Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders LOADS TRAJECTORY 45 ML

I just got my first mlder ,a 45 half stock custom built by a smith here in oz ,nice gun quality lock, trigger,30" oct barrell. My question is what does a 45 round ball weigh in grains.What is an appropriate charge, and roughly what m/l would this achieve. What should i expect in trajectory curve and what range is feasable when shooting foxes and medium size pigs etc.All info appreciated..cheers.

Somewhere in the 50-70 grain range will produce the best accuracy and trajectory. I would use fff for hunting and perhaps ff for accuracy loads.
45 RB, .445, weigh about 133 grains.
With the proper load (something in the realm of 1/2 ball weight of blackpowder) the 45 is a fully capable 100 deer rifle.

You will need to experiment with patch thickness and lubricants to develop the best accuracy. Just remember that often the best accuracy may be obtained with a lubricant that is not really compatible with hunting where the rifle is loaded for long periods.

Dan

Thanks for that Dan it will be most helpfull, i guess your talking whitetail deer ,I think their about the same size as our fallow deer which i can hunt about 3 hours south of Brisbane in State Forest. Ive done a lot of bow hunting so those stalking lessons will be relevant. thanks again Mark.

My son killed his first deer with a 45 caliber flintlock using 45 grains of FFF. About 40 yards, ball penetrated to the offside hide. Deer ran about 100 yards as they often do when shot close to the heart.
Typical young mule deer buck for Montana.

Friend killed a doe, WT if IIRC, at 120 yards with a 45 in 2008. Broke a rib on entry and exit and the shock knocked the deer down. She raised her head as he approached and he shot her again but he had a swivel breech so did not have to take time to reload.
Still I consider the 45 to be toward the lower end of suitability for deer though people have had very good luck with 40s on eastern whitetails.

Dan

a soft lead 45 roundball at ML velocities is quite a bit superior to any buckshot pellet on the market. Therefore, it will certainly kill wt deer.

IMO shot placement is key, and perhaps just a little more so in this case.

To quote another... "get close... pick a spot."

Good luck with your ML! I love them.

Yes and with a round ball comes great accuracy,so shopot for the head

Thanks guys , thats all grist to the mill goodonya!!