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Good Cheer
12-12-2010, 08:42 AM
Looking for opinions on caliber, rifling pattern and twists.
Have a 38" long 1" GM barrel in 40 caliber. Thinking about having it rebored for a cast boolit shooter with a long sight radius. And, using a TC Hawken or Renegade for the platform.
Been pondering on .47 bore. Could go with .458 bore or a fifty. Any where up to too big. Your thoughts?

rhbrink
12-12-2010, 10:12 AM
I have been shooting a GM .45 with a 18" twist just getting somewhat use to it and have found so far anyway that it takes a least a 400 grain boolit and at least 90 grains of 2ff Goex to make it work. On a good day I can shoot 1.5" five shot groups at 100 yards with peep sights. This is with both paperpatch and GG boolits. I tried some 350's a couple days ago and it shot OK for a hunting load maybe 3" to 4" groups at 100 yards but haven't spent much time with those and was running out of light and time so might some more one day.

These boolits that I have been using are not proper muzzle loading boolits but are .458's that have been lubed and sized down enough to work. Kindof a work in progress. When I bought this barrel it was the only thing available in .45 caliber I would have like a slower twist thinking that a guy could make more use of the many pistol boolits. I think that a slower twist whether .45 or .50 would be as little more user friendly. This is pretty neat and does take muzzleloading to another level every time I'm start up at the range and touch her off a crowd gathers cause this ain't no normal muzzleloader. Somewhat intense on both ends!

Don't know what you have in mind but for long range a 18 inch is the one you want, if hunting or just shooting I would think a slower twist more like a 28" twist. Do you have someone in mind to cut some new rifling in your barrel? Thought about doing that myself once but found this GM barrel and went with that.

Would like to hear more as to what you have in mind doing and GOOD LUCK!

Richard

Good Cheer
12-12-2010, 12:43 PM
Hey Richard.
Was talking to Bobby Hoyt. He can ream to a .458" bore diameter and then rifle that.
If going with that diameter then I'd use the molds in hand, the RCBS 405 grain and the Lyman 457121 475 grainer. Alternatively was pondering the possiblities of a larger bore and paper patching. Those options could work well for the bench. Would have to go significantly larger diameter for a hunting rifle just to reduce the overall weight of the package. But, then the increase in projectile diameter and weight rapidly bring you a roadrunner cartoon experience in so many ways.
Oh wow...just remembered that I have a globe front with inserts around here somewhere. Perhaps I should go with .458 bore. It can always be increased later!

How long is the 45 barrel that you are using Richard?

Are you thinking that a 45-70 standard twist (22") would be better?

rhbrink
12-12-2010, 01:47 PM
.458 bore then rifle that would be great you would have many more boolits to choose from and I think that a 22" twist would be great. And you really don't want deep rifling on this type of barrel. It isn't difficult to size down and then patch back up I'm sizing the Lee 405 HB which cast about .460 with pure lead down to .451 and shoot as a grease groove boolit. For paper patch Buckshot made me a push through sizer to size that down to .446 and then patch back up to bore diameter. If you had a .458 bore you could use some of the common pistol boolits and paperpatch up to bore diameter. It is surpising that all this sizing works as well as it does, maybe with a good bump by a healthy dose of black powder everything evens up and flys straight. Its kindof a mystery to me but it does work and is fun.

Check out the thread by IdahoRon about paperpatching a muzzleloader lots of good info there and thats where I got most of my information.

I have my barrel on a underhammer and overall from the face of the action to the muzzle its 32" long at the breech there is a chamber type breechplug that holds the nipple so the bore is probably 30" long more or less. Something else to think about is that there is much more pressure generated by this type of shooting and you can burn out a regulal nipple pretty quick or so I have been told so I went with a platinunm nipple and its worked out great so far not cheap though, you tend to keep close track of a $50 nipple.

Just curious how much does Bobby Hoyt charge for a rebore job. After talking and asking a lot of questions about the pressure thing on some muzzleloading forums and also a long range forum I decided that the custom breech was the way to go which cost me more than the original barrel but think that it was worth it still have all my fingers and eyes and there is some serious pressure involved with this game certainly something to consider.

Hope I haven't confussed you too much, certainly not a expert on this just really getting started just go slow and carefull, much to think about here.

Good luck, Richard

John Taylor
12-12-2010, 08:13 PM
At todays prices I would think a new barrel would be less than a rebore. GM has complete drop in barrels with a faster twist for a little over $200

daddywpb
12-12-2010, 08:28 PM
At todays prices I would think a new barrel would be less than a rebore. GM has complete drop in barrels with a faster twist for a little over $200

GM has a lot of barrels on their wensite. Good luck finding one.

Geraldo
12-13-2010, 02:00 PM
IIRC the LRH (fast twist) barrels GM listed were all 1:28", and as daddywpb says, good luck finding one from GM. When I bought mine a couple of years ago it was under $100 on closeout.

To echo rhbrink, a 1:18" .45 is the way to go. I got a GM drop-in in this caliber and twist off this board, and it's a shooter with a 450gr boolit.

Good Cheer
12-18-2010, 08:30 PM
Hey Geraldo.
What charges are you using for best results with that 450gr?