58 cal antonio zoli

[maineguy]

I have a Antonio zoli 58 cal great shape and hardly been fired. I have swiss fffg powder , whats the best loads to start with? ive been shooting 40 grains with round balls.

 

[Alden]

Light powder even if you are using the wrong grain...

 

[hawkeye2]

That is a pretty hefty round ball and you have a slow twist and shallow rifling. You probably will find your most accurate load somewhere north of 50 grains. I would start there and go up 5 grains at a time. When you find a good group you can refine the load some more. Do not change nipples, cap brand, patch material or lube while you are shooting for that group.

If you are going for a mini ball then 40 grains would be very near the most accurate load provided you have a properly fitted mini and good lube.

 

[maineguy]

ok thanks I will go up to 50 with round ball. I shot some minis and the went down pretty easy with 40 grains

 

[Alden]

"Went down"? Meaning low recoil!?

 

[Grumpa]

Your barrel was rifled for shooting minies, but it will handle patched round balls too.

I have a flintlock Harpers Ferry .58 made by Zoli. They used the same barrel as for the Civil War rifles, just changed the exterior shape.

Good advice above. If you are going to deer hunt with it, you might want to go 60-80 or 90 grains FFg. Experiment with the charge weights to find an accurate load.

I used to load mine up around 130-140 grains (two 30-06 casings neck full), but there was no real need to do so. Recoil was a nice shove, not unpleasant. And, then, I was looking for "minute of deer" accuracy as being good enough.

 

[poordevil]

I have been shooting black powder since 1974 and use nothing but 3FFFg in everything from .54 pistol through .577 Musketoon 16ga .69cal and 75 cal. So you are not using the wrong powder. In my Musketoon I use 55gr with a Pritchett style Minnie ball and 60gr with a round ball.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I had a Zoli 58 caliber for decades. It shoots round balls better than minnies.

I found the most accurate load to be 60 grains.

I was shooting goex 2fg. You can probably get away with 55 grains because your powder is hotter

 

[maineguy]

thanks for all the info

 

[Eterry]

I have two 58's, both navy arms, both shallow rifling. My musketoon shoots 6"high at 50 yards with prbs, and needs a TIGHT patched ball over a mild charge, no more then 60gr fffg or I get a pattern, not a group.
I spent a lot of time working with Minie balls, they MUST be a snug fit, lubed and seated hard on the powder and I get 3MOA. Strange, but seating it hard actually change POI, the elevation is spot on.
Otherwise it's a manure shoot.
Good luck,
ET

 

[maineguy]

it has 3 leaf sights can you tell me what the yardage is of each?

 

[hawkeye2]

1, 2 & 300 yards but that would only hold true for the original service load.

 

[maineguy]

At 50yrds my shots are about 5 inches high with 65 grains. going to a 100 yrd range Thursday the place has 58 cal minis and he said those should have at least 75 grains to start for deer hunting. What is the original service load?

 

[hawkeye2]

60 grains, 2f.

 

[azmntman]

At 50yrds my shots are about 5 inches high with 65 grains. going to a 100 yrd range Thursday the place has 58 cal minis and he said those should have at least 75 grains to start for deer hunting. What is the original service load?

Im betting 60 grains even at 100 yds and bambi is gonna be steak real quick!

 

[Zonie]

Those big Minie's fired with a 60 grain powder load have a lot of drop to their trajectory as they fly downrange but at 200 yards, they still pack a real whollop to anything unfortunate enough to be in their path.

I've read many reports of them completely blowing thru a 4 inch thick pine board at that range with no problem.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Your sights are set for battlefield conditions with service loads of 60 grains of 2fg pushing a minie ball. If the ball is a few inches high at 50 yards for the 100 yard leaf, that's fine. You may want a bit better accuracy for hunting. For deer, a round ball pushed by 70 grains of 2fg is more than adequate.

 

[Juice Jaws]

You are right, I have been doing this about as long as you have, and I always go back to 3F. That's all I use now. I shoot 50.,54., and 66 cal. It is what works best for me.