45 Kentucky long rifle.

[klutchless]

I have a long rifle and was considering taking it on a hog hunt.Any advice on Projectile or powder loads.I currently shoot 85grains swiss with a 44 ball patched with cotton tick I think that's how you spell it.Yes I will have a 454 casull on my side.To moderators if this is the wrong spot please move it.

 

[rocklock]

Just throwing out some opinions here, never having hunted hogs. If you can get close enough, a round ball hits with pretty good authority. The problem is a roundball bleeds off velocity pretty fast (and energy), though I killed a mule deer at around 100yds. with a .433 roundball and 60 grains of 3f, and it was a through and through in the chest. If your rifle has a fast enough twist to handle a heavy conical, and I hear hog shoulders are pretty tough, the extra penetration might be preferred.

 

[Pancho]

Can you tell us the rate of twist? That will tell the tale of what rounds will work for you. Depending on where you will be hunting I'd expect 50 and 75 yard shots.

 

[arcticap]

Hot .433 Lead Vs. Cold Steel

THR member gotcoalman told us how he fired a round ball through an ~8mm steel H girder at the local quarry twice with his .44 Kentucky rifle. He said that the only other gun that could do it there was a .30-30.
Some didn't want to believe his claim so he set out to record a video of his gun firing through an 8mm [.31 inch] steel plate. He loaded it with 100 grains of 777 and a patched .433 round ball and guess what?
Well, check out the video and see for yourself. BTW, he dislocated his shoulder in the process and his son took a piece of shrapnel in the leg to accomplish this video from 3 different angles.
A .433 round ball isn't too much smaller than a revolver ball, and folks have reported numerous successful hog hunts with a revolver. And the ball would be traveling much faster. An experienced hunter can be successful doing it with 85 grains of Swiss. But a 255 grain TC Maxi Hunter would be one alternative to using a round ball. Be sure to see what the recovered round ball looked like at the end of the video. Good luck with your hunt and let us know how it works out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Phjzjk0f7Y

 

[Diggers]

I saw a post from a guy with a .40 cal rifle posted he gets 1920 fps with 65 grains of Goex 3F.

Another guy with a .40 cal with only a 33 inch barrel said that he was able to get 1850 FPS from 40 grains of Swiss.

With that in mind 85 grains of Swiss in a .45 must have that ball moving!

Any idea on what FPS your getting?

From what the other guy posted I would guess around 2400 maybe.

If so, this would be right around 1800 foot pounds of energy at the barrel.

That drops off pretty quick with a round ball but if you are 50 yards or so out, I can't imagine that wouldn't be enough to kill a pig cleanly.

Here is the link to that site, there is also a hunting section there for you to check out.
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/258453/

 

[klutchless]

Thanks on the advice it's a 1 in 28 twist If I measured correctly all my shots intend to be under 50 yards shooting them off a feeder.I have tried a minni sabot in the past and it throws them all over the place .It is a 40 inch barrel I have no idea what fps its pushing but i have killed a deer at 120 yards. I have a 50 cal inline loaded with powerbelts that i know will word but I want to go a little traditional.

 

[robhof]

It's probably not 1 in 28 as that is more of a sabot barrel and Kentucky style guns usually are 1 in 48 or 1 in 60, the 1st is a compromise thats shoots both conicals and balls, the latter is specifically for balls and will shoot conicals fair and sabots not good at all.

 

[Diggers]

WOW! 120 yard shot on a deer? Round ball?

Yeah I'd say your fine with the load you have. Good shooting BTW.

At the other forum I linked a guy was thinking about hunting pigs with his BP revolver.....So...yeah I'd say you're good to go.

 

[klutchless]

Yep it was a round ball and I think a little luck was involved on that shot.It was the last day of season and I wanted to see if i could hit it and i did took all day to track it the ball didn't go threw and I hit it quartered away threw the left lung into the heart.deer only went about 200-250 yards just couldn't find it.You are correct it is 1 in 60 twist my math was way off.

 

[klutchless]

Tested the old round ball on some hog ribs at 50 yards passed right threw bones and all tomorrow will be tested on a live hog we need to kill on the farm thinking of a head shot after watching that youtube video.I am now positive at 50 yards a neck shot is a high possibility and will take down a pig I did it today with a 22 magnum on the farm .I didn't have my rifle with me at the time of the hog killing.

 

[Pancho]

I don't know myself but I'll ask this question of the group. How would you think a minie-ball would shoot in a slow twist barrel like klutchless's.
Does anyone know the rate of twist of the typical civil war musket? We all know that they were accurate enough and deadly enough at hunting ranges.

 

[ElvinWarrior]

It never ceases to amaze me how amazed people are with round ball hits and kills at 100 Plus yardages...

Please do remember your history guys...

When the Kentucky Long rifle was invented, the only game in town were patched round balls, and what made those Long Rifles famous, and so very effective during the Revolutionary War, was the fact, that they could hit and kill at out past 100 yards...

That was the WHOLE POINT of having one !!!

Sincerely,

ElvinWarrior... aka... David, "EW"

 

[klutchless]

I have shot a minnie in my rifle and it won't hit the broadside of a barn.But in my hawken 50 cal it shoots better than any other projectile.However my brothers 45 hawken only likes a round ball. I personaly have found it's up to the gun .I have a Pensylvanian 50 cal that shoots both but it is a flintlock so not real suitable for pigs in my area.Not the guns fault but mine.I move alot when hunting and don't want the powder tipping out plus it's to nice to be scratched up in the woods.

 

[klutchless]

Test result is at 20 feet a 45 ball will punch threw a pigs skull no problem now to clean the pig.

 

[Diggers]

ElvinWarrior true true. However I kind of wonder how much of an issue a "clean" kill was back then. If the hunter was a woodsman and good tracker, tracking a deer for a couple three miles to put another ball into it and put it down probably wasn't an issue back then.

That and putting people down at 100 - 200 yards is easier than doing it to deer or pigs.

But yes of course you're right, it's accuracy at long range is why the long rifle became famous.

 

[Burt Blade]

At the Battle of New Orleans in 1814, Jackson's rifle-equipped millitia engaged the British at 200-300 yards with longrifles firing patched roundball loads, to devestating effect. By the time the British had closed to (smoothbore) musket range, the US rifles and cannons had torn apart their formations. Then the US regulars (Cottonbalers!) opened up with their muskets.

Properly loaded, the patched roundball is quite accurate. Little tricks like placing a slice of hornet nest paper betwen powder and patch improve the overall effort. (The paper prevents blowing holes in the patch, which would spoil accuracy.)

The most important thing is loading the exact same load in the exact same way, every time.

 

[ridgerunner1965]

45 kentucky

i used to use my 45 kentucky to dispatch steers and hogs for butchering at close range. it did fine and seemed like they kicked a lot less than a 22!