? about rate of twist and also barrel wedges.

[nit wit]

Yes, Boone and Crockett were never able to kill hundreds of deer and bear with .38 calibers! I have killed deer and bear with .40 and .45 flintlocks. Shot placement is key not caliber.
Nit Wit

 

[Tom Compton]

Yes, Boone and Crockett were never able to kill hundreds of deer and bear with .38 calibers! I have killed deer and bear with .40 and .45 flintlocks. Shot placement is key not caliber.
Nit Wit

Lots have been killed w .22 LR and shorts but no state wildlife dept. considers them worthy deer calibers.

Those guys as well as many long hunters were good at getting real close and excellent trackers. If a less than perfect shot placement, they were able to find the quarry and were not limited to a near by property line they couldn't cross. In Texas trespassing w a firearm is a 3rd class felony. My 1,000 acre lease is not square and I don't hunt the dead middle so I quit using my .40 and now only use my .54.
TC

 

[Rifleman1776]

Too much is made of "what twist" to use. The important dimension for a barrel is groove depth. A faster twist will shoot hunting loads very well as long as the grooves are deep enough to keep the prb from stripping the rifling.

I seldom disagree with ye, hanshi. But do today.
Stripping is about as common as unicorns. While I prefer deeper rifling it is not because of load choice. Shallow rifling is simply more finicky with regards to ball size, patch material thickness and lube. :v

 

[hanshi]

You are correct, Rifleman; they are finicky. The "stripping" problem seems to occur with the heavier (hunting) loads. This is why owners of these rifles are always using caveats like, "should shoot fine with light loads" or "keep loads well below maximum", etc.

I do not profess to know where the boundary lies between "shallow" and "deep". It actually doesn't matter as long as the grooves impart spin. A particularly accurate .54 round ball rifle has, reportedly .006" grooves and it is wonderful with really heavy charges. I hesitate to call them "shallow". It shoots as well as my .50 with .016" round bottom grooves; so you do have a valid point.

 

[Tom Compton]

I think too that shallow grooves combined w a real slik lube will be more problematic. Nothing but conjecture but jus thinkin

 

[Toomuch51]

I also find that the shallower the rifling the tighter the load needs to be to give the patch grip on the rifling.

 

[tenngun]

One thing I would say,and I'm not knocking any ones gun,is that you may find a .45 a little easier to load and care for. .05 of an inch won't sound like much,but a .45 ball and ramrod are a little easier to grip. It becomes a little easier to clean and you notice that difference real fast when the frost is on the pumpkin.

 

[Flintlock_bob]

One thing I would say,and I'm not knocking any ones gun,is that you may find a .45 a little easier to load and care for. .05 of an inch won't sound like much,but a .45 ball and ramrod are a little easier to grip. It becomes a little easier to clean and you notice that difference real fast when the frost is on the pumpkin.

I have a percussion Franken rifle my father built probably more than 60 years ago. I don't know the actual caliber but it uses a .415 PRB and I don't have a problem with it. I'm guessing a .40 won't be too much different.

 

[tenngun]

Lots of folks shoot the .40 and smaller with out a problem. I owns a .36 for years that was a good rifle. I ain't knocking small guns in any way. I just might be clumbsy, however I have found .45 and above a lot easier to work with then .40 and below. You can hunt small game and in some states a .40 is leage for deer. Should one shoot target with it it's a little cheaper to shoot the smaller gun. They are fine shooters, hc and make for a gun that's very easy on the eyes.

 

[charlie b]

I have a Lyman GPH with the shallow rifling and fast twist. Should be horrible with patched round ball.

.510 groove dia, .502 bore. I use .490 ball and .010 lubed patch. And small powder charges.

It really likes 30gn. My theory is that the faster twist is too much for the ball if pushed to higher velocities.

I did shoot it with 80gn a few times. The balls did hit a paper plate at 100yd but that's about all I can say for it. Patches looked just as good as the ones shot with 30gn.

Just get a ball/patch setup that your barrel likes.