General discussion > Black Powder Shooting

40 cal loads

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c deperro:
Just curious what kind of loads are guys shooting out of a rice 40 cal. barrel ?

MuskratMike:
.395 round ball, patched with a .012 ticking patch lubed with a 50/50 mix of T.O.T.W. Mink oil and pure neatsfoot oil. This is the only rifle I have that I have two loads for. One for paper targets and one for hunting.
Targets: 40 grains of GOEX 3F
Hunting: 60 grains of GOEX 3F
Both use 4F for the prime.

bnewberry:
I use 40 grains of Swiss 3f, a .390 ball and pillow ticking (16 thousands as I recall) and either olive oil or spit. The olive oil is mixed 5 parts rubbing alcohol to one part oil, applied and left flat until the alcohol dries.

D. Taylor Sapergia:
I have three 40 cal rifles:  one with a Getz barrel, one with a Rice barrel and the third, a Kibler barrel.  All three enjoy 65 gr. FFFg GOEX, .395" pure lead ball, .018" - .021" denim patch with any sloppy wet lube.  All three load easily with a 5/16" hickory rod following a short started ball.

Daryl:
My .40 was only for target shooting and for the squirrel rifle match at Hefley Creek. The barrel was a Goodoien "match" barrel with a .398" bore and .418" groove diameter.
I used a couple different balls in it, a Lyman .395" mould that cast .398" balls with .021" to .0235" patches. I also used a .400" ball with the same patches and this load combination
showed slightly better accuracy at 50 yards. At that time, my best loads were shooting 1/2" and slightly smaller, 5-shot groups at that range, from a bench-rest.
My powder charges in 3F and 2F GOEX varied depending on the lube I used. With a water based lube, either WWWF + a tich of neetsfoot oil, or just spit, I used 62gr. 3F or 70gr. 2F
to get identical accuracy.  With a slippery lube like MR. Flintlock or LeeHighValley lube, I had to use 65gr. 3F, or 75gr. 2F to get the same tight shooting accuracy at 50yards.
Incidentally, both of these loads produced 2,240fps, ie: the 65gr. 3F and 75gr. 2F, when using either the .398" ball or .400" ball. A short starter is necessary to start these loads but
the rifle's 3/8" hickory rod was all that was needed to seat it, with 2 or 3 fingers on the rod.
The smoothed crown on the muzzle is necessary for starting these snug loads.  A long coned muzzle makes starting these combinations most difficult.

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