What is the preferred .58 cal. musket target load for the North-South Matches?

[Rokon]

Sometime back on the Forum , I seemed to remember that an experienced N-S shooter recommended a "magic" load of around 47.0 grs of FFG.

 

[dave951]

Depends on your gun. But in general terms, mid 40s of 3f, sometimes 2f. Always pure lead minies sized to about .001 under bore size. Caps will be mainly RWS and some Schutzen. Lube will vary but it won't be Bore Butter or anything petroleum derived.

You also have to remember that as musket bores vary, so do tuned locks. In short, there is no "magic load", only a set of guidelines that are proven to work.

 

[dave951]

And yeah, I'm an active N-SSA competitor and muzzleloading instructor

 

[hawkeye2]

I was typing a reply when Dave posted and I was going to say about the same thing so go with what he says. It's all about load development so forget about the magic wand.

 

[Rokon]

Well, Dave's mention of the mid-40's confirms what I remember. That's a great departure from the 60-grain CW load.

 

[dave951]

Well, Dave's mention of the mid-40's confirms what I remember. That's a great departure from the 60-grain CW load.

There is a difference between 2 and 3f. When working with 3f, cut charges by about 10%, meaning 45g of 3f is about equivalent to 50g of 2f.