Recommended Loads for .50 Patch 'n Ball

[adobewalls]

Y'all,

I just picked up a one of the Jonathan Browning Mountain Rifles that Browning made back in the 1980's in 50 cal, but without the manual, so my load development is going very slow. If its not a bother, can you share your ideas of good black powder loads?

I spent last Sunday plinking and getting familiar with the rifle, and between my son and I we leveled a small stump sticking out of the water at about 75 yards using 55gr. of GOEX 3F, a .490 Hornaday RB and some pre-lubed patches (about 0.017) thick. The load seemed to be pretty accurate, but we did not put it on paper.

What I am trying to establish is:

1. Would this load be strong enough to hunt with (keeping shots inside a 100 yards)?

2. Any issues with using 3F instead of 2F?

3. What combination do you find useful in a 1:60 rifled barrel?

4. Can a 275 gr. TC Maxi-hunter be used with the 1:60 twist, and if so what might be a good 3F load to try?

Thanks in advance.

 

[oneshooter]

Your 55 grain charge is a real nice plinkin and fun gun load. I would put the rifle on the bench and try 5 shot groups, increassing the charge 10 grains at a time. The groups will slowly get smaller and then expand out. When that happens then back up to the last charge and add 5 grains, shoot one more group and check it. Be sure to clean with one wet and one dry patch between shots.
Then you can play with patck thickness, lube, and RB diameter. All in all the JBMR is a very accurate rifle. I would stick to 2f and a PRB, but then I am a traditionalist. If you change to 3f then start the over and do it all again. The 1-60 twist will not, as a general rule shoot slugs very well. The PRB, inside 100yds, will surprise you with its killing power. With my 50cal long rifle,44"bbl, 1-72 twist, I have killed Hill country whitetail at 100-110 paces. My load for hunting is 100gr 2f, 495rb and a .020 patch. velocity is a measured 1800fps.

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

 

[R.M.]

I just shot my first BP mule deer yesterday, with 90gr of Pyrodex R/S, and 50 cal. roundball. I hit her perfectly in the front shoulder, from 35 yards. Took out the heart, lungs, and liver. The ball ended up against the skin on the far side, flatter than a pancake. .She turned and ran like I missed her cleanly. It took 2 hours to find her. She had run about 100 yards, and not spilling a drop that I could find. There wasn't a hair or drop of blood to be found. I had convinced myself that I'd missed.
I was impressed with the damage done internally, but without a blood trail, especially with no snow on the ground, it makes it very difficult to track them. I was ready to give up looking when I just stumbled on her.
I plan on doing more testing with my load. Maybe a bit more velocity would have blown the ball on through, which would have given me a blood trail, don't know.

R.M.

 

[cracked butt]

I use 60 gr FFG for plinking. 85 gr FFG for a hunting load. Both are very accurate in my .50

 

[20cows]

It depends on what you're shooting at, of course, but I find a load of just 50 gr. has plenty of "smack" on a steel plate at 30 yds. It makes a dent in a piece of 3/4" plate. Recoil is there, but pleasant and the load is easy on the rifle. Over a long period of time, heavy loads can damage a soft maple stock.

 

[adobewalls]

Thanks for the insight guys. Shooting the Blackpowder longun is new to me, and I have not yet bought any books - so wanted to see what the collective wisdom here had to offer.

I can say that it was an enjoyable way to spend a Sunday with my son.

 

[Gatofeo]

All offer sound advice.
I shoot a CVA Mountain Rifle in .50 caliber, purchased new in 1980.
My plinking and practice load is 50 grains of Goex FFG under a .490 Speer ball, wrapped in either old, oft-washed Docker or jeans material that is 100 cotton.
Lubricant is a mix of 1 part mutton tallow, 1 part canning paraffin and 1/2 part beeswax. All parts are by weight, not volume. I use this same lubricant for all my black powder needs: bullets, patches, wads, etc. It's a good mix.
My bid-ness load be 80 grains Goex FFG with the same ball, patch and lube.
I haven't hunted with it in years so I pretty much shoot the 50 grain load. I find that this load is accurate and won't blow holes out the back of my bullet trap. I recycle my lead by shooting into a large cardboard box with layers of newspaper and 1/2 inch sheets of plywood. The box is held together by duct tape, and repaired with same.
After a year or so shooting, I usually reclaim about 15 pounds of lead.
The 80 grain load will zip through it, however. Most shooting into the box is done with .22 pistols or cap and ball revolvers.

 

[Smokey Joe]

BP loads

Adobewalls--A 1:60 twist is made for roundballs. I doubt if it'll stabilize anything else. OTOH, it'll probably shoot roundballs like gangbusters.

I shoot roundballs with FFg real blackpowder. My 50 yd. target load is 50 grains (by volume) and my 100 yd hunting load is 70 grains (again, by volume). I use a pre-lubed patch. You want to match the diameter of your ball, the thickness of your patch, and the diameter of your bore groove-to-groove such that there is about 0.001" worth of patch compressed to nothing when you load your rifle.

The lube is T-C Bore Butter. I follow T-C's reccommendations about only cleaning the bore with hot water, and lubing with Bore Butter after the hot steel has dried. I just DO NOT have problems with fouling during a range session of mebbe 30 shots, and remember this is with real BP.

As far as I'm concerned, T-C Bore Butter is the only way to lube. About all of the above--as far as an authority to cite, I can say it works for me.

Good on you, spending such quality time w/yr boy.

 

[RCL]

For a hunting load in my T/C Pennsylvania Hunter cap lock I use 90 grains of Goex 3F, a Buffalo Bullet .490 ball and a T/C .015 ticking patch lubed with Bore Butter. Touch it off with a CCI #11. When I first got the gun (read that as when my eyes where younger) I could put three shots in an inch at 50 yards with that load, open sights, off a bench.
I had gone up to 100 grains and remained accurate, but if I went a over that, I started to get some hammer blow back so I backed off to 90. No sense riding that close to the edge.

 

[squirrel-shooter]

powder charges in .50cal rifles

Most 50cal rifles produced in the last 40yrs list a safe maximum load with bullets weighting less than 385/400grs as 100grs MAX charge using black powder FFg or Pyrodex RS loose charges.

The old rule concerning a proper powder charge for a given caliber was the powder charge, in volume, was equal to bore size. Below is a sample of 19th century standard charges by caliber, these were recommended loads of the day but many shooters developed their own field loads just as we do today. In the old days gun use was a "get in close and shoot affair" so using lighter charges allowed faster follow up shots because fouling was not as much a problem as with heavier charges.

.36cal 35/40grs fffg
.40cal 40grs fffg
.45cal 45grs ffg
.50cal 50grs ffg
.58cal 60/65grs ffg (gvt issued CW charge for Enfields and Springfields)
.62cal 65 grs ffg
.69cal 70/75grs ffg

As men started confronting large bears, moose and elk their charges and caliber's grew, a typical mountain man would be "loaded for bear" when he double charged his rifle in expectation of a bear confrontation. So if he was armed with a .50 his primary charge was 50grs powder, to be loaded for bear he would have a 100gr charge loaded.

Modern day muzzleloading shooters use really heavy charges when compared to their counterparts of 150+ yrs ago, we go "loaded for bear" even when shooting at paper targets or thin skinned game like whitetail deer.

My personal 50cal loads are 40grs ffg/PyrodexRS under a PRB for 50yrd and under shooting. Typical whitetail load out to 100yrds is 70grs ffg/PyrodexRS under PRB. Both loads shoot to same POA, the 40gr charge hits 1.5" high at 50 yards while the 70gr charge hits dead on at 100yrds and I dont change my sight settings between the charges.

If you decided to try FFFg, Pyrodex P or Triple Seven FFg/FFFg the general concensus among shooters (not manufacturers) is to reduce your standard load by 10/15%. The finer powders and Triple Seven produce more velocity and pressure when used in the same volume charge as the FFg/RS powders, by reducing the charge volume you will maintain the same pressure/velocity as your favorite FFg/RS charge. I know of only 1 commercial rifle maker that recommends FFFg/Pyrodex P for use in his .50cal and larger rifles, everyone else sticks with the more traditional FFg/Pyrodex RS most likely due to legal issues.

squirrel-shooter

 

[adobewalls]

Squirrel Hunter, thanks for that very interesting background on "loaded for bear". I've heard the term forever, but never really thought about what it meant.

I'm shooting 3F right now because its all I have on hand (I have a couple of cap'n ball revolvers) and real black powder is difficult to find locally.

I know from shooting the relvovers that they can foul up quickly to the point of freezing up. I was surprised when shooting the rifle that we shot probably 40 times and we still did not have any trouble swabbing out the bore between shots or in ramming the ball home when loading.

Everyone, thanks again for your contribution to the thread. I know what I'm going to work on the next time I take the rifle out.