Pglasgow

What velocity is too much for a PRB in 1:48 twist?

Thanks, Phil

lemoyne

Phil, a 1-48 normally tops at 110 FFor 90 FFFor RS & P with a 28 inch barrel on a TC Hawken that will chrony at about 2,ooo FPS. I hope we are talking a 50 cal cause thats the assumtion I made;I also have a 45 and a couple of 54 cals so if its one of them let me know. Lee

cayugad

Phil - this question was asked me a while back by someone who wanted to purchase a traditional rifle. They were interested in the Lyman Trade Rifle and IM'd me asking for my experiences with my Trade Rifle. Their concern was the 1-48 twist and the idea of shooting a roundball with enough velocity to take care of hunting situations. I told them my load was 90 grains of Goex 2f and a .530 roundball. The accuracy was excellent and their worries were unfounded from my experiences.

As I told them, I have a number of Thompson Center rifles also with 1-48 twist. I have heard all the claims that the 1-48 twist will not shoot roundball all that well or with good velocity. Well all I can say is most of my 1-48 twist rifles and roundball shoot between 90-100 grains of 2f & 3f powder depending on the model. Also the accuracy I achieve with these rifles that some claim will not shoot roundball is amazing. Plenty of hunting accuracy and even some finetarget accuracy with the right sight.

According to charts (T/C manual) a .54 caliber roundball with 90 grains of Goex 2f produces 1761 at the muzzle. With 100 grains you move to 1855. In the .50 caliber 90 grains reads 1950 and at 100 grains we move to 2052 fps at the muzzle. I quote those charges because of my many rifles they are the common charges I shoot for hunting with the 1-48 twist and I get excellent accuracy. That is some impressive speeds.

Pglasgow

Thanks Lee and Cayugad,

I was curious if 1950 would be OK. Sounds like 90 grains does that and I've shot 90 grains well in this rifle. With a filler, I think I will get 1950 with 70-75 grains of Pyro P. The recoil is very, very, mild with 60 grains so I think I can work him up to 75 - 80 grains without any painful punches. Also sounds like I might try as high as 2050 without any problems, guess my rifle will let me know. Dang that's fast!!!

My hawken's bore isn't in the best of shape. Its been shot alot and I figure breech gas erosion has taken its toll through the years. It is noticeably looser towards the breech. Then there was that period when I was in the Air Force and my nephews hunted and shot it, care wasn't the best then, and there is some pitting. It still shoots surprisingly well though.

With all the bragging about T/C replacing worn out barrels FOC, I've been tempted, but I just couldn't change a thing about this rifle. I figure my range will decrease over time with it but I won't alter it. Also, am I crazy, or is cleaning a traditional little or no more trouble to clean than an inline?

My nephew really likes the traditional rifle, heck, so do I. I've got this feeling that when he finally hunts with ML for deer, he'll want to do the roundball (in spite of my love of conicals which he knows nothing about). I may be asking more questions later . Thanks. Phil

cayugad

I cleaned my .58 today and even commented to myself how much easier it was to clean a traditional rifle then an inline rifle. Although after the soap and water bath, I used some Birchwood Casey #77 solvent. The water patch showed clean patches. Well that was sure not the case after scrubbing with a #77 patch. It came up a black & gray color and I am sure that was from around the breech area. I ran three of them then an alcohol patch and some dry ones that finally came up clean. Then I sent my oil patch down the barrel.

lemoyne

Phil, I think that cleaning is a part of shooting, I clean every thing from my xbow and my long bow to my carteidge guns after I shoot them. Some of us enjoy working with our 'toys' as my wife calls them. You might try a slightly bigger ball when they get a bit warn that often makes a big differance.I won some goodies in 78 with an over the log gun that was almost 200 years old and had 2 pitts in the barrel. A bit bigger ball and wad with 20 gr of oatmeal some times does wonders. Lee

eldeguello

I have heard from a reliable source thatthe Hawkensmade quite a number of their rifles with a 1/48" twist. I have never had a chance to examine one, let alone measure the twist rate of a genuine Hawken. But if they did use a 1/48" twist, then I believe a 1/48"twist would be quite acceptable for round ball shooting with pretty stiff charges.....

Pglasgow

Lee,

Thanks for the advice. I'm not certain what diameter ball I'm using right now. They are not my own castings. I did notice that they were tighter to load with the pillow ticking than with the patches I've used in the past. They load tight at first and then consistent until about 5 inches from seating where the force required to push them falls off noticeably.

The pitting in my bore is not very deep but spread throughout the barrel. I was shooting around 1.5" to 2" pattern at 40 yards.

The Spermoil, is that oil from the Sperm Whale? As far as me being an old timer, i did happen to wake this morning with what I had been warned some 15 years ago would be "aging pains" but I don't think Ihave earned the title of of old-timer . But that day is coming, I hope, because the alternative is not acceptable. Phil

roundball

I have a houseful of TC Hawkens, both cap and flint, 1:48" barrels, and 1:66" barrels...I use the same TC max PRB load for deer hunting in both twists and have never had a problem.
(note my 'signature' line)

Triple Se7en

How much velocity is to much for RB and 1:48 twist?

There's a bunch of variable -- making every rifle a little different in this manner.

Depth of rifling, thickness of patch, patch composition, patch lube used, hardness of lead, powder manufacturer, wad option, length of barrel, outdoor temps/humidity.. even sea level plays a part in where that bullet travels.

There are more variables to consider... someone else can add some if they like.