Powder granulation and short barrels?

[Walks with fire]

I own a .54 flint Deerstalker that I just started working with and so far my barrel seems to prefer Goex 2f over 3f and doesn't care for Swiss 2f at all. I am running a .535 ball and .020 Eastern Maine patch right now and its groups are starting to tighten up pretty well. More testing to be done with patch thickness and lubes yet. I use 3f in the initial load development and it did ok but 2f went better. I will retest 3f at some point.

I don't concern my self with velocity much but it appears that a 1/48 twist will shoot well with a rather snug load and reasonable powder charges. I look for the most accuracy. My testing thus far is only at 50 yards but what few shots I have taken at the 100 yard range shows it opens up a bit more at that range than my slow twist barrels do.

The largest improvement came from going from .530 ball to .535 and increasing the patch thickness.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

? "150 grains of 2F behind a 620 grain Maxi conical
"?

As the Duke frequently said, "Well Pilgrim, I wouldn't do that, but you go ahead and do what you think is right."

That load in a 24 inch barrel will waste about 1/4 of the powder right off in muzzle flash. Nothing like building up dangerous breech pressures for no good reason.

Many people have had the experience of cleaner burning with 3 fg. I have had at least two guns, where 2fg gave cleaner shooting, but they had long barrels. If you use so much powder that some is still burning after the projectile exits the muzzle, there will be extra fouling no matter which powder is used.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Quote:

150 grains of 2F behind a 620 grain Maxi conical

I felt the pain just reading that.
Are yer deer dedder using that cannon load?
Oh, well. Do wat floats yer stick.

I suppose being in Alaska and perhaps running into a Brown Bear or a Polar Bear one might not have time to grab a backup gun, and thus that load might do the trick.....

LD

Hey! Bears gotta eat too. :wink:
I did overlook the Alaska factor. From what I have read about big brown/grizzly bears there simply cannot ever be too much gun to stop a charger.

 

[Danny Ross]

fools sulphur,

I appreciate the thought, have looked at them and they are nice looking. If they made it left handed in a flintlock in 54cal I would more than likely have one. I just wish I would have gotten the 54cal lefthand GPR flintlock instead of buying the 50cal I have . Most of my stuff at that time was 50cal. Nothing wrong with the 50cal, I like the ones (3) I have. You can still buy the GPR 50cal lefthand flintlock, but I can't get the 54cal GPR now :v: . I just happen to run into a lefthand Deer Stalker in 54cal flintlock NIB and mailed the check for it yesterday :thumbsup: . I have been wanting a 54cal flintlock for some time, would have preferred a longer barrel, but for the price of this one couldn't say no. Thus my inquiry. I "HAD" planned on getting a 54Cal barrel for the GPR as luck would have it, I procrastinated to long . DANNY