trying new flintlock

[Napper]

Took my Ten. Mt. out today so see how it would work I only had .10 patchs and 490 balls with 3f powder. The berral was very badly cared fore befor I got it the bottom 1/3 was full of powder and crud took a lot of work to get it clean so I could try to shoot it. Anway was shooting 80 grains of 3f and ball was getting a 3 to 31/2 inch group just a little to the left and on line for up and down.by the way the range was 50 yards. Would 80 grains of 3f be a good hunting load in a .50 cal rifle for ranges of 50 yard or less for deer and elk? wekk have a good day Tom

 

[tnlonghunter]

I shoot a .50 TN rifle also and use .490 rb with .15 patches over 75 gr. Your load should easily do the trick for deer. I've never hunted elk, but unless you're close you might want a bigger bullet. Check out a tighter prb combo. Mine seems to like them a little tighter and I'll be checking out new options here soon.

 

[paulvallandigham]

If y9ou are shooting that rifle off a bench rest, you should be getting smaller groups than that. Try using .015, .018, and .020" thick patches. Lube them with Wonderlube. Clean between shots. When you seat the PRB put a lubed cleaning patch on your jag before you run the ball down onto the powder. You can also improve accuracy by using OP wads, or fillers. These act as gas sealers, and protect that cloth patch from burning, or tearing from that large powder charge. My .50 has a 39 inch barrel, and I shoot a .490 Round Ball, with a .015 " patch. I use a walter's fiber wad over the powder, and lube the barrel after seating the PRB on the OP wad. I can get better velocities with less powder doing this. My target load is 60 grains of Goex FFg powder. My hunting load is now 70 grains of FFg powder, because with the use of the OP wads, and lubing the barrel, velocity was making the balls shoot high about an inch at 50 yards with the old load, of 75 grs. ffg, and NO OP wad, or lubing the barrel.

 

[MikeChapin]

I have three .50 rifles, two that I use for hunting. I use 50 grains 3F for 25 and 50 yard target work and 70 grains for 100 yard and hunting. Below 75 yards the 70 grain RB load will punch through both sides of a deer's ribcage. Eighty grains should be more than enough.

Paul is right that you should be getting much better groups off a bench at 50 yards. You should monkey around with the load, patch and ball combination to see what the rifle likes. Both of those .50s use the same powder load but that is just the way it came out. My Tennesse .50 shoots best with a .024 denim patch and .490 ball. The Mountain rifles likes .018 pillow ticking and a .490 ball. Both rifles will shoot about an inch group at 50 yards. With five shots this usually one ragged hole.

You should mess around with the load and see what the rifle likes best. As Paul said, get some different patching and try some .495 balls also. Your rifle might like them better than the .490s.