Rice .50 42" load

[Tizzy]

What load would you guys recommend for a .50 Rice radious grooved barrel? I have been using 80 grn. Fffg with a .490 ball and .10 patch. The accuracy is sparatic...any sudjustins ? I know the barrel is cappable of   better accuracy than what I am receiving.

[ScottH]

First thing I would change is going to a thicker patch.
Something .018 or thicker.

[drago]

Maybe try a .495 ball too. Tighter loads tend to be more accurate, other than that you'll have to experiment with different combinations. But thats half the fun and more reason to be shooting.

[smylee grouch]

It sounds like your patching is thinner than the groves are deep. Use 20/1000 patch for starters.

[bgf]

I have a flat bottom rice 50 on my chunk gun, and it takes .495 and .020" art canvas, so start somewhere around there, as the round bottom grooves are even deeper, if I understand correctly. 

I do know it doesn't seem to shoot as well with under 80g ffg, but your charge should be fine, unless it is blowing patches, which you should check for!

PS, the 10 oz all cotton bull denim from JoAnn's is usually my go to patching, and approximately 0.0225".  Easy to get.  I've been on the art canvas kick as it seems to work just as well and load a bit easier in my chunk barrels, but the denim is worth a try.

[Tizzy]

Thanks for the responses. I was shooting with pre-cut .10 patches from Cabela's...I noticed they were being burned through. I switched to .010 pillow ticking...no burn through, but the same accuracy. I agree with maybe a thicker patch...

[smallpatch]

Rice's website recommends.490 ball with .018" patch.
I use .495 with .020" patch with great results, 70g of fffg.

[Black Hand]

Adjust your load up or down by 5gr increments to dial in the optimal load. And a thicker patch...

[Mike Brooks]

Too much powder  and you need a thicker patch, .018-.020.

[hanshi]

Tight is good.  I use a .490" ball and 70 grains of 3F in my rb Rice .50 barrel.  But I also use .020" to .025" patch material.  Going to a .495" ball won't hurt anything, either.

[bgf]

Try 2f also.  My 50s like it, especially goex.  Swiss 2f is much finer and hotter, but to be fair a little more consistent by volume also.

Gx 2f seems easier on patches and doesn't heat up barrel as fast.  Mine starts to group well with 80g goex 2f and stays good up to 100 at least.  I think 100 is maximum recommended by rice, though I wonder with my 1.125" barrel if that's true, I should ask, just been fairly happy with 85g until I get the rest of my chunk technique good enough to judge even better.

[hortonstn]

I use a .500 ball and 80 grns Fff with a .20 teflon patch for benchrest , round groove rifling
Just my opinion

[thelongrifle]

I use a .490 rb with a .01 patch. I put a 1/8 thick pre lubed felt wad between  powder and patched ball. Excellent accuracy and easy to load.

[deepcreekdale]

I use 50 grains of powder with whatever thickness pillow ticking from Joanns happens to be and .490 balls for all my 50 caliber rifles. That is what Jim Bridger used and it has always worked for me. My eyes aren't good enough to tell the difference anymore between different patch thickness and ball diameters. And when they were good enough for me to be competitive I won a lot of matches with that load as well. A friend shot 2 deer with that load and caliber this past season and neither moved after they were hit. What more do you need. I might be swimming against the tide but I prefer to pick one load and then practice with it rather than fiddling around with variables. I doubt the old timers spent a lot of their time miking patches and balls before they went out shooting either. Others prefer doing it differently and that is fine. All part of the fun of this sport.

[Ky-Flinter]

I have a Rice .50 with round bottom rifling.  It shoots very well with Hornady .490 swaged round balls and .018 pillow ticking over 65 gr. of Goex 2F.

-Ron

[Marcruger]

Always locate your fire patches and "read them".  If there is any burn-through, hole, or a shattered/consumed/blown patch, then your load or crown is not there yet.  If I can see sunlight through my patch material when held up to the sun, I look for better patching. 

Also, look for a sunburst scorch pattern on the patch, even if there is no burn-through.  This means you are getting blow-by of the powder gasses.  This is result in uneven velocities and lousy accuracy.  If you see the scorch marks, you need a thicker patch, a bigger ball, or both. 

If your patch is blown apart, your cloth is junk or the pre-lube is old and deteriorated the patch.  You need stronger material. 

Read up and Daryl's muzzle treatment, as a sharp crown will cut up your patches so they fail before you shoot them.  Also, a smooth crown allows easier loading of a tight fitting load combo. 

With the deep Rice round rifling, you'll need a thick (.018 or thicker) patch and a fat roundball to drive the patching into the grooves. 

My Rice 50 likes 72 grains of Goex 2f, The Minute-Men .018 patching, and a .495 ball.  Mine is flat bottom rifled, so you may need to go thicker on the patching.  I might recommend a steel range rod as well for loading a tight load.  Swiss powder is faster, so you may not want to go that route as it'll just make your situation worse. 

Good luck. 

God Bless,  Marc

[Tizzy]

Thanks for the responses guys. I have some new thicker patching on the way from Track that should arrive by Sat...if so, I will post results.

[Marcruger]

I am not sure you're going to get the patching you need for that barrel from TOTW.  However, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and it won't hurt to dry.  Just don't be surprised if you end up at a cloth store or heeding my patching suggestion above.  Good luck with your endeavors.  God Bless,   Marc

[Tizzy]

We had some family come and stay with us over the weekend, and I didn't have much time to spare to work up a good load for the rifle as I would have liked. I did however find about an hour to shoot a few shots at a box with a dot put on it (I couldn't locate my stick on targets.) My first two shots were with 75 gr. FFFG. I noticed that the shots were so spread, that something was wrong. So I bumped the charge down to 65 gr. and the remaining 4 shots were fired with that charge. It appeared to group satisfactory at that charge, and to be honest, I was shooting from the prone with the sun in my face...not the best conditions for zeroing a rifle. I am sure the rifle would have held a tighter group if the shooter was able. Patching was .020 cotton that I purchased from Track. The recovered patching did not show any burn through. I posted the pic of the patching so you all could have a look and share your opinions.

[smallpatch]

Tizzy,
Much better, but you've still got some holes in that patch.  Looks like it's getting snagged on loading.
You may need to smooth out your crown, ala Daryl.
What are you using for lube?
Stay away from solid lubes if shooting multiple shots.  Moose milk recipes abound. 
That's still a respectable group at 50 yards.
You're almost there!

[Tizzy]

I was using good ole tried and true spit for lube.....not the best choice. What is everyone's favorite lube?

[hanshi]

I was using good ole tried and true spit for lube.....not the best choice. What is everyone's favorite lube?

Mink oil from TOW and Hoppes BP lube.  Oh, and your photos didn't show up when I double checked.

[Daryl]

In testing - a lot, using a Goodoien .40 cal barrel, I found spit, WWWF+bit of Neetsfoot Oil were equal in accuracy with the same load- hard to improve upon with single hole, 1/2" Centre to Centre for 5 shots, at 50yards.

When using LeHighValley lube or similar slippery lube, I had to increase the powder charge 10gr. , whether using 3F or 2F.  My 2F accuracy load was the identical patch and ball, but 10gr. OVER the 3F accuracy charge.  The extra 10gr. was needed to get the same accuracy as given by the water-based lubes whether using spit or WWWF+oil.

Clearer explanation, perhaps - water based lube accuracy - 55gr. 3F or 65gr. 2F. 
----------------------------identical accuracy with slippery lube - 65gr. 3F or 75gr. 2F.

Accuracy with water based lubes, for target shooting came at approximately 1,750fps.  Accuracy with the slippery lubes, came at approximately 2,240fps(10gr. more & slippery lube made a huge difference in velocity.

My .50 Getx, rounded rifling barrel does best so far with 85gr. 2F for target, using water based lubes.  I need to spend some more time at the range with this rifle.







This muzzle picture of a Hawken rifle shows the crown very well, on a properly crowned barrel. It will allow loading a ball the same size as the bore, WITH a .020" patch, without cutting the patch.