Shooting 3f in place of 2f for 54 Caliber

[draken]

I recently Finished a copy of an Issaic Haynes rifle  (38 inch Rice C weight, 54 caliber barrel, flint ignition.) for my son in-law, an avid White Tail hunter.  With no 2F powder but  an adequate supply of 3F, we need to work up a hunting load suitable for deer sized game.  Any 3F shooters out there with advice?

[Joe Schell]

3 f will work fine. Last deer season i hunted with a 54 loaded with 80 grains of schuetzen 3f, it preformed well.

[elk killer]

Never have shot 2 f in anything, 80 grains of 3 f is fine load from deer to elk
aliens however might need a bit more😊

[thecapgunkid]

Never really shot with 3F outside revolvers.  I judge it a better priming powder than 4 F

[Greg Pennell]

I’m with Joe and elk killer...90 grains of 3f Schuetzen is sudden death in my .54...and as mentioned works great as a prime, too. Makes it a little easier when you only have to carry one powder.

Greg

[Iktomi]

I shoot 85 grains Graf FFF powder in my .54 GPR. It's a stout load and quite accurate in that gun.

[smallpatch]

I shoot FFFg in everything but my smoothbore. I believe it burns cleaner.

[George Sutton]

I shoot 3f in everything.

Centershot

[stubshaft]

I shoot 3F in almost everything.  The only exception is an Early Virginia that Jack Garner made for me with a 13/16" .50 cal. barrel.  That gets 2F to keep pressures down.

[Turtle]

I have a friend who has harvested lots of deer with 65gr on 3f in his 54.

[Bob Roller]

I recently Finished a copy of an Issaic Haynes rifle  (38 inch Rice C weight, 54 caliber barrel, flint ignition.) for my son in-law, an avid White Tail hunter.  With no 2F powder but  an adequate supply of 3F, we need to work up a hunting load suitable for deer sized game.  Any 3F shooters out there with advice?

In years long gone I shot 3fg in everything from a 31 caliber revolver to a 10 gauge
and no problems.
I would think 80 to 100 grains of 3fg and a soft lead 54 caliber ball would all but
field dress a deer.

Bob Roller

[WadePatton]

As Bro. Daryl has said-work up a load for both, that way you'll find the best--and you'll be prepared when you run out of your preferred.

I've shot both 2 and 3f in my .54 and find no significant difference in performance. 2f in my pan too.  Sparks right up and is humidity resistant.

[Semisane]

I shoot 85 grains Graf FFF powder in my .54 GPR. It's a stout load and quite accurate in that gun.

That's my load also out of my .54 GPR flintlock Iktomi, except I use GOEX FFFg. Does the job quite well on deer and gives me 2.5" five shot groups at 100 yards from the bench.

[TommyG]

I use 80gr 3F in my Rice .54 - 31" C wt..  Seems to group a bit better than the 2F equivalent.  I use a .535 RB, .022 denim patch.

[Nessmuck]

I use 80 grain FFF in my .45 cal.....she Cracks !! And I use FFF in my 62 Smoothy ....

[thelongrifle]

I built one also with a 38 in Colerain 54 cal barrel. I use 70 gr 3f for targets and small game and 90gr 3f for deer hunting.

[Old Salt]

I use FF in very thing from 50 up and flash pan on the flinter also. The only thing I FFF in, is the 32, 36 and revolvers.

[smallpatch]

@!*% Joe,
That buck is a BEAST!

[rsells]

3 FFF has been my choice for any cal. up through .54.  I have used it in several .54 cal. rifles over the years and shot each rifle at different volumes to determine what charge shoots best in that specific barrel.  I have ended up using from 55 gr. to 70 gr. in barrels that were one turn in 66 twist. 
                                                                                                                 Roger Sells
 

[hanshi]

I use 3FFF in everything including the .54 and the .62 smoothbore.  Many deer have fallen to 80 grains of 3F in my .45 Lancaster.  2F is only used in a few particular loads in the .50 and up.

[yip]

HANSHI;whats the your load for your 62cal fowler?..........yip

[Hungry Horse]

I never use 3F in my smoothbore, and in fact would use 1F more often if it was easy to get. I find the soft push of slower burning powder is less likely to blow a pattern than the more violent detonation of finer powder.

  Hungry Horse

[Daryl]

I never use 3F in my smoothbore, and in fact would use 1F more often if it was easy to get. I find the soft push of slower burning powder is less likely to blow a pattern than the more violent detonation of finer powder.

  Hungry Horse

I believe there is quite likely a trade-off here, HHorse, between a 'softer' start and slower acceleration which would also have a higher muzzle pressure, against a faster start and lower muzzle pressure,
which might in itself, reduce pattern blowing, over-weighing the previous advantage and disadvantage. That is where the experimentation & testing of various load components comes in.

I an quite convinced, as with rifles, that a person could develop a tight shooting load with any of the powder granulations normally used in rifles or smoothbores, if enough load development/testing
was attempted, just as changing wads, powder charge and shot charge can have an effect with any particular granulation.

There is just about as much experimentation required to develop good shot loads, as there is to develop good rifle loads in any particular gun.  As with rifles when someone who simply picks a load
out of their hat, they rarely grace the winner's circle at rendezvous- same goes for shooting shot loads - either when hunting or involved in clay bird shooting contests.

[rich pierce]

Don’t want to go too far off topic here but could long barrels make a difference in accuracy because pressure is lower on exiting?

[Daryl]

Rich - pretty sure both accuracy and tightness of pattern would be effected by reduces pressure upon discharge. This more gentle delivery makes sense.
If we could get the pressure to be zero at discharge, accuracy and patterns would be even better however, this is not possible as the velocity would have been reduced
from the point when the pressure dropped below that required to maintain the velocity already achieved.

This slowing of the projectile can be observed in a long barreled modern RF, thus, there is a point where it would also happen with a ml.