45 rb load?

[Powderhorn09]

Just acquired a really nice custom 45 half stock and am looking for a proven rb load. 1/66 twist, percussion gun. Looking to use this in silhouette matches out to 100 yards.
Thanks

 

[hanshi]

The .45 is my favorite caliber and I currently have three .45 rifles; owned others in the past, too. In my shooting experience with them I've found a charge of 60 grains of 3F, good patch and the right lube to be accurate in every single one of them. I'm referring to deer hunting loads and not strictly "target" loads. This load should give around 1600 fps, plus or minus. Actually anywhere between 60 grns and 70 grns is a good place to explore. Only one of my .45s uses a heavier load for the woods (70 grains); 60 works in all the others.

For casual (plinking, small game or targets) and "everyday" loads, a bit of experimenting is in order. I'd suspect a fine light load would be found between 20grns and 40grns.

 

[Powderhorn09]

Thanks, as soon as the rains stop I'm going to the range to play!

 

[house]

I shoot 50 grains of FFF through mine for target shooting and 60 grains for hunting. Both shoot great through mine.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Just acquired a really nice custom 45 half stock and am looking for a proven rb load. 1/66 twist, percussion gun. Looking to use this in silhouette matches out to 100 yards.
Thanks

The only "proven" load is the one that works best in your rifle gun.
Given your slow twist and intended use, I suggest you start at 65 gr. 3Fg and bench test at 50 yards. Adjust load up or down to find the sweet spot. I'm guesstimating it will be between 60 and 70 gr. bp. Then test again at 100 yards. Do not adjust sights until you find the best grouping at 50 yards.

 

[Vaino]

My first custom LR was a .45 and still have it. After a bit of "range work", 30 grs 3f for squirrels was super accurate and 70 grs 3f was the deer load and oddly enough, the sights didn't have to be changed going from one load to the other. Naturally the "squirrel" load was more accurate, but the "deer load" was sufficient for the larger target area......Fred

 

[Tom Compton]

Don't have a .45 anymore. Ones I had liked .445 ball, .015-.018 patch and 50 gr FF Goex for 25-50 yard targets and 75 gr FF for hunting and 100 yd targets, no sight adjustment needed.
TC

 

[majg1234]

my TC Cherokee is deadly accurate with 45gr Fffg,on the other hand my Seneca and Hawken like 55gr,yours should do well somewhere in the 45-60gr range.Just try it out,make smoke and enjoy :grin:

 

[mooman76]

With rifles I start with grains = to caliber and work up in 5 grain increments. Half the fun is the experimenting to find the right load. You could even go down some but that won't give you the power needed for silhouette at 100y. After you find the best load you can go up or down a couple grains at a time to fine tune.

With pistols I start out with 1/2 the caliber and also for small caliber rifles like 32 or 36. Have fun.

 

[Zonie]

Like Rifleman1776 said, "The only "proven" load is the one that works best in your rifle gun."

I'm sure you've heard about identical rifles which are fussy about the ammunition they are fed.
.22's are famous for this.
So are muzzleloaders.

Two identical factory guns, shot by the same person on the same day at the same range will be quite different when it comes to accuracy with any given load.

One might like a .440 diameter lead roundball patched with a .015 thick cloth patch over a 65 grain powder load of 3Fg powder. It will shoot the ball into a 1 inch group at 50 yards.
The other rifle might not shoot that combination better than a 4 inch group at 50 yards.

Although it doesn't like that powder/ball/patch load, that same gun might shoot a different powder/ball/patch load into a 1 inch group at 50 yards with ease.

You never know until you try different combinations.

Although some modern cartridge shooters who want a "Good out of the box gun/load" might consider this to be a large PITA, we muzzleloader shooters gladly take up the challenge to find the "best load".

I mentioned a 1 inch group at 50 yards and to newcomers who have heard that "the old fashioned muzzleloaders shoot poorly at best" that might seem to be an optimistic goal but it's not.

These guns can be very accurate once the right powder/ball/patch load is found.

Just to add to the fun, after a good ball/patch combination are found, almost all muzzleloading rifles actually have two powder loads that give the best accuracy. Usually, one powder load will be a little better than the other but one will be on the "light" side and one on the "heavy" side.

For instance, your rifle might shoot a 50 grain and a 80 grain powder load very accurately.
Powder loads in between these might be fairly poor.

I mention this because you mentioned shooting silhouette matches out to 100 yards.

Roundballs loose their velocity and energy rather fast so for shooting at long range you might need the hotter powder load if you want to knock down metal targets.

Oh. While I have your attention, the synthetic black powders leave a lot to be desired.
If you can find any, try to buy real black powder.

 

[Rat Trapper]

My TC 45 cal Hawken likes .440 hornady ball with 70 grains of 2F Triple Seven with a 15 thousands patch.

 

[cynthialee]

these guns are allot more accurate than most folks believe.
My hunting partner can hit bull's-eyes all day with a smoke pole. Off hand. At 50 and 100 yard targets.

 

[ZUG]

This is my load also and as mentioned it shoots great in my rifle also :hatsoff:

 

[Sure Shot 2]

Never had much luck using 3-FFFg in my 45 Hawken. Been shooting the same load for many many years and its near identical to 40 flint's. Only difference my barrel prefers 0.10 patches. (As do I too)_And not having to drift the rear iron sight to compensate for each's accuracy. That's a >Plus 1<

 

[Billnpatti]

The folks like Zonie and Rifleman1776 who have told you that you need to find what YOUR rifle likes are absolutely right. If you don't already have a copy, I highly recommend Dutch Schoultz' accuracy system. It is worth far more than the $20 that he charges. Following his method will save you a lot of time and money in finding that "perfect" load for your rifle. www.blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com

 

[Jim C]

:thumbsup: