.495 in a .54...Yes, I did

[Canute Rex]

This is just an extreme data point for the big ball/thin patch vs small ball/thick patch debate.

I have a Leonard Day .54 smoothbore matchlock with an exact .540 bore. I have tried several ball loads in it: bare .535 over wad, rasped .535 over wad, .010 patch and .530 ball (with and without wad). A .535 patched ball was like trying to ram a golf ball down a garden hose, so I gave that one up immediately.

The bare balls never really were consistent for me. The .530 tends to shred the patch, especially with a wad under it. I was thinking of getting a .520 mold and trying that, but I thought I'd experiment with what I had - .495 ball and .025 patch for a .545 total diameter.

I soaked precut patches in Hoppes #9+ and stuffed some .495s in them in my ball blocks. Kind of loose. I also had some 9/16ths diameter 1/4" thick felt wads soaked in melted beeswax and olive oil. (Cut from an old wool boot liner) I had premeasured charges of 75 grains Goex 3F.

I loaded my first shot without a wad and it sounded like a squib. The ball dropped 12" low at 50 yards. I started loading a felt wad under the patched 495 and the gun cracked them out. As an aside, the waxed felt wad made the patched .530s crack as well.

As long as I did my job they were landing in a 1 1/2" group. A few times I got my cheek weld wrong and sent them 4" left. The gun was shooting dead on for elevation, no matter what.

I made the mistake of trying the load out at the Dalton Gang primitive biathlon in Dalton NH. At 25 yards I was shooting at least 8" high. Never quite figured out the hold-under. The last three gongs were small ones at 50 yards and I spun them all, so not a total embarrassment.

So there's the extreme undersized ball story. Kind of a patched sabot load. Screaming velocity. Dead nuts at 50, aim at the ground at 25.

 

[Artificer]

".495 in a .54...Yes, I did"

Got a kick out of your title, there. :rotf:

That was a VERY detailed and interesting report.

Did you get that kind of difference in points of impacts between 25 yards and 50 yards before you went to the smaller ball?

Very much enjoyed reading that. Thank you.
Gus

 

[Rifleman1776]

Yer doing for yerself and trying things. That is good. :thumbsup: Way too many come to the keyboard first without making smoke.

thinking of getting a .520 mold and trying that

Methinks that is what you will end up with. Nothing in this game is perzactly standardized and custom moulds can save the day. Ye need to try things. And, ye can't call yerself a muzzle loader until ye have, at least, a dozen moulds on the shelf you don't use anymore. :wink:

 

[ohio ramrod]

Not surprising. One time on a trail walk a man shooting with us ran out of .495 balls for his fifty, and since the rest of use 45's he used .445 with triple patches and hit his last five shots on a trail where each gong was smaller as you went down the line. :idunno: :idunno:

 

[Britsmoothy]

Yep, my .63 shoots a .562" ball double patched.
Well done.

B.

 

[tenngun]

At one time I had just one bag that I would change out as needed. I used old denim jeans as cleaning patchs stuffed in the back of the bag. I grabbed my bag of .495s and my leman .54. Reilized my mistake with the first load. I pulled it and repatched with denim greased with lard. It was still a little looser, but I had fresh venison that night.

 

[larry wv]

Well done on making do.

Larry

 

[Canute Rex]

Artificer, I usually shoot a .530 with a thin patch, and the difference between 50 yds and 25 yds is a dead on aim vs a 6 o'clock aim on a 6" bull, so maybe 3".

The .495 was kind of amazing at 50 yards. I took a dead on aim and hit the crossing point of a + with 1" wide legs. This was from a bench. My next few shots were clustered right around the first.

I'm thinking of upping my powder a hair to see what a little more velocity brings to a 530.

The only .520 mold I've seen is a six-banger from TOW, but I may end up getting it.

 

[Artificer]

Thank you for the additional information. Yes, please keep us posted as you try more things.

Gus

 

[longfowler]

I'm a fan of the small ball/thick patch also, I use a .56 smoothbore and shoot a .530 ball with a wad and pillow ticking. Loads easy, thumb start, and shoots great (if I do my part). I was at Dalton also, and hit one gong at each target station, and with the same point of aim!

 

[akapennypincher]

The proof of what ever patch, ball combination you have chosen, and stay with is in accuracy, and the ability to repeat accuracy.

If you can not produce consistant groups what your are doing is incorrect. If say you can produce 3 shot 1" groups at 25, or 50 yards you have found a great combination.

CONSISTANCY is what separates great & fair shooters. With Muzzloaders it is IMHO harder to acheve consistancy because many shooter do not take the time to remove all the variables between each shot.

A starting place is in weighing each round ball you cast with a fine scale like a pharmacist would weight componants he was putting into a compound.

Than weighing each powder charge, or taking the time when pouring each powder charge to make sure they are as close to one another for consistancy.

Like I said consistancy in breathing, trigger pull, and holding steady is like any other aquired skill. It takes time & practice, practice, and more practice.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

If you walked into an HBC trading post in the 18th or 19th century; according to Hamilton's book, you would be told a ball from .476" to .524" was the proper load for your 28 ga.

They loaded powder, wadding, ball and thin wad and got along quite well.

Target accuracy depends on the target. Your information is quite useful. Thanks

 

[irishtoo]

i shoot a .526 in a 54 for awhile now. easy to load and easy to pull if needed. ive taken a few deer out to 60yds with it. it does all i want it too. irishtoo