40 caliber velocity?

[Kurt]

Anyone know the velocity of a .395 ball pushed by 50 grains of 3F black powder from a 44 inch barrel?

[HSmithTX]

https://goexpowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/rb-rifle-musket.pdf

This is showing about 1800

[Daryl]

Would depend on the ball and patch combination. IIRC I got 1,780fps with 45gr. 3F GOEX from a Goodoien .398" bore, 42" bl. using a bore sized ball (.398") and 10 ounce denim.
"Snug" in other words & no pressure waisted going around the ball.
Also, 65gr. 3F GOEX gave me 2,240fps.
75gr. 2F GOEX also gave me 2,240fps.
Those were the 2 accuracy loads for 50 yard shooting off the bench.

[Kurt]

HSmithTX, and Daryl, I was curious because I saw Everything Black Powder shooting a Southern mountain Rifle with 50 grains 3F in 45 caliber and getting 1800+ with his chrono. My best load, in my 40, is currently 50 grains 3F, so I concluded it had to be fast. Thanks again to both of you.

[Daryl]

The more resistance to the powder burn (tighter combination), the better it burns and produces more pressure, increasing the vel. per grain burned.
1,800fps is not high, for a small calibre rifle.
I would suggest that anything approaching 2,000fps+ is a good vel. for a slippery lube.  My rifle had a 48" rate of twist and shot best at 2,240fps, however, that was with LHV lube, a VERY slippery one.
With a water based lube, around 1,800 to 1,850fps was best.

[MuskratMike]

Over 7 years ago I was lucky enough to have Jim Kibler make me a rife. It became our families heirloom rifle and will always stay in the family. It is a SMR in 40 caliber. Using a .395 (92 grain) patched round ball using .015 pillow ticking for patch material and a lube of 50% T.O.T.W. Mink grease and 50% pure Neatsfoot oil 60 grains of Goex 3F it chrono graphed at 1720 f.p.s. I took several readings with two different graphs so I am confident on the speed. With a 50 yard zero at 25 yards it is +0.7 inches, at 75 yards it is -2.9 inches and at 100 yards it is -8.5 inches. Hope this is of same help. I love 40 calibers and have seen few that didn't shoot great. Out here in the far west I normally hunt with a .54

[Kurt]

I'm accustomed to shooting 50s and 54s with modest charges around 80 grains so speeds over 1500 fps are fast in my mind. Thinking through the advice Daryl gave me but being afraid to remove metal at the muzzle of my rifle, I came up with the idea of using a loading block and a ball starter of a smaller diameter which allowed me to load the tighter patch Daryl recommended more easily. Doing this I got good accuracy with the 50 grain load. I intend to conserve powder as it steadily grows more expensive and complicated to buy. My 40 caliber SMR is pleasing me, though, as I've mentioned previously, I have never felt shorter.

[Don Steele]

I’m a fan of the 40 myself. I don’t have much to add to this conversation thought I’d just post a note of appreciation for the folks who took time to share their knowledge and experience. I’m a run of the mill shooter, mostly enjoying 25-50 yd targets with a 42” 40 cal bbl ( Rice) Flintlock SMR.
Typically shooting 40 gn Goex 3f and getting acceptable results. Might try to push that up into 55 or so… just to see. 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Here’s my chronograph data:

40-cal Tip Curtis LH’d 38” swamped barrel (sight radius 26”) - BC 0.057, 3Fg powder, pillow ticking patch (2-stripes each color), 2-drops Hoppes BP Lube/Cleaner:

130g = 1368 FPS

-50g = 1750 FPS

[Flint62Smoothie]

oil 60 … 60 grains of Goex 3F it chronographed at 1720 f.p.s. With a 50 yard zero at 25 yards it is +0.7 inches, at 75 yards it is -2.9 inches and at 100 yards it is -8.5 inches.

Wow … interesting, my load @ 10-grains less powder is going 30 FPS faster and drops 3.66” less than your load does at 100-yards.

Tested with both the new Garmin and Caldwell Ballistic chrono …

[JBJ]

Now that is good stuff! Thanks!

J.B.

[Kurt]

Very good data. Does anyone have experience hunting with the 40 caliber round ball? I know some states allow it for deer but... and it appears too big for squirrels, so I just wonder what game it may be used on, other than paper and steel. I'm always interested in a good hunting story. Thanks.

[Austin]

Its a fine deer caliber, however shot placement is a little more critical than the big guns.

[Darkhorse]

Very good data. Does anyone have experience hunting with the 40 caliber round ball? I know some states allow it for deer but... and it appears too big for squirrels, so I just wonder what game it may be used on, other than paper and steel. I'm always interested in a good hunting story. Thanks.

I built my .40 specifically to hunt turkeys with as ML rifles are a legal weapon in my state. I use a .395 ball patched in .0175 pillow ticking lubed with canola oil. 60 grains of goex 3f.
Shot through the wing butt it is a deadly killer of gobblers. Most drop on the spot. The ball completely penetrates the turkey with little expansion and hardly any meat loss. This load is also deadly on coyotes.
For squirrels I shoot 40 grains of 3f and a .015 patch with Mr. Flintlocks lube.
I haven't tried it on deer as I'm a major fan of the .54 for big game.

[Kurt]

I thought it would be quite effective for coyotes.

I took a 9 in gong to the range today that weighs about 25 lbs. and hung it at 75 yards. When I hit it dead center it swung well and about 6 times. that 254 foot pounds of energy on the chart is nothing to sneeze at, though I have read 1000 pounds is needed for deer. I'm thinking that is the ideal. 

[Curtis]

I can't tell the difference between a .36 or a .40 when I shoot a squirrel.  Never had a squirrel complain about either one....    I prefer the .40, and always try for the head shot.

A .22 lr appears to me to do more damage than a .40 roundball.  A head or neck shot is often just a round hole.

Curtis

[thelongrifle]

Every deer that I have shot with a .40 expired promptly. The only ones I ever lost were with a .50    .

[Daryl]

LOL. Are we to gather a rule of law from that?
The only deer I've lost was shot with a 12 gauge 545gr. Round ball. Is there a lesson here or was it due to p- poor shooting? I think the latter in each case.

[hanshi]

My .40 is now a .45.  But when it was a .40 it got fired a lot.  I seldom chrongraph prb but when my curiosity got the better of me I just had to try it.  All shots were fired with Goex 3F and .018" ticking patches and a cast .390" ball. 

With 40 grns of 3F it was very consistent at just under 1700 fps.  The surprise came at 60 grains of 3F.  My rifles barrel is 38" long with radius groove rifling.  After several groups were fired the recorded velocities with 60 grns of 3F gave the same 2145 fps.

[Daryl]

Good snug load, hanshi.
In my 42" bl. I got 2,240fps with 65gr. 3F GOEX.

[Steeltrap]

I don't hunt the small stuff with my flinter. Only big game. I used a 50 cal for years until I built my .54. Now I just take the .54.