 50 CAL. FLINTER
- Thread starter lonewolf5347
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
Don't feel sorry for me; save your sympathies for another time. I've been doing this gig (i.e. ml) for 39 years and one of my favorites is a 20 year old .54 renegade with the original factory barrel (1/48"). Taken deer, elk (on the run) and a moose with it. Shoots better than I do with .018 lubed patch and Hornady balls (.530)and a Goex 2f charge of 82 grains. Wipe between shots. Makes me a happy hunter and my freezer stays filled each season.
The T/C's I had all did better than 4" at 25 yards but I never got consistent 3" groups at 100 yds either until I went to 66 twist. Swampman you should read Roundball's past posts and see if you can't get better groups - I'll bet you can do better than that off the bench. I get fairly consistent 2-3" groups at 100 yds with the 66 twist when I have a good day. My dissatisfaction with my current T/C stems from the loading difficulties I have after only 3, sometimes 2 only shots. If I dont swab the bore, I ain't gonna be able to load it.
I've already read all of Roundball's posts and it's uncanny but I have always done just about exactly the same things as he does. I clean the gun with hot, soapy water to where it'd be welcome in an operating room. I never used any oil-based anything in it - just Nat Lube 1000. Always used pre-cut pillow ticking patched lubed with Nat Lube 1000. I've varied patch thickness but lost accuracy as I gained ease of loading and I won't make that trade. Tried different ball diameters to the same effect. Tried different powder charges and went down as far as 75 grains of 2 F but wasn't much better. I respect the deer too much to go out there with a light charge and a PRB. Tried 3f powder - no difference. The only thing I don't do is the wads under the patched ball - never tried that but I don't see how it can solve my problem.
Since I've had this problem in two T/C's that I've purchased, you can see why I feel as I do about T/C. I know Roundball feels differently but he is getting the results he expects and I rarely have. I'll hunt one more year with this T/C - I've lapped the bore with steel wool and I'm going to open the touch hole a little and I may try wads. If this lancaster I'm building gives me the results I'm looking for, I will sell yet another T/C and never look back.
Finnwolf
I've already read all of Roundball's posts and it's uncanny but I have always done just about exactly the same things as he does. I clean the gun with hot, soapy water to where it'd be welcome in an operating room. I never used any oil-based anything in it - just Nat Lube 1000. Always used pre-cut pillow ticking patched lubed with Nat Lube 1000. I've varied patch thickness but lost accuracy as I gained ease of loading and I won't make that trade. Tried different ball diameters to the same effect. Tried different powder charges and went down as far as 75 grains of 2 F but wasn't much better. I respect the deer too much to go out there with a light charge and a PRB. Tried 3f powder - no difference. The only thing I don't do is the wads under the patched ball - never tried that but I don't see how it can solve my problem.
Since I've had this problem in two T/C's that I've purchased, you can see why I feel as I do about T/C. I know Roundball feels differently but he is getting the results he expects and I rarely have. I'll hunt one more year with this T/C - I've lapped the bore with steel wool and I'm going to open the touch hole a little and I may try wads. If this lancaster I'm building gives me the results I'm looking for, I will sell yet another T/C and never look back.
Finnwolf
To me, the Oxyoke wonderwads are everything when using full power loads...they provide so much increased sealing that even with stout 90grn Goex 3F loads, I've intentionally picked pillow ticking patches up off the ground and reused them just so I could personally see that they worked equally as well again...they are still so clean (and lubed) when using a tight fitting wad under them that they look and feel new.
In fact, I use the next higher caliber size wad to get an even tighter seal and because they hold a little more lube...58cal wad in .54cal rifle....54cal wad in a .50cal rifle, etc...when I pick wads up off the ground they look like tiny gears with alternating land/groove marks around the edges where pressure squeezed them out past the lands into the grooves....minimizes fouling, keeps the bore cleaner, etc.
:front:
Back in the 1800's a couple of brothers by the name of Hawken made some rifles. They used a 1-48" twist in them. It isn't the rate of twist some much as the depth of rifling that makes some of them not shoot round balls right. But most of the rifles i have owned with that twist were very accurate in both .50 and .54 cal.
It is documented. I don't have the documentation handy, but i'm sure someone here will have it.
Guest
I have shot and owned several TC 1-48" twist barrels all shot excellent,I always load them very tight with a dry lubed patch,I am sure they were accurate enough to win most any match if the shooter was up to the task
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2003
- Messages
- 554
- Reaction score
- 2
If you go to www.hawkenshop.com and read about their Original Hawken kit, it is listed as 1 in 48 twist. I thought that was a misprint when I read it last week, but I guess not.
Robert
Robert
I've owned two Renegades, a Seneca and a New Englander in percussion, and Hawken in flint. All could be made to shoot very well.
My Renegade will do 1" at 50 yards from a rest.
This group is from the New Englander offhand at 50 yards.
84 gr. FFg with .490" cast round ball, 0.018" patch. I had about given up on the New Englander and spent months trying various lubes. Finally found one that worked with a suitably powerful load. The 1:48" twist generally does well with lighter loads, but can be coaxed into fine accuracy with heavier ones if you find the right components. There are certainly better choices for roundball, but some slow twists don't like lighter loads for target or small game. Life's a compromise.
My Renegade will do 1" at 50 yards from a rest.
This group is from the New Englander offhand at 50 yards.
84 gr. FFg with .490" cast round ball, 0.018" patch. I had about given up on the New Englander and spent months trying various lubes. Finally found one that worked with a suitably powerful load. The 1:48" twist generally does well with lighter loads, but can be coaxed into fine accuracy with heavier ones if you find the right components. There are certainly better choices for roundball, but some slow twists don't like lighter loads for target or small game. Life's a compromise.
Similar threads
- Locked
