• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades

Lyman pistol .490 load ?

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I have a .50 cal. CVA Kentucky pistol and the manual from CVA says minimum of 20 gr. 3F and a maximum of 60 gr. 3F. Personally I think 60 gr. would be a bit too much. I think I did 50 gr. of 2F (only powder I had at time) once, hard to hold onto. I normally shoot 20 - 30 gr. of 2F. I recently acquired some 3F but haven't tried it yet, guess its time to do a test.
 
@Codgernam , the manual for my Traditions 50CAL Trapper lists charge range from min 20gr to max 45gr. I've been shooting 3F using 30gr. Plan at next range visit to test 35gr -- still looking for best load. ~wiksmo
 
I have a CVA trappers pistol that’s similar. 30 grains with a rest I get clover leafs at twentyfive yards. With 50 grains I’ve killed deer at twenty and turkey at fifteen.
 
I don’ t remember the charge. I used to use but it was accurate . I don’t believe I ever fired forty grains in a pistol .Those Lyman’s are stout but I’m not.
Thanks people
 
I use 40 grains of 2 or 3f powder in mine mostly because it’s accurate enough for headshots on grouse which is what it’s for. Also because I like to carry a horn in the field and the .50 Hawken I use with this pistol likes 80 grains of 2 or 3f behind the same .490 round ball. One measure suffices for both guns.
 
I always used 30 gr. of 3f in the Lyman's with good results. It is sufficiently powerful for most uses and is controllable.
 
I've been using 30 grains of 3f under a patched. 490 round ball in my CVA mountain pistol.
Not bragging but I'm pretty deadly with it out to about 30 yards.
 
Back
Top