Which are better ball for Lyman plain pistol 1 30" Twist

[Idricus]

I would like open a short discussion about Plain Pistol 1:30" twist and better bullet or ball for this long barrel twist tipology.
I've read that if you want better accuracy, short twist ( for ex 1:12 ) work better with light bullet like 160 - 180 grs, while heavy bullet want long twist like 1:18.

So i would like to undestrand your ideas about better bullet for the very long twist of Lyman Plain Pistol ( 0,50 or 0,54 ).
Thanks
Davide

 

[rafterob]

1:20 to 1:30 are pretty standard twist rates for Black powder round ball pistols. The production pistols are all designed to shoot round balls primarily.

 

[BowerR64]

I understand the theory of the twist and everything like that but from gun to gun i dont seem to shoot one or the other any better.

The gun i shoot the best is the one with the best trigger. If its a heavy trigger hard to pull with alot of creep im all over the target.

If its a nice easy smooth pull it goes about where i point it. This is with a Remington a colt im still scratching my head with the colts they are going to take more time.

I have about 10 of these BP pistols most of them have the same twist a few newer ones have a little faster twist a few of the Colts and a Remington shooter has a LH twist but they still seem the same. I didnt notice one shooting better then the other till the trigger work was done.

 

[Zonie]

Like Ghettogun said, these pistols are made for shooting patched roundballs.

Roundballs are inherently stable so they do not need a high rate of spin to stabilize them like bullets do.

Generally speaking, the longer (heavier) a bullet is, the faster it must spin to maintain its stability.

Because your barrel has a slow twist, if you do decide to shoot elongated bullets, choose the lightest (shortest) ones you can find.

 

[BowerR64]

Like Ghettogun said, these pistols are made for shooting patched roundballs.

Roundballs are inherently stable so they do not need a high rate of spin to stabilize them like bullets do.

Generally speaking, the longer (heavier) a bullet is, the faster it must spin to maintain its stability.

Because your barrel has a slow twist, if you do decide to shoot elongated bullets, choose the lightest (shortest) ones you can find.

I thought you want the thinest patch right? A thick patch may help the fit of the ball tight but it doesnt help the ball fit into the rifeling like a larger ball and a thinner patch?

 

[awebbersr]

My Lyman 54 cal likes the higher powder charges, 40 -45 grns 3F Goax and a .530 ball with .20 pillow ticking and Mr Flintlock patch lube.

 

[Idricus]

Thanks very much Zonie. I've understand that projectle ( like miniè or other) need twist more than round balls because this one are ballisticly stable. 1:30 twist is enaught to give stability to round ball. Thanks very much !

 

[rafterob]

A thick patch will fill the rifling grooves and create a gas seal and the patch grips the ball to impart spin.

 

[Zonie]

I thought you want the thinest patch right? A thick patch may help the fit of the ball tight but it doesnt help the ball fit into the rifeling like a larger ball and a thinner patch?

First off, the ball in a single shot muzzleloading pistol never fits into the grooves.
It does on a Cap & Ball pistol but those are a horse of a different color.

Generally speaking, when talking about patches and balls, it's the combination of the ball size plus the patch thickness that determines how well a muzzleloader will shoot. Not just one or the other.

A tight fitting patched ball usually is more accurate. A large ball and thin patch could work but the patch must be thick enough to fill and compress slightly into the rifling grooves.

Likewise, a smaller ball with a thick patch can work but again, the the patch must be compressed into the rifling grooves.

Here is where a rifle has a distinct advantage over a pistol.

The rifle being large and easy to place against the ground when ramming the patched ball makes loading some very tight ball/patch combinations moderately easy. For instance a .50 caliber rifle can be loaded with a .495 diameter ball and a .018 thick patch. That patch/ball combination will be .531 diameter before it is loaded.
It can be shot with some very heavy rifle loads without destroying the patch.

This is not practical with a muzzleloading pistol.

The pistols small size and fairly weak grip makes getting a good grip and good support to take the load of starting a ball/patch combination like the .495 ball + .018 patch almost impossible.

Fortunately, most pistol loads are far lighter than the rifle loads so looser ball/patch combinations can be used without loosing accuracy.

For instance, in a .50 caliber pistol a .490 diameter ball with a .010-.012 thick patch will work nicely.
It still is .510-.514 in diameter before loading and in most pistols the .010 thick patch will fill the barrels grooves.