Kentucky Long Rifle giving me a beating.

[GUN DOG]

I put my together from a kit browned the barrel, need some better sights, have some lymans peep I need to try and fit. Even have a maxi ball mould in 32. What charges are u using in yours I've only shot it a few times with 35gr fff Put a fire sight on my 54 with a lyman peep good in low light

 

[Lurker66]

I use a .310rb or OObuck. 30gr FF blackpowder. A .38sp case is right at 30gr. Ive shot coyotes at 80yds with a maxi ball. That pill blew a golfball size exit wound.

I know it could really smoke a deer with a maxi.

 

[okietool]

Cool. Heres short answer. Your using way too much of the wrong powder. Not that Im a great BP guru but ive been doing this a long time. Stick with me cause ill explain some stuff. Maybe we can discuss it and learn something.

Shoot real BP in your traditional guns. Fake stuff, degrades over time. That stuff is very inconsistent anyways.

Years ago, .50 cal shooter used much less grains per shot, depending on species. Buffalo was in the 90 to 120 grain range with a prb. But you aint huntin buffalo. Your plinkin or shootin deer.

Let the inline guys who shoot pellets, use scopes n sabots, shoot the heavy loads. They needs lots of velocity to make their sabots expand.

Traditional shooters shoot a soft lead ball. Youll get awesome expansion and penetration if youll cut your load down to the 50-70gr range.

If you read old articles and advice, they recomend working up a load starting at one(1) grain per caliber size. So you would start at 50gr. And work your way up until you found a accurate load. From my years of experience that happy spot is always under 70gr.

Another thing. Your gun isnt really based on a particular "style". Its called a Kentucky but thats more a marketing ploy. Your rifle is a mix of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and Pennsylvania styles. Your stock shape doesnt lend itself to heavy loads. Where as a Hawkens type shape does.

Each "style" of muzzle.loader shoots and handles recoil very different. Virginia type MLers in .50 can be brutal if the loads aint kept low. Tennessee style are great in the smaller calibers but jump them up to the "hog" rifles and recoil really sucks in 50 n 54 caliber and thats with med heavy loads.

If you insist on shooting heavy loads, I recommend a Hawkens or Plains Rifle. Simple reason is they were designed for killing bigger game and heavier loads. Elk, Grizzly, Buffalo. The Eastern styles of rifles where more designed for deer, hogs, small game, utility farm type weapons.

So my recommendation is to just drop down to about 60-70gr. With a PRB thatll get ya mostly pass thru's and lotsa dead deer out to about 100ish yards. All with a lot less felt recoil.

Just wanna add that 1:66 is great for RB but not so much for conicals. You can get away with shootin them but they really need a faster twist.

Just to add a little more about Black Powder. 3F makes for higher pressures in larger calibers, yet 2F is said to create dangerous high pressures in smaller calibers. If either is true it would effect felt recoil. The fake powder only compounds the possible problem.

Generally the rule is FFg for .50 and larger and FFFg for .50 and smaller.

Personally I use 2F in most guns but have a couple I use 3F in. My .32 Crockett gets 20gr of FFg. I shoot only FFg in my .31-.44 revolvers. I use FFFg in 1 .54 thst shoots conicals into one big hole at 50yds.

Again none of my guns go over 70gr.

Hornaday balls are good enough. I try to steer new shooters to shoot what the traditional guns we're designed for.

A round ball does its best work at lower velocities. Maximum expansion usually occurs in the first 4 inches of penetration. If the load is too hot the .490 ball doest fully expand and transfer maximum energy. Rather the ball will slightly expand and just keep peeling back before exiting.

Maxi ball and maxi hunters hardly expand much but because of the extra mass will blow right thru a deer, usually.

you can also try different thicknesses of patches, sometimes that makes a difference as well.

Id try shooting a RB and dropping the charge down to 60-70 grains and see how that works for ya.

Inline ballistics work very different.

This is a pretty good black powder primer.

 

[Lurker66]

This is a pretty good black powder primer.

I dont charge much for lessons lol.

 

[264killer]

I have a 45 caliber double barrel muzzle loader , going to see how well it is regulated when it gets cooler.

 

[J.T.]

Crap. Now I have the BP bug again. Awesome thread guys.

 

[Lurker66]

Crap. Now I have the BP bug again. Awesome thread guys.

Once ya get the bug, you'll always come back to your roots. Only cure is to jump in with both feet.

 

[J.T.]

I've never owned a "Kentucky" style rifle so that will be new. What's the consensus on the best sub $700 finished rifle?

 

[Lurker66]

Lyman Great Plains Rifle. They come in kit form or ready made. .50 or .54 caliber, Flintlock or Percussion. It's based on a Hawken style. I think Traditions makes a "Kentucky" style but I don't have experience with them.

 

[JEEPr]

I've never owned a "Kentucky" style rifle so that will be new. What's the consensus on the best sub $700 finished rifle?

I put together the Traditions Kentucky style rifle.. It went together pretty easy. Only difficult part for me was drilling and installing the barrel pins that held the barrel to the stock. Good wood, the brass is finished and polished. I think it comes in a maple stock and holds stain well. I recommend getting the barrel "hot" blued. If you live in Tulsa, Mackool Firearms does a great job. He has blued 3 barrels for me. Will run you around $30 a barrel. I also am putting together the Kentucky pistol Traditions makes. I recommend Traditions for a starter kit. They have great customer service too.