Favorite 50 cal load for accuracy

[Jeff]

The title says it all-  only one load please for 25 yards   Jeff

[Marcruger]

There really is no such beast. Just what your barrel says it likes.  I’d start with 50 grains 2f, a wet lubed .015 patch on a .495 roundball.  Go up 5 grain increments until groups tighten up. Listen for the boom to change to “crack” and you are closing in. Don’t use substitute fake powder. Don’t change sights until group is small. Shoot at 50 yards to start, not 25. Even smoothbores can shoot at 25 yards. Maybe go with .018 or thicker patching as you experiment. Good luck with your tests. 

[Bob McBride]

As stated, not a ‘Googlable’ question. In any case, it’s hard to find a bad load at 25 yards.

Start with a handful of .490/.495 round balls and .018-.020 pillow ticking, some 3f, a natural grease/tallow lube, and a powder measure adjustable from 30-110g. The best load is hiding in there somewhere.

Something like .490/.020/40g should shoot good at 25y. Same for hunting at distance but the charge will likely fall 80g ish.

[snapper]

Like the others said, it all depends....

I have a nice little original English sporting rifle that I shoot 50 grains out of.   

I was having some serious shoulder pain earlier in the year and was very sensitive to recoil, so that is what I worked up for that rifle.

Fleener

[WadePatton]

There really is no such beast. Just what your barrel says it likes...

I'll start at 25, but when they all start going into one hole, it's time to move out to 50 to fine tune.  Anything that works at 50, must work at 25.

[Hungry Horse]

Once again, without the barrels twist rate choosing a load is literally a shot in the dark.

  Hungry Horse

[Bob Roller]

The 50 caliber rifle I made in the early 1970's had a  1x36 inch Bill Large barrel with
a solid bolster breech and tang.It had a Lyman 17A with a post insert and a tang peep sight
I cobbled up from scraps from the saw.Long bar Hawken triggers,walnut half stock with steel
guard and crescent butt plate.The load was 75 grains of Goex or DuPont 3fg and a ,500 ball
of pure lead and patches were surplus cleaning patches for the M1 Garand that I bought from
Wes Kindig.There were thousands of them in a very big bag and were compatible with the tight
ball that was loaded with a starter and mallet.From a rest at 25 yards it was a one hole group and
also at 50 and could stay in the 10 ring at 100 IF the light was right.I was 36 then and eyes were good
but now,out of practice and I would be happy to stay in the black or red on the 100 yard target.
I used a water soluble cleaning solution called Black Solve that also came from Wes and it looked like
anti freeze and pre wet the patches with it.I think it had silicone in it and felt slightly oily to the touch.
This was a good match rifle and changed owners several times and was finally destroyed in a house
fire that totalled everything including the house.
To me any round ball rifle that can't hold the 10 ring at 100 yards isn't worth the effort to load it but
also good eyes and sights plus practice are mandatory and I shot a lot before the early 70's but no
more.
Bob Roller

[Jeff]

Thank you gentlemen  Jeff   twist 1 in 60 by Hoyt   Jeff   Bob I remember those white cleaning patches

[smylee grouch]

All the others said it all, the best load for your rifle is one you worked up.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

My Chamber's Virginia rifle has a Rice .50 cal barrel with a twist of 1:66" IIRC.  The barrel is 42" long and of the "D" series profile.  The rifle weighs 10 pounds.  It's accuracy load is 72 gr. FFg GOEX, .495" pure lead ball, .018" denim patch lubed with Lehigh Valley Lube, for 50 meters.

[recurve]

 .490 ball 70grns swiss 3f tallow lube and .020  patch  the two high were before sight adjustment (filed rear sight)

[recurve]

.490 not.049

[John SMOthermon]

On a .50 cal ,...70 grns of fffg = 1 pound = 100 shots
                  ,... 100 - .490 round balls = 1 box =100 shots.

I've owned several .50 cals over the years and they all seemed to like this combination.

Each gun will let you know what it likes best, some just take longer than others.

Excellent groups Recurve !

[StevenV]

Wow , Black Solve I thought that was just a Dixon's thing. Never seen or heard of it anywhere else. We all use it at our club (Blue Mt. Muzzleloaders) Shartlesville Pa.  Steve

[Don Steele]

I've purchased a small bottle of "Black Solve" from the Dixie Gun Works booth at Friendship. The directions say to dilute it to 1/2 gal (might be 0ne gallon...I'm not sure). Whatever they were...I followed the directions and used it for cleaning. Never tried it for a patch lube.
Wasn't impressed enough to buy it twice.

[alacran]

Wow , Black Solve I thought that was just a Dixon's thing. Never seen or heard of it anywhere else. We all use it at our club (Blue Mt. Muzzleloaders) Shartlesville Pa.  Steve

Have been using it for cleaning for over 20 years. Have never used as patch lube. Dixie Gun Works carries it.

[hanshi]

25 yards?  My .50 likes 30 grains of 2F, a canvas patch lubed with mink oil or Hoppes BP Lube.  At 100 yards it's 70 grains of 3F and same lube/patch.

[Daryl]

I'm with Hanshi on 25 yard shooting. About any charge will work at 25 yards as long as the ball and patch combination is snug enough.
Charges for shooting 50 yards and further are necessarily and considerably larger.
For a guide to these ranges, check out the chunk and plank shooting master's loads. They are eye openers, as/are the ball and patch combinations they use.
Also, you will not find a coned barrel amongst the winners.
That also should say something, but then that all depends on what accuracy level is pleasing or acceptable to the shooter.
Dphar of this site, has an 18 pound flintlock .50 used for plank shooting (turkey head targets), which is held at 60 yards.
Seems to me, he uses a tight combination and 110gr. or 115gr. of 3F (likely) Swiss. He is rarely beaten at that game, if ever.

[Jeff Murray]

I shoot a 50 caliber flint rifle, 40 inch barrel, 1 in 66 twist, round bottom rifling.  Have found over many chronograph sessions that the load  I selected pre-chronograph as the most accurate also delivered the most consistent velocity with the least amount of deviation in velocity shot to shot.  That load was 75 grains of 2F GOEX.  Experimented with Elephant when GOEX was hard to get for a while.  The most accurate load with Elephant was 100 grains of 2F.  That Elephant load produced almost the same average velocity as the 75 grain load of GOEX, but with even less variation in velocity shot to shot.  Extreme Spread and Standard Deviation were substantially better than all of the other loads.  Consistent velocity is paramount to accuracy, particularly as you increase range.  Ball diameter, patch thickness, loading process consistency, and lube all have an impact, along with the "ideal" powder charge.  It also seems from these results that  any given barrel may have a "sweet spot" velocity that delivers the best accuracy.  Powder brand, granulation, and ultimate charge may be a surprise.  The hottest powder may or may not deliver the best consistency.  Chasing the best combo is part of the fun.

[Jeff]

Thank you hanshi and Jeff M. and others for politely answering my inquiry.  You did not lecture me in how to work up a load, something I have been doing since the mid-70's.  Jeff Weger

[bob in the woods]

Of the many at our club who shot .50 cal,   the most popular target loads were in the 70 gr vicinity.
Mine was a 42 in green mountain B weight swamped , and it preferred a .495 ball and 75 gr FFg