Low b/p rifle loads?

[Bowhunter57]

I've been considering the purchase of another black powder long rifle. Last week I was at a local gun shop and found a Dixie Gun Works .50 cal. percussion Penn. Poor Boy.

I would be using this rifle for deer and possibly groundhogs. However, I've heard of using low powder charges for squirrels and rabbits. Something like 20gr. or 25gr. of 2F (or similar charges of 3F), that would be both accurate and just enough for small game head shots.

Has anyone used reduced powder charges in this or similar calibers to make the rifle more versatile, in its' use?

Thank you, Bowhunter57

 

[Pancho]

I'd first determine if your gun could be accurate with the smaller charge at the typical range you would be shooting. Preserving the meat with head shots on squirrels and rabbits requires accuracy and that's the tail that wags the dog.
There is another aspect to consider with squirrels and that is the hunting method called "barking". Instead of aiming for the head you shoot for the bark of the tree in close proximity to the head the goal being that fragments from the bark stun or injure the squirrel. I thought it was an old wives tale but it does work.

 

[desidog]

^The least time i heard reference to "barking" was reading some Civil War book about twenty years ago...

Issue with reduced loads is meteoric trajectory; although at one point i was experimenting with using wax balls and reduced charge..pesky squirrels in the gutters of the house....but the issue was with compressing the ball on the powder...it didnt work well enough to continue.

 

[Cosmoline]

I think "barking" actually involves a low velocity side-swipe to the squirrel's head that KO's or kills it. The shrapnel bark doesn't have nearly enough power to kill one. But the only way to know for sure would be super high speed film of it, or a microscopic squirrel autopsy.

As to low loads, the only concern I know of is in certain rifles that have a "chamber" of sorts at the breech end. This is too narrow for the ball, and is intended to shape the black powder charge and help ignition. But if you load too light, you'll have a space between the top of the charge and the base of the ball which is NOT a good idea. I think some Pedersoli rifles have this feature.

 

[rodwha]

I know my Lyman's has a patent breech. How would one go about figuring how much volume it will take to fill that portion plus a smidgeon? I don't have a bore light.

I will be giving this a try as well. The cost of a small caliber rifle would pay for a lot of .490" balls!

 

[desidog]

I seem to recall that loading my GPR with 50 grains would swage the ball into the "chamber." But its been a few years and i could be wrong. I was doing reduced loads with cornmeal filler, like you'd use on a pistol, and i think that it was around 25 grains powder and 25 grains cornmeal would just get the ball out of the barrel... i had to buy a puller after attempting 20/30...accuracy wasn't worth balls, so to speak.

 

[Cosmoline]

How would one go about figuring how much volume it will take to fill that portion plus a smidgeon?

Some careful measuring with a ramrod or just unscrew the breech and see.

 

[BullSlinger]

Ok how about the obvious. Use 6, 7, or 8 shot with cardboard wad on top of powder and on top of shot. Start with 30 to 45 grains 2f or 3f and say goodnight to the bunnies.

 

[OrangePwrx9]

30 Gr. of Pyrodex P behind a patched roundball is a favorite plinking load of mine in my .50 cal. TCs. My .50 Greyhawk is particularly fond of it. Fired patches look good enough to be used again.

Should work fine inside 50 yards.

 

[AJumbo]

My old TC .54 Hawken did fine with 35 gr of 3f or Pyrodex, and put many a bunny on the plate. Since I replaced the factory tube with a Green Mountain barrel, I've never gone below 50 gr. My elk load is squirrel-skull accurate as appropriate distances, however, I do not recommend 115 gr. of powder under a round ball as a small game load.

I have barked squirrels, but I found that if you can bark them for real, you can almost always make a head shot, as well. For barking to be successful, the squirrel has to be hugging the limb or trunk of the tree.

 

[alsask]

20 grains is a mild load with a .32. As Cosmoline pointed out you have to make sure you fill the cavity in a patent breach. A Lyman takes around 30 grains to fill the patent breach so I would start there. Even 50 grains in a .50 cal rifle is very mild and pleasant to shoot.