CAN A .45 DRIVE TACKS?

Banjoman said:

15 paces X ? = 100 yards.

I never was good at math.

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beardedhorse said:

There is something in a book about Kit Carson and Fremont's Delaware scouts shooting and hitting Mexican pesos at 15 paces until they were all gone. Extrapolating the pace of a 5 foot 4 or 5 foot 6 man like Carson the distance would be 100 yards.

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arcticap said:

With all due respect, IMO you have misinterpreted what the TC Sidelock Manual says.
The manual only lists velocity data for round ball loads up to 90 grains with FFg, and various bullet weights up to 80 grains of FFg. But nowhere does it state that one can only load the .45 Seneca using FFg.
Folks should know to load approximately 10% less powder if loading with FFFg to equal the same powder charge weight as FFg because FFFg is generally denser.
Accuracy can be based on the muzzle velocity, pressure curve and RPM's of the projectile.
More velocity can usually affect downrange trajectory and accuracy.
Many guns have more than one accuracy sweet spot.
There's an accurate target load and an accurate hunting load.
There's absolutely no reason to limit yourself with 50-55 grains of powder for deer hunting.
I don't know how large the deer are in your area, but 50-55 grains of powder is producing ~25% less than the maximum allowable powder charge for the Seneca.
By the time the ball travels past 50 yards you're probably losing more velocity than needed to maintain accuracy.
The deer would need to be pretty small to hunt with that small of a powder charge beyond maybe 40 yards.
It's not even producing 800 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle, never mind 50 yards down range.
And 800 foot pounds is the recommended muzzle energy for killing deer at the maximum range that you're shooting at.
That may only be a rule of thumb, but unless the deer are very small deer, I think that you should increase your powder charge.
A hunter needs a certain margin of error when making an imperfect shot, and to be able to pass through hide and bone, and to try not to let a deer run far enough away in a wounded state to still be able to track it down.
If you have any doubt about using FFFg, then think about the fact that the chart doesn't specify the brand of FFg powder, and the fact that if you were loading with Swiss FFg, it would be 5% -10% denser and faster than Goex FFg, which the chart doesn't distinguish between them.
Not all powders are the same and neither is their velocity and accuracy.
At least try 70 - 85 grains of powder to see if you can hit a pie plate consistently with the first shot from a cold clean barrel each and every time at 65-70 yards and then beyond.
Put some dayglo orange paint on the front sight if needed to be able to see it better.
You want to try to achieve a pass through shot on the deer if possible.

For other folks, here's the TC sidelock manual that lists various .45 Seneca loads on pages 73 & 74. --->>> Shooting TC Side Lock Black Powder Guns | Firearms | Cartridge (Firearms)

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FishDFly said:

In all honesty, I bet there are more line shooters who use a .45.
There are more match records held by T/C Hawken's with .45 GM 1 in 66" twist barrels.

In summation, a. 45 can be a tack driver give that the .45 rifle is capable of doing it's job and the operator is a competent shooter.

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flashpoint said:

Been shooting a ML for only about 2 years now. So I have several questions. I shoot a Percussion .45 TC Seneca with a .440 Hornady lead PRB (which I assume is 127 grains) and 50 grains of Goex FFg. It is accurate out to 50-55 yards. Where I live here in the East, most shots are less than 75 yards. Some folks on here say that their rifles are tack drivers at 100 yards and sometimes beyond. #1 If I was able to get my .45 accurate to100 yards, would a 50 grain load of FFg pack enough punch to kill a Whitetail at that distance? #2 The TC handbook says that I should only use FFg from .50 to .90 grains maximum. When I was working up a load and shot .60 grains the accuracy fell way off so I didn't increase the powder charge anymore figuring it would be the same with 70,80 and 90 grains. Am I correct on this? #3 Having shot center fire rifles all my life with fine iron sights, how the heck do some shoot 100 yards with tack driver accuracy with the somewhat "chunky" open factory sights that I have seen on most Muzzleloaders including mine? Thanks all. Flashpoint!

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