Twist

[Michael76]

Hello All ,
I have a question concening barrel twist . I am new to BP but not to shooting , I plan on hunting White tail this year and I shoot a Maxi ball and have a new Traditions Springfield Hawkens 1/48 twist and has a 28inch Barrel. Is this rifle suitable for hunting with good enough punch at say 75-100 yards and accurate enough?

OR should I be looking for something such as the Lyman Great Plains Hunter with a 1/32 twist and a 32 inch barrel?

Thanks in advance fo the replys

 

[Pete Gaimari]

You'll knock them dead with that gun.

I have an older version of your gun with a 1:66 twist and plan on using PRB to hunt deer at the same distance.

 

[Zonie]

Welcome to the Forum.

IMO you should be using the gun you have, NOT the Great Plains Hunter.

The barrel on your gun is capable of shooting the slug you mentioned or a patched roundball.

The faster twist Hunter pretty much limits the projectiles to slugs which have several disadvantages. They cost much more than roundballs, they cause greater recoil which is not conductive to accurate shooting and they only beat a patched roundball at ranges out over 100 yards. With Iron Sights, shooting accurately at ranges over 100 yards can be a problem for many (although they won't admit it until you show them their targets).

Assuming you are shooting a .50 caliber gun, a .490 diameter roundball weighs 177 grains and because of its size it will easily take a deer out to 100 yards with a 70-80 grain load of powder.

The slug you mention will also easily take a deer at that range with a similar powder charge.

Speaking of powder charges and because you are new to muzzleloading let me say that one of the first mistakes made is to try to make a muzzleloader shoot like a modern high power rifle.

With this in mind they want to load as much powder as they think they can and then they wonder why the accuracy is poor.

When it comes to muzzleloading, accuracy is everything and a given muzzleloading rifle will have one or two powder/bullet or powder/patch/ball loads which are very accurate so it is wise to shoot as much as you can to find these loads.
These accurate powder loads by the way are almost never above 100 grains of powder.

The thing that is needed is to take your gun out and try several powder loads. Using slugs or patched roundballs I would start at 60 grains (in a .50 cal) and shoot 5 shots at 50 yards. Then bump it up to 70 grains and shoot 5 shots.

I'm betting that 90 grains will be too much and the group size will open up but it is worth trying just to see how well the gun shoots.

As for powders, black is the best by far but it is sometimes difficult to get locally. You have to ask for it at any gun store because they cannot have it out on a shelf like the synthetic powders.
IMO, Pyrodex, then 777, then the "other" powders should be used in that order.
You cannot use pellets in your sidelock with any reliability. Loose powder is the name of the game with these guns.

Before you load, "pop" a few caps on your gun to make sure the nipple/flame channel are clear.
Then, with the hammer at half cock and no cap on the nipple, pour the powder charge down the barrel. When the bullet/ball is rammed the air under it will be blown out thru the nipple, blowing some of the loose powder back thru the flame channel to the base of the nipple.

All muzzleloading guns MUST be cleaned after they have been shot. Even delaying for one day can cause rust to form in the bore.
Also, those synthetic powders that claim to not need cleaning are full of BS. They all leave fouling that will attract moisture and cause rust.

I'm sure you will have more questions and that is what we are here for. We will be happy to answer anything you ask.

 

[hanshi]

I'll just add that I took deer for years with a cheaper Traditions model than the one you own. All were one shot kills with prb. The prb is a much better killer of deer sized game than a slug/conical. A twist of 1-48" is not that fast and will usually fire prb very accurately.

 

[cowpoke1955]

I'll second everything Zonie said. One thing I'd like to add is to replace your nipple. Traditions' nipples are not the best made and have been known to crack or break. Replace it with a 6 X 1mm nipple like the Spitfire: http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=5868 . The last thing you want as you pull the trigger on that buck, is to find out you have a broken nipple. Hope you enjoy the sport and your rifle for many years to come :thumbsup:

 

[Pete Gaimari]

"is to find out you have a broken nipple. "


Sounds painful.

 

[Michael76]

Wow Zonie , Thank you very much , yes it is a 50cal , I have never shot ball I didn't think that they where accurate, I'll have to give it a try. Thanks Again

 

[Pete Gaimari]

You could feed the world with game killed with a PRB. :wink:

 

[Claude Mathis]

You could feed the world with game killed with a PRB. :wink:

:thumbsup:

 

[CaptainKirk]

+1 on everything previously said.
1:48 is ideal for either PRB or conical. Personally, I hunt with hand-cast Lee REAL bullets in my Lyman Trade Rifle, .50 cal 1:48 twist. I would not hesitate to use PRB if I ran out of REAL's.... :wink:

 

[nkbj]

Once you find out the load your rifle likes be sure and bench next to someone that can't zero the scope on their hypersonic copper slinger. The reactions are frequently an interesting exercise in human nature.

 

[tiger955]

Years ago I was working up some loads for my new Green Mountain barrel in my old TC flinter. When I set my target up at 100 yds the old guy next to me with his super-duper mag was giving me a hard time saying I'll never hit that with a old flintlock. He was watching through his spotting scope as the first shot hit just outside the bull. He was saying it was just luck, even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes, etc. Second shot... Oh my gosh, that one is touching the first one, no one is that lucky, etc. Third shot... nice cloverleaf, the old guy was speechless, I mumbled something about having to tweak the sights a little someday, and packed my stuff up. The moment was too priceless to spoil with another shot.
BTW... I have never done that again, a cloverleaf at 100 yds!

 

[Michael76]

:bow: If I ever shoot a Clove Leaf with my rifle at 100 Yards , I'll be posting it all over here !!!

 

[rafterob]

I have the woodsman model, but otherwise basically the same rifle. Change that nipple out right away! It will break sooner than later (unless Traditions has finally changed nipples). I have shot conicals but stick with round balls now. Nice accuracy either way and I would not hesitate to shoot a whitetail out to 100 yards with either projectile.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

Too Funny! :thumbsup:

 

[jrmflintlock]

With enough practice and patience and persistance with finding the right load for your smokepole and you can do it too! My hunting partner shoots an inline with them pellet powders, a scope and a powerbelts and he is always amazed that my .45 and/or .54 flintlock with loose powder measured in a antler measure under a patched roundball prints a nicer pattern than his inline all day long! we Both make meat but somehow I think I'm having more fun than Him! You tell me why..

I'll have him hunting with a real smokepole before too long!!!!

He is already itchin to kill a turkey with a smoothie!!

Good Luck to You!!!!!

[url]
http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx108/jrmflintlock/2010Bull.jpg[/url]

 

[CaptainKirk]

Nice trophies! You should be proud...you done good, pilgrim!