Which .54 Cal Conical Mold?

[Swampthang]

I'm somewhat of a newb to muzzleloading though I've owned a couple for years I haven't shot either very much. So bear with me, I'm still learning.

I have 2 hawkens, both 54 cal. both 1/48 twist. One is a T/C, the other a Traditions.

Problem is, because of the popularity of inlines, the only muzzleloading projectiles readily available in my area are sabots . 54 cal has always been somewhat difficult to find anyway and now seems hit or miss at best. I could always order over the net but I'd rather have a local source.

Both rifles shoot the 425 gr Hornady quite well, the TC Maxi almost as well, the Ball-ett wouldn't group for me and I really couldn't get spectacular accuracy from a PRB.

I've learned a lot lurking on this forum, and plan to try some over powder wads with both PRB and conicals. The reason I'm asking about conicals is simply that I find them easier to load especially in the below freezing temps during muzzleloader season and I'll likely end up with a roundball mold anyway. Besides, there simply aren't that many different roundball designs to choose from.

So, I'm planning to start casting my own so I never have to worry about locating bullets. I have a TC Maxi-Ball mold but I don't think that design is ideal for deer. I was wondering if anyone with similar rifles can point me in the right direction as far as choosing a conical mold and also give me some guidance as far as how to pre lube the bullets.

 

[LittleMoe430]

I've had the best luck in my 54 T/C New Englander with Lee's 54-cal,380-grain REAL over a 58-cal Ox-Yoke lubed wad. To lube, I just dip the bullets, twice, into a shallow pan of melted lube. Let the bullets cool between coats of lube. It's quick and easy and puts plenty of lube in the grooves. I shot two deer this season using this bullet over 70 grains of FFFg, so I'm very satisfied.

 

[Mr Hawken]

i have had 2 t/c i being a hawken .50 and one renegade.54 i have found hornady gpb to give the best results.as for a mold i use a lee rb rather than bullets.if your after deer bullets are a little overkill my opinion.what kind of accuracy are you getting with rb?

 

[Swampthang]

what kind of accuracy are you getting with rb?

When I tried the PRB i probably didn't use the best patches. They shot no better than a smooth bore slug gun at 50.

I'm hoping to find a load that makes my muzzleloaders respectable 100 yard deer guns, and as a bonus, show up everyone shooting inlines.

 

[Mr Hawken]

the best i can get is about 2" 3 shot group at 50 yards.at 100 i would say 4" and im doing good.i shoot a lot and i think because of the twist thats the best they will do depending on the shooter.but thats good enough for hunting.if you want top groups try a diffrent twist. for me im going to get a gpr and call that my rb gun

 

[cowpoke1955]

I have a .54 T/C Hawken and plan to use Lee 380 grain REAL bullets in it. I have 2 .54 GPRs (one cap and one flint) that are strictly round ball guns, but deadly accruate to 100 yards.

 

[white_tail]

I have several TC Hawkens (2) caps and (1) flint, I shoot 80 gr. of black with a 490" RB with .015" pillow ticking patches. When I am hunting I use a speed block with the balls lubed and patched. At 100 yards I will match my Knight in line, when I go deer hunting the in line stays in the safe and the TC goes hunting. Do not believe the hype that an in line is better than your TC practice and practice with the TC and you can get the 100 yards groupings.

 

[paulvallandigham]

hawken and Swampthang. Both those rifles, with a 48 in twist, should be able to shoot under 2 inch groups at 50 yards. You are not telling your patch thickness, ball diameters, powder choice, and the amount of powder. If you will share that, we can give you pointers on how to improve the group sizes. We need to know the barrel length on that Tradition to help you there. T/C usually puts 32 inch barrels on those guns, so tell us if its different on your gun.

There a a heckuva lot of members here shooting both guns and use 80 grain of Goex FFFg powder with a .015, .018, 0r .020" thick patch, lubed with any of a variety of good lubes. They get great accuracy at 100 yds.

My Hodgdon Reloading Manual recommends using 70 grains of Goex FFg powder, and a PRB for 1401 fps. I think that is a good target load, as well as a 75 yard deer load. If you want enough power to drive the ball through both sides of a deer, on a broadside shot, go up to the 80, or even 90 grain charges of FFFg powder. The exact choice of powder load depends on how the gun shoots either.

There is absolutely NO REASON that any 1:48 Twist .54 caliber rifle will NOT shoot PRB accurately. As has been indicated above, some of the commercially cast or swaged conicals, like the Hornady bullet, also have outstanding reputations for accuracy in these guns.

Remember: If you are not an experienced IRON SIGHT shooter, it takes lots of practice to get smaller groups using iron sights, even when shooting off a bench rest. A lot of men come into the ML shooting area to take advantage of extra seasons set aside for ML hunters. That's fine. But this is an entirely different ball game, than what you are used to doing when huning with a suppository rifle and jacketed bullets, with a scope on the barrel.I know very few modern gun hunters who handicap themselves with a single shot rifle. Just making that transition is difficult for many men, and is why they decline to hunt with MLers. The fact that you have only one shot, and it has to be good demands the judgment to PASS on a shot that is not optimum, and that includes shots that are beyond your ability to use the sights on your gun to aim correctly, and put the ball where it needs to go.

Most deer are killed at under 50 yards, with both modern and MLing rifles, and shotgun. A lot of men haven't a clue how to measure distance, and could not tell the difference between 50 yards and 50 feet to save their lives. Estimating distance in the fields and woods, is a lot different than doing it in a city. Early in my hunting " career" I actually took a tape measure out with me, to measure distance from my stand to certain trees, or brush, and then used stakes, or blazes on trees to mark my maximum yardage for shooting, in several directions from the stand. In the woods where I was hunting, finding any " lane" that allowed me an unobstructed view of 50 yards was almost impossible. That was an education.

Your desire to be able to beat the guys at 100 yard shoots makes me think you need a good target load more than a good hunting load. We don't have a lot of target shooters, and they pretty much hang around the " Muzzleloading Accuracy ". topic above this one.

I have found that putting either a felt wad, or a fiber wad over the powder( OP wad) protects the patch from burning, and seals the gases well enough to lower the Standard deviation in velocity , which contributes to accuracy in all calibers, using a PRB. You don't need to have a PRB leaving the muzzle at 1400 fps or greater to get great accuracy at 100 yds. In fact, any load over 70 grains should be questioned. The recoil effect on the shooter begins to adversely affect group sizes. I recommend starting at 55 grains for a 100 yard target load, with the correct components, and see how you do from there. If the gun is new, it needs to be fired perhaps 200 shots before it will settle down and shoot well for target shooting. How you clean the gun between shots also affects how well the gun will group.

Don't give up. Part of the fun of this sport is working up the loads, by trying different powders, powder charges, wads, patches, lubes, weighing your balls, changing brands of percussion caps, or flints, etc.

 

[Swampthang]

Do not believe the hype that an in line is better than your TC

When I found the TC, there were 2 54 Cals on clearance. A Remington 700 stainless and a TC Hawken. Both were nearly the same price, I bought the Hawken. I don't understand why everyone thinks inlines are so much better. I guess because the magazines tell them so.

Looks like I might give the 380 gr LEE REAL a go. And pick up a roundball mold also.

 

[omarick1948]

Mr Paul,...You said it all!...(wheeew!..That was alot to read)!... :thumbsup:

 

[shearej]

If you're still looking to mold some conicals, consider a Great Plains Bullet design. You can get that mold from Lyman. I used a hollow base, solid nose Great Plains Bullet on three deer last season with outstanding performance. I was shooting them out of my 1:48 Hawkin flintlock. As far as lubing, I was just using Bore Butter and it seemed to work fine. I'd just lube up a few bullets at home before heading out in the cold.