45 load

[ddeaton]

How much powder for a good flint target load?

[Daryl]

My .45 barrel is a GM, 42" with an advertized  60" twist. I haven't measured it myself, but since it's cut rifled, I suspect they may be close.
  My best loads - there are two are both with the .445" ball and a .020" to .0215" denim patch.  Both thicknesses are listed as 10 pound denim.  I use Lehigh Valley lube, patches saturated before going shooting for the day, very lightly sqeezed to run the excess back into the bottle of lube. They are quite WET when loaded. The muzzle crown on my barrel is very nicely radiused and slightly coned for 3/8" depth.

 With 3F GOEX, the rifle prefers 70gr. stricken - also measured weight.
 With 2f GOEX, the rifle duplicates the above accuracy load if the powder charge is raised to 80gr. 3F.

 This load is very easy loading and allows one to shoot all day without having to wipe the bore.  I use a short starter with a short 1/4" long stud stud to 'start' the ball down below lfush with the muzzle, then the long 6" shaft of the stater to put it down that into the bore proper. It goes the rest of the way with the ramrod in 2 or 3 easy pushes to sit firmly on the powder.  With either of these loads, the rifle will put 5 consecutive balls into 1" with regularity, and down to 3/4" for some groups, all shot off the bags at a lazered 51 yards.

 Make every ball'patch seating on the powder with even pressure, meaing equal pressure each time, very slightly compressing the powder charge. This is how to get very even velocities shot to shot.  This aides in accurate shooting.

 I testing this barrel with wiping between shots and received greater shot to shot velocity spreads and increased group size.  I'm quite lazy, so I don't believe in wiping at any time while I'm shooting as there is no need as there is no fouling buildup to wipe out.  Each time it is loaded, the bore is wiped as the ball is seated so the bore's condition remains consistant, shot to shot.

 Consistancy will reward with accuracy.

[roundball]

How much powder for a good flint target load?

Its often said that "the caliber" makes a pretty good starting point, and as one reference, 40-50grns Goex 3F has been an excellent 25-50 yard target / plinking load for me in a 32" barrel .45cal Flintlock...

[Chris C]

In my 42 inch barrel I use 40 gr. of 3F at 25 yards, 50 gr. at 50 yards and 60 gr at 100 yards.  I also use .445 round balls that I cast, with a spit patch.

[Daryl]

As always, it depends on what your accuracy requirements are.
: The 32" .45 barrel on my wife's little rifle will shoot 50gr. 3F and the accuracy is good enough for her to start then adjust when she gets the 'bug' again.  This 50gr. load will only hold about 1 1/2" at 50 yards.  I suspect it will need more powder to shoot better than that, as it-too is a 60" twist GM barrel.

[Dphariss]

How much powder for a good flint target load?

As much as it takes.
This is a question only the rifle can answer.
I would start at 45-50 gr of FFFG.

Dan

[Gene Carrell]

My 45cal is built on a Bill Large bbl and according to my record book, I only tried 2Fg. Starting at 45gr and up to 55gr it shot 1 1/2" groups at 50yds off bags with a .440rb patched with .020 washed denim. At 60gr it shot 3/4-1" groups and that is where I stopped. This particular barrel is insensitive to lubricants, as long as they are wet. They all work. Every barrel, even from the same manufacturer seems to be different and an accurate load must be individualized for it. Anyone Else's load must be viewed as either a guide of starting point only.

[Candle Snuffer]

I agree, anyone elses load can only be viewed as a starting point.  You must find
your best load through range work and experimentation.  The one thing I have found over the years is that a tight patch & ball combination works best for me -
for best accuracy.  Again though,,, every barrel is different in its likes and dislikes.

[Dale Halterman]

I have two .45 cal rifles with 42" Green Mountain barrels. One is 15/16", the other is 13/16".

The heavier one likes a .445 ball, .18 patch and 50 grs of 3F Swiss. The lighter one likes a .440 ball, same patch, and 40 grs of 3F Goex.

Both will shoot 1" to 1 1/4" groups at 50yds off a rest when I do my part.

Dale H

[R. Hare]

With my homemade 43" barrel, it shoots better tham me with 44 grs, and maybe a bit better with 88grs hunting load. (Two measures full.)
I don't use a short starter.
Patch is soaked in deer tallow, and works well for me.
All guns are different, as has already been stated, and only playing will find your right load.

All best.

Richard.

[Mike R]

My .45 has an old Green River 42" barrel and I have two loads: intitially I found that 65 gr fffg and a .445 ball were quite accurate at 50 yds--and I was looking for a hunting load more than target load--the 65 gr gave me my minimum deer requirements in MV,ME, etc.  More recently, tired of the hard to load .445 ball I tried a .440 ball and 50 gr fffg at an informal match and to my surprise [I had not tested the load] I won the match with it.  The shots were offhand at 35 yds, and I have not benched that load yet. I recently witnessed a very tight group [all shots touching]shot using 50 gr fffg in a 42" Green Mountain .45 barrel at 50 yds, but I don't know whether he was using a .44 or.445 ball.

[Roger Fisher]

Well, I'll say it if no one else will!!!

They are like women, no two alike.  Gotta experiment til you find out what they want!

So, take the ol girl out and find out what pleases her (and you) and go with that.

[Daryl]

Roger, Dan, CandleSnuffer- all correct.  BUT - thereappears to be a concensus amongst the shooters who actually target their rifles, that most if not all of these rifles shoot the best with the heavier range of charges. 50 to 55gr. 3F Swiss being about equivalent to 65 to 70gr. of GOEX.  By shooting the 'best' I am referring to match-type accuracy off the bags at longer ranges, 50 yds and further.  If only shooting at close range, 25 to 30 yards, most moderate charges and some light charges will cut a ragged hole.

 Something happens to the stability of the ball past those ranges, which requires considerably more powder to hold a group together.

 Most of us who've 'benched' a smoothbore, know that with good loading & holding, most good smothbores will cut a ragged hole for 5 shots at 25 yards, but at 50/60 yards the groups will open radically. Beyond about 35 yards, some or most smoothies enlarge groups in an exponential manner.  These longer ranges are where the rifles, if loaded properly for longer range shooting, will outshoot the smoothbores.

 At Hefley Creek rendezvous, we have some shooters who almost always post the highest scores for a given 'trail' match. These shooters are either the highest scoring or are within 1 point of being there. Thankfully, the shoot organizers separate the smoothbore scores from the rifle scores.  The guys I speak of all shoot 20 gauge smoothbores-  not smooth rifles, ever.