Shot the Kentucky Tonight!

Hello,

Mould blocks arrived in the mail today, .440".

Mystery lead went into the pot, balls came out, and though I cut the sprue totally off most of them and threw them into the rock tumbler to polish 'em up and get any air spaces smashed flat or at least reduced, I kept 10 with the sprues intact out, just because I wanted to shoot.

I loaded up a couple with 45gns FFg behind the .015" thick patch and one ball each, and let them fly.

Very nice ergonomics. I thought I'd find the stock too short on the butt side, but it was perfect for balancing that type of rifle.

I increased the charge to 50gns FFg, and the balls struck a bit low, but center, nice cloverleaf with hardly any help from me.

At 50 yards, same charge, I have a small coffee can set up, stabbed through the top of a small tree stump. It didn't move, but upon inspection, I had put several through it, standing!

Went prone and shot at another at 90 yards. I have no idea where those balls went. I was holding high - so I could have been holding too high, but probably a bit low.

I was using real black this time around. It will be used from now on. Pyrodex... eh. Informal plinking maybe. No misfires, hangfires, anything.

The one problem I had was that someone here posted that black powder was the only stuff allowed in reenactments as it will go "boom" without wadding or anything in front of it. Well, it did, but it also fouled the barrel to the point that further loading without a thorough cleaning was dang near impossible.

I love the way it looks and shoots, and am very surprised I didn't have to regulate the sights again. I got sooo lucky on that.

The only manufacturing problem I ran into was the chatter. I could feel it going down, and did not like it at all. It also tore up a few patches.

I figure I might shoot a conical or two out the barrel to temporarily "fix" it by filling the shatter marks with lead, but a new barrel, if I can find one, may be a possibility in the future.

But it shoots niiiiiice.

Josh

Sounds like you've got it dialed and you learned that blank loads foul a lot worse than ball loads.
Although BP does burn without confinement it burns a lot better, ie: cleaner, with enough resistance to build up some pressure. At 50 grains you are still in the lower level of .45 caliber loads. Groups may tighten as you work up a bit.
I understand your frustration with hacksaw lands. It ticks me off to get a barrel with obvious reamer marks across the land tops, that's the very place which most needs to be smooth. I've seen several Green Mountain barrels like that. The only solution is to hand lap the bore and that is a bit of work. Otherwise you might try a tougher patch material, linen is much stronger and resistant to cutting than cotton.
I'd slip the conicals. Considering that it is a slightly rough bore, most likely you'll have a mess of lead to clean out before you again get accuracy with a patched ball.

Take a .40 cal jag & some Scotchbrite cut into lil circles, some penetrating oil & swab the H out of it & it will eliminate any sharp edges that may tear the patches. (Needs to be a Tight fit, but a .45 jag & Scotchbrite will be too tight & won't go down, it will just tear the Scotchbright)
Shooting conicals will not fix ripples in the barrel or chatter marks, other than make it harder to load. Your thought of filling the chatter marks with lead is not going to work & will cause more leading & etc. You don't want Any leading in the barrel.

Shoot it, play with it, enjoy it. If it don't straighten out, then you can make up a Green Mtn. barrel for it.

Another option is send it to Bobby Hoyt & let him pull the rifling. He can take most if not all the ripples out of it, & has done so for me several times on barrels.

Keith Lisle

Hello,

Thank you.

I'm looking for a chart that lists 2Fg velocities for the .45.

All I can find thus far is from Goex and it only lists 3Fg for the .45.

Do you know of anything? I suppose I could come close with the P-Dex chart...

Josh

Here is the # one main reason that BP is only powder used at reenactments as Pyrodex will not pack properly and when fired burning embers blow out and if the conditions are dry those burning particals of Pyrodex will start fires.
I was at a battle in MO several years back and half way through the battle we had to stop and put out a grass fire that was heading towards camp. This is the main reason for BP and not Pyrodex at reenactments.

The Lyman BP Handbook lists 50 grain of 3f at 1589 fps. 70 grain at 1790 fps and 90 grains at 1912, you can interpolate the numbers between. All of those numbers were from a 28" barrel, which is the longest they list in .45 caliber. Your 33" barrel may get a bit more speed but not much.

Hello,

Thank you.

Does it list 2Fg? Or would 2Fg be much different than the velocities listed for 3Fg?

Thanks,

Josh

Lyman's BLACK POWDER HANDBOOK, 2nd Ed shows the following for GOEX 2Fg powder under a .440 roundball pached with a Ox-Yoke .010 patch in a 28", 1:48 barrel.

40 grains = 1324 fps
50 grains = 1469 fps
60 grains = 1614 fps
70 grains = 1691 fps
80 grains = 1768 fps
90 grains = 1825 fps
100 grains = 1881 fps

The last load I listed had a breech pressure of 18,200 psi so as you can see, the .45 caliber rifles develop some fairly high breech pressures with heavy powder loads.

My Lyman manual from 1974 lists 2f loads for 28" barrels, but only 3f for the longer versions. Here ya go:

30 gr 1144fps
40 gr 1291
50 gr 1438
60 gr 1585
70 gr 1670
80 gr 1755
90 gr 1882
100 gr 2008

Note that it also reports pressures of 12,100 and 15,100 CUP for the last two. Ouch.

I have the same rifle. 70gr 3F, .015 pillow ticking, and a .440 roundball. Very accurate rifle.
Dont give up on it, keep shooting and adjusting, It could turn out to be the most accurate ML you own. :v

Zonie said:

Lyman's BLACK POWDER HANDBOOK, 2nd Ed shows the following for GOEX 2Fg powder under a .440 roundball pached with a Ox-Yoke .010 patch in a 28", 1:48 barrel.

40 grains = 1324 fps
50 grains = 1469 fps
60 grains = 1614 fps
70 grains = 1691 fps
80 grains = 1768 fps
90 grains = 1825 fps
100 grains = 1881 fps

The last load I listed had a breech pressure of 18,200 psi so as you can see, the .45 caliber rifles develop some fairly high breech pressures with heavy powder loads.

Click to expand...

You beat me Zonie, but just barely. Interesting to compare the velocities and pressures between your 2nd ed and the ones I found in the 1st ed.

Thanks Everyone!

I had someone tell me that 60gns is acceptable for deer at 50 or 60 yards.

I tend to agree, seeing those numbers.

Josh

#'s are a bit diff than for the Kentucky,
It's a 32" slow twist, 60 is still good fer deer.
Whats more important for Deer is being able to put it where it needs to be.
Accuracy is far more important then maximum velocities.
Work it up in 5 grn increments,(55-60-65-70,etc,,) 5 shot groups on paper, maintain consistant bore conditions. And change nothing but the charge.

This is from Sam Fadala (Gun Digest)

CVA Kentucky 33.5" barrel 1:66 twist
Ok-yoke precision blue-striped .015" patch
Young Country No. 103 lube
Speer .440 round ball 128gr

Powder = Goex

40fffg = 1561 fps - 693 ft lbs - 100 yards 882 fps & 221 ft lbs
50fffg = 1767 fps - 888 ft lbs - 100 yards 981 fps & 274 ft lbs

50ffg = 1577 fps - 707 ft lbs - 100 yards 908 fps & 234 ft lbs
60ffg = 1754 fps - 875 ft lbs - 100 yards 973 fps & 269 ft lbs
70ffg = 1803 fps - 924 ft lbs - 100 yards 992 fps & 280 ft lbs
75ffg = 1856 fps - 979 ft lbs - 100 yards 1012 fps & 291 ft lbs

Sam does not recommend over 75 grains of ffg

I stand corrected, 33.5" barrel

Expect the velocity at 50 yards to be about 75% of the MV; At 100 yds., it will be 60% of the MV, or less.

Thanks folks.

Anyone have a dope chart for the LRB? I have a feeling it's not going to be anywhere close to a conical.

The online calculators are not going to be of much help, either, as the B.C. is going to be dropping during the entire flight path.

Of course, I could just go shoot the thing, but I'd like to be in the neighborhood anyway. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, too. Not good for blackpowder (though I might break out my 1911 for some low visibility drills...)

Thanks,

Josh

The older Lyman manuals all have trajectory tables. Post your load and approximate velocity and one of us will post the specs.

I'm talking 50 rather than 45, but by sighting in dead on at 75 yards I'm only around an inch high at 50 and 2-3 low at 100. That probably won't be too different in the 45. Heck, I can't shoot well enough to reach further than that!

just go shoot the thing

Click to expand...

:thumbsup: