.69 Patch'n Ball

[Moloch]

Hello BP shooters! :v

Anyone here owning a Armi Sports (dont know how its called outside EU) .69 rifled Musket?
Mine gets delivered next week but I am not perfectly sure what ball size and patch size to start with.
After numerous failures to get decent accuracy with my two .45's I settled down with a thick patch small bullet combo which works pretty good with rifle and pistol, but would the combo also work with such a big caliber like .69?

What does your .69 Armi Sport .69 rifled musket like to eat and spill?

My rough guess for a good start would be something like .675 RB + .017 Patch for a tigh fit and grip combined with a 65 grains starting load of swiss FFG, but thats just a guess to get started.
I dont want to buy a completely wrong setup since bullets and patches in caliber over .58 are very expensive here and muzzleloader related deliveries tend to be a tad too long too. ( at least 12 work days)
Of course I cannot get the perfect setup on the first try, but I hoped for some experience of you guys to get a decent start with only minor further adjustments.

Thanks in advance for any useful comments. :thumbsup: :grin:

 

[wallgunner]

Moloch,
I believe your rifled musket was designed to shoot a .69 calibre minie ball, not a round ball. It should have pretty shallow grooves, not the best for round ball shooting. I'm sure you get better accuracy shooting a minie. I know they make them for sale from Dixie or any other large supplier, or have a mould made. Good luck :thumbsup:

 

[Moloch]

I am absolutely aware of the better results I would get with tight fitting miniés; -the barrel was made for them-, but I've heard that lots of people get decent results shooting patched round balls at 50 yds even out of shallow-grooved fast twist minié barrels. :applause:

As for the miniés; I will them use for 100yds but I think for 50yds or less 600grains + of lead would be a bit of a waste for plinking at such close range.

And I am also a hardcore roundballer; I always use roundballs whenever possible. :grin:

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

The twist is 1 turn in 66", so a round ball should stabilize well enough. But a 730 grain Minie would make for an imposing load indeed!

 

[Leatherbark]

I dont have one, but most guys I've chatted with around these forums use .678 ball in their smoothbore 69's. Since you have rifling there is more leeway as to patch thickness. If I had access to a .675 I would give it a try. Good Luck....................Bob

 

[wallgunner]

Either load your sending a good amount of lead down range. I'm with you, I love my round balls.....maybe I should rephrase that :redface: . I never got the hang of minies in an 1861 that I owned, just didn't agree. Good luck, let us know how you do. Maybe that old 1861 has some life in it yet!

 

[varsity07840]

I"ve tried patched balls in my original rifled '42
with good results. The bore was relined by Bob Hoyt and measures .687. I used a .678 ball and .015 patch, 80gr. of 2F Goex, with a fiber cushion wad. In my smoothbore 1816 flint I use a .672 ball,same patch, powder and wad. The biggest drawback to shooting patched balls out of a musket, especially for hunting, is the flimsy ramrod that's really not suited to running a tight load down the bore, especially a fowled one.
At the range it's not a problem if you use a range rod. In the field I use my short starter with a hole drilled half way through it that fits
the ramrod tip so I can give it that final seating push without punching a hole in the palm of my hand. In the rifled '42 a better choice, in my opinion is the Rapine semi wadcutter minie, which weighs around 500 gr., rather than 730 gr. original style monster. Recoil is not a problem with a 60-70 gr. charge, and they shoot very well.