Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders Help, please, with 50 cal flint load

I own a .50 cal flintlock that I built years ago...42 inch barrel, based on a gun from the 1780's. It shoots round balls well, and has a 1 in 66" twist.

Well, I am molding Lee's short 50 caliber bullet, 250 grainer, (the "long" one is 325)and cannot find the safe parameters for a load with FFG.

Anyone have any experience with a 250 grain non-patched bullet in 50 caliber?

Thanks folks.

rooster

Here is the only help I can offer.

I shoot a 252 gr Lee REAL bullet out of my Lyman 50 cal flinter. It is not exceptionally long 26 inches I think maybe shorter...

I shoot 60 to 80 gr of FFg with that bullet. My plinking load is 60 and my hunting load is 80. I've gone as high as 90 but it then becomes a bruiser!

I would recommend starting with 50 gr of FFg.

As a side note, both of my 50 cal rifles (one flinter, one caplock) will shoot both 180 gr RB's and 333gr Maxi's using 80 gr of FFg. I started with 60 and worked up when I first switched to the Maxi's.

Heres Goexs 'load chart" if that helps any. http://www.goexpowder.com/load-chart.html
Jeff

I shoot Buffalo's 245 gr. ballett over either 90 or 100 grs of FFG and it's point of impact is within a inch or two of round ball loads with the same powder charge at 100 yards.

Thanks a million guys. I just needed a ballpark figure to begin with these loads.

I'm really grateful.

Rooster

rooster

Get yourself a copy of the Lymans reloading book, it's got plenty of loads for the .50 cal great source for all kinds of black powder shooting as well. You will not go wrong buying it. It was my bible when I started smokepoling!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

A fellow named Don K. who lived and built muzzleloaders just north of Kendallville, Indiana sold me my first .50 back in the middle 70's. He gave me a .45-70 case to use as a powder measure. A full case holds 75 grains of FF and I've never seen it fail to shove a RB through both sides a deer. He told me back then that with any frontstuffer start with half the wieght of the RB and work down until no powder falls on sheet laid on the ground in front of the barrel after the gun is fired.

I've used this same idea on .32's, 36's, .40's, .50's of course, and .58's and it works very well.

I've never shot "American" bullets or maxi/mini balls, and I've never used other than Goex for propellent. So my experience is confined to that realm.

Haggis,.... I'm in agreement with you!!

I've never been able to unnerstand "WHY" somebuddy would even think of use'n a "conical shaped" bullet in ther roundball barrel,..... 'less they was go'n "moose hunt'n" with ther squirrl rifle!!

About 3 or 4 years ago I read an article about the then new record bull elk taken in Colorado with a muzzle loader. It was shot with a 50 cal round ball pushed by the anemic "for elk sized game anyway" load of 75gr of ffg at a range of 75 yards. And I've seen plenty of elk lost with hits with black belts and sabot bullets. Who knows why the antique round ball performs so well on game and penetrates as well as it does. For one thing it never keyholes no matter which way it hits the target or which way it's pushed down bore, without a top or bottom it is always flying the proper way. It hardly ever fragments and always flattens out nicely which is more than can be said for elongated bullets or maxis which sometimes need to hit heavy bones to expand. But heavier weight bullets do mean deeper penetration and the only way to gain weight is change the shape of the bullet or get a bigger cal round ball. But you guys know all of this and I just felt like talking. I do favor the round ball though