Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders 62 cal shooters?

Anyone running a 62-cal rifled bore?

I'm picking up a 62-cal flintlock rifle on Sunday. Just curious what loads (charge/ball/patch) folks are running.

I'm going to start out with .600 balls, 0.015 patches, and 80-ish grains of 2F and see where we wind up.

Thanks!

whoo boy!

What are you getting? Details, man, details!

I don't, but it's on my wish list. Would like to hear about yours & post some pictures too.

I commissioned Allen Martin to make me a rifle based on the Schreit rifle (RCA 18).

Some specs-

-46" Rice barrel, 1:56
-Davis lock
-single trigger (Allen told me he got it to a clean 3lbs)
-a really curly piece of maple for the stock
-subtle carving, not overly much
-brass pipes/lockplate/buttplate/trigger guard
-wood patchbox

Nice. Post some pics and betting it won't be hard to get shooting. Kind of a quick twist? Seems like my 54 is 1 in 70. Regardless, I want a 62 too.

That was Allen's recommendation. While Don Getz just recently passed away, I know Allen and he were in frequent communication, and Allen told me that the twist he selected for my rifle was based on talks he'd had with Don. The faster twist wouldn't require very large powder charges for accuracy, where a slower twist would.

Doing some initial speed estimates (Quickload has roundball velocity predictions....who knew????), 80gr gets me around 1400fps. Looks like an 80 yard zero gets me +2" at 45 yards, and -4" at 100. That's manageable.

Hate to be on the receiving end of that pumpkin.

no way it a 62cal doing 1400 FPS with a 80gr charge. I'd shoot it through a chrony to see what its actually doing.

That's is just a QL estimate. I will chrono it for real numbers. Remember, it's a 46" barrel, so it's going to get about as much velocity as possible for a given charge.

QL says to expect real results to vary +/-150fps from their estimate. Lube, patch, etc will all bear on the true measured velocity, of course.

I'm hoping to get to 100 yards without a huge holdover necessary. I really don't care about speed other than looking to get to 100 as simply as possible.

Be sure to post results, very interested in hearing how you do.

Will do.

I'm looking forward to this quite a bit. This whole project started off about 4 years ago. I got my name on Allen's list in Feb. 2012, and Sunday I finally get to put hands on it. It's still sort of surreal. I'd initially set out to get a Lyman Great Plains rifle, and through just pulling at the thread of my "one day, I'd like a Pennsylvania Long Rifle" idea in the back of my head, I wound up with my custom rifle.

I live in southeastern Pennsylvania, where the long rifle was born, and I've always had an interest in them. I settled in on the Schreit rifle pretty fast, since I'm born/raised in Berks County PA (where the original Schreit was made), plus I like the style of the early rifles.

I've already got ideas of a Lehigh or Bucks "Golden Age" type rifle in my head, in 32 or 36 caliber, for squirrels and paper punching......

Some pics of my rifle. (for those who asked to see it)..just picked it up today.

Photos courtesy of Allen Martin.















It's based of the John Schreit rifle, RCA 18. Sports a 46" 1:56 Hoyt Barrel, Davis lock, and is a 62-caliber bore.

All smiles here.....

That is beautiful and congratulations, around 150 grs of KIK FFG black powder should put you and that 62 cal round ball in a very good place.

Thanks for posting, that is just beautiful!

Thanks guys!

I got a few shots through it last night. 600 ball, 015 patch, 90gr 2F. Torched the patches, lol, so accuracy was "eh".

My father found some pillowticking he's had since before me (I'm 39, lol) that measures 024, so I'm going to try that out and see what it'll do.

I started low on charge to see what it was like. I've only shot 50's and 45's in the past, never a 62. Recoil was NOTHING with 90gr. I mean...NOTHING. So, up we go. It'll be fun to tinker with it, although I have to get it situated by 12/26 for the opener! Allen got 'er done a little earlier than planned so I could hunt with it, so I gotta get down to brass tacks here, lol.

What a doll! Envious here.

I didn't know Don Getz passed away. I bought a couple barrels from him, but it was years ago and I've been out of the loop.

Yeah, he passed away on Nov 25 (I remember that because it also happens to be my birthday).

Never got to meet him in person, but he was active on the ALR forum almost right up to the end, so I got to read some of his posts there.

Thank you for the compliment on the rifle. I'm hoping to burn a bit more powder in it tonight and see what I can get it to do.

Beautiful rifle, looking forward to hearing how the load development continues.

Thanks!

I'm really happy so far. As light as the recoil was, I'm ready to give it a bit more powder and start seeing where I can go with it.

Every account I've read of 62's says they just flat out hammer game with authority. Those 0.600 balls sure don't look like they'd tickle!

Are you considering trying .610 balls with a thin patch? An old friend with a .62 Jaeger found that to be a good combo.

Bucky Getz gave me a barrel one time. It is a .45 slow twist that had gotten rusty on the outside and had some kind of issue with the bore that caused him to relegate it to the "blems" pile. He couldn't remember why he down-classified it, so he said "aw heck, just take it". It is one of the sweetest shooting barrels I ever owned, and I never have figured out the blemish.

I swear, the next one I build is gonna be a .62.