Ok I'm kinda new to BP need some info

Ok I have had a cap & ball pistol for a while now haven't shot it much but plan on more. My question is I recently purchased a 18-- Austrian loranz saddle ring carbine .75 cal. that is in real good shape but I don't know what powder charge or size ball to use. I have read that most of the .54 cal used a solid base bullet that was .535 and paper patched out to fit but have found no info on the carbine other than they used buck and ball alot in them any info would be great help

Assuming it is in shooting condition, you first must determine exact bore size. If a .75" bore, a ball of about .715" with a patch should work fine. Use only real black powder, not modern propellants. A moderate charge of about 50 grains will get the ball flying. For optimum performance you will need to experiment. I'm sure others will chime in here with different advice. Good luck.

Thanks for the info I don't know if I really want to shoot it I mean it is a piece of history but on the other hand I think it would be kinda cool to hunt with a real piece of history LoL . I wonder what the range might be? Not over 100 yards I guess

Yep, welcome to the forum, BigT, from eastern Tennessee.

Welcome.

I shoot EVERYTHING I buy, its a way of life

Good advise above. 50 gr and a prb sounds like an excellent starting point. MAKE SURE ITS NOT LOADED before ya mess with it!

BigT said:

Ok I have had a cap & ball pistol for a while now haven't shot it much but plan on more. My question is I recently purchased a 18-- Austrian loranz saddle ring carbine .75 cal. that is in real good shape but I don't know what powder charge or size ball to use. I have read that most of the .54 cal used a solid base bullet that was .535 and paper patched out to fit but have found no info on the carbine other than they used buck and ball alot in them any info would be great help

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Welcome to muzzleloading where all is not as it seems. As for 54cal. There were Sharps cartridge guns that shot a version of a 54 cal. It was nominally a 52 but QC was so bad that a special flat based bullet called a Christmas Tree was invented with 3 different size driving bands to attempt to correct the issue. Of the muzzleloaders, there were a number of 54cal but in military arms, it was the musket known as the Mississippi and it took a hollow base minie.

If you really want to find somebody with accurate info on all things Lorenz, there is a guy on the NSSA board who wrote a book on them.

Ok I have been looking at BP there's so many what fg should I be looking for and what's the difference is between them I know this is a lot but just trying to learn

BigT,

So much depends on what you are expecting from your firearms and what you want to do and how often you want to be shooting. So I want to try to keep it simple so you will enjoy shooting muzzle loading firearms and will want to become a long term shooter.

I would be using 3fg in the cap and ball revolver and 2fg in the Lorenz.

Since these are percussion firearms either GOEX black powder or Pyrodex would be the first choice.

3fg (Pyrodex P) is a smaller grain size that develops a bit more pressure and burns quicker.
2fg (Pyrodex R) burns a little slower and will develop less pressure and be more gentle on the Lorenz.

I have great results with Black MZ if you can find it (no longer in production but Sportsman's Warehouse sells for $9.99 a lb). Cleans up EASY and next to no fouling.

Let us know how it does at the range.

BigT said:

Ok I have been looking at BP there's so many what fg should I be looking for and what's the difference is between them I know this is a lot but just trying to learn

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FFg or Fg powder for .54 calibure and above.
50 to 80 grains should be sufficient.
What's the difference in powders?
FFFFg is the finest granulation. It is used mainly as the priming charge in a flintlock.
FFFg is a medium granulation. It is used in .30 to .50 calibure rifles and in shotguns.
FFg is a coarse granulation. it is normally used in .50 calibure and above, and in black powder cartridges.
Fg is the coarses powder generally available.
It is mainly used in Artillery.

Do NOT mix granulations when loading.
The finer the granulation the faster the powder burns and the more pressure it creates.