20 inch .58 cal tube any PRB experience

[fusil de chase]

I am on the verge of thinking on a front and maybe a rear sight for a .58 cal 20 inch tube. Hoping for a 40 yard zero and 50 yard minute of lung reliability (hoping).

In my fantasy land I got thinking that maybe I'd be able to burn 60 grains of powder in it and get 1100-1200 fps. Does that sound anywhere in the realm of possible?

Has any one burned any powder in these short tubed guns? Any thoughts on how to set them up for PRB and hunting?

 

[flintlock75]

I have a Tradegun That has a 22" barrel, .62 cal.
It has a standard turtle front sight and a Jaeger rear site. Very accurate out to 50 yards, pie plate group, at 75 yards man size targets. I have taken a moose with it as well as small game, my standard load is 70 gr of 3F and a patched .600 ball. I don't know what the velocity is but it kills big game just fine.

 

[fusil de chase]

Well that is exactly what I was hoping to hear!
Thanks, I will carry on carving a rear sight for it.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

You're going to want to work on the seal, and you probably want to look at using a wad and a bare ball, or putting the ball in a paper tube, to act as a sort of shot cup/paper patch. The problem some have encountered with cloth patching a ball in a smooth bore is the cloth bunches up around the ball in an un-uniform manner for each round fired.. which tends to make for inconsistant, and large groups. Some folks find that a wad followed by a ball that is .010 smaller than the bore (so in your case a .570 ball), with a bit of paper or tow on top of the ball to hold it in place.. shoots very well. Some folks would use a ball that is .020-.030 smaller, and then put it inside a paper tube that holds the ball snug and fits the bore, so it is consistant for each shot, and that works well.

LD

 

[BrownBear]

Not a smoothbore and 22" rather than 20", but my 58 cal shortie is about my favorite gun for field carry. It has a rapidly tapered barrel (1 1/8" to 15/16") so it has virtually zero muzzle weight, the balance point is so central between my hands. Not a range gun, but man.... Is that thing a joy to carry in the field. It's as fast handling as an upland bird gun, even as it weighs around 8#. I didn't build it, rather I found it used. Shouldered it once and reached for my wallet rather than putting it back in the store rack.

My favorite charge is 80 grains of 3f Goex. It's darned accurate from the bench, and I can hold my own with it offhand to 75 yards. Don't really need so "much" powder out to that range, but it just likes it.

One thing though: Even with 3f, it is LOUD!!! My hunting pards have named it Dang, because that's what everyone sezz when they hear it. Fun, fun gun.

In a smoothie I'd be looking for similar balance, because I'd use it lots with shot and want it to keep that "upland game" balance and quickness.

 

[fusil de chase]

BB and LD

Thanks guys, lots to ponder on in those informative posts. I am curious about the alternatives to PRB will be gun to experiment.

Yes I agree about the handling, still doing the final shaping but so far it is a dream to mount and swing. I was surprised actuallly how well it worked out I really thought the short barrel would be a huge compromise when it came to pointability.

Thanks for the heads up on the decibels from the short tube.

 

[matt denison]

You're going to want to work on the seal, and you probably want to look at using a wad and a bare ball, or putting the ball in a paper tube, to act as a sort of shot cup/paper patch. The problem some have encountered with cloth patching a ball in a smooth bore is the cloth bunches up around the ball in an un-uniform manner for each round fired.. which tends to make for inconsistant, and large groups. Some folks find that a wad followed by a ball that is .010 smaller than the bore (so in your case a .570 ball), with a bit of paper or tow on top of the ball to hold it in place.. shoots very well. Some folks would use a ball that is .020-.030 smaller, and then put it inside a paper tube that holds the ball snug and fits the bore, so it is consistant for each shot, and that works well.

LD

That is all very curious. In all my years of shooting and all my pals that I shoot smoothbores (and rifles) with throughout the years I have never heard of nor seen evidence of this phenom of cloth patches bunching up or causing inconsistent groups or of ever using a paper tube in a smoothbored gun.

I don't mean to :stir: I'm just saying it is all news to me.

In my experiments with bare ball my patched ball groups have always been smaller and closer to POA. But that's just me. :surrender: