.535" RBall?

[Buck]

Gang - Just got a .54 T/C Hawkin in A+++ condx. In looking for RB's for this thing, I noticed the.530" (recommended) and the .535. I realoze most people use the .530, what's the .535" for?

I know this is a dumb question, But.

[twotoescharlie]

I have a custom built "hawken" with a Douglas premium barrel. the 535 ball is all I have ever used in it.


TTC

[JDL]

A tighter fit and possibly better accuracy. Depends on your patch thickness and rifle preferences on whether the .530" or .535" is to be used but, usually, fine accuracy comes from a tight fit, easier loading comes from a loose fit. -JDL

[Bucks Owin]

JDL is right on.
When I had a .50 cal TC Hawken I used homebrewed .490" with a heavy cotton patch mostly but I tried some commercially cast .495" one time with some thinner linen material I swiped from my Mom's sewing stuff....
(I could tell no difference in accuracy so I didn't pursue the bigger RBs)

"It's all in the patch thickness"

Dennis

[hobbles]

After noon Buck

I'm shootin a T/C 50 with a 54 Green Mountain barrel and it likes a loose fit, I shoot 527's thru it , I do believe each barrel is different,, Mine likes 90 grains of rs and a .015 patch,

[versifier]

I got my .535 mould for my brother's Renegade that he got used with a minor bulge in the barrel and uncleaned from the previous season. ("Wait till you see the deal I got!!!:( ) By the time I got all the rust out of it, the bore was loose enough that the large ball worked well with a thick patch. Not a match shooter by any means, but it would pieplate at 100yds. When he got a new barrel for it, the mould began to gather dust, though I did dig it out a while back to see if there was any interest in it. Both of my barrels like .530's, but as mostly I hunt with them, I stick with the smaller balls for ease of loading. You can see that the bigger balls will shoot slightly better groups on paper, but the difference is not enough to outweigh the disadvantage of the increased difficulty loading in the field. I can get 1-2" 10shot groups at 100yds with ball, slug, and sabot using my GM barrel. That's more than good enough for deer and to embarass the box-of-ammo-every-three-years centerfire shooters who show up at the range every fall the week before deer season. [smilie=1:

[44man]

The .530 ball was designed for easy field loading and is accurate enough for hunting. If you want real accuracy then the .535 ball is better. I use a .535 and .021" patch. If a good lube like Young Country is used and the ball smacked in real hard with the starter, it goes down as easy as any other combination.
I even shoot a .540 ball and .012" patch on occasion.
If you are going to shoot a match or just target shoot then use the larger ball, for hunting, take your choice. I just stay with the larger ball for everything and never have a problem loading, having shot over 200 straight shots without cleaning. I think you will find the lube and patch material is very important. I use denim ( blue jean material. ) most of the time. I can find thicker denim easier then I can find linen or anything else. I stay away from a lot of commercial patches because the thickness changed each time I bought a bag. The order number stays the same and I have found TC patches ranging from .012 to .020 without a number change.
Track of the Wolf has patches in correct sizes. I just go to the fabric store with my micrometer. It is still hard because most companies have reduced the material thickness to save money.

[Buck]

Guys - Thanks for the responses and advice that makes sense. Still haven't shot this none yet, so I have a lot to learn about patch & ball shooting. Used Minies in an earlier life (re-enactor in the '60s). Look forward to the challange and asking more dumb questions.

I'll get some of each size and another can or two of FFG.

[versifier]

Buck,
The only dumb questions are the ones a man is too proud to ask.
I'd get a can of Pyrodex RS, too, or borrow enough to test from a friend. Triple7 is also worth checking out. Some rifles like one or the other much better than they like BP. The hooked breech/ removable barrel on the Thompson make the cleanup a lot easier no matter what you shoot through it.
I've got a 400gr MaxiBall mould that all of mine have done very well with over the years. If you would like to try them, PM me a mailing address and I'll send you some. I think cast rb's are much more accurate than commercial swaged ones - there is a lot of size and weight variation in the store-bought balls. I can cast you up and send along some .535's if you need them, too.

[waksupi]

Buck, try some 3fff, too.

[TCLouis]

54 cal barrel MUCH preferred ,535 RB, 15 thousandths patch, and 50 grains (accurate practice load), and quite a bit of FFFG for a hunting load.

[44man]

TC, thats my old hunting load, a .015" patch. For matches I switch to .020 and .021 patches and now just keep the same for hunting. I use 100 gr's all the time and when going to 200 meters I switch to 120 gr's. I once hit 4 chickens in a row offhand. I got 7 out of 10 and also rang the 200 meter gong every shot.
The funniest shot I ever made was when I shot my friends .58 Minnie ball at the gong. We stood there and waited, nothing, so I walked away and then we heard it clang. The boolit must have grazed the sun on the way back down. Always good for a laugh!

[eldeguello]

Gang - Just got a .54 T/C Hawkin in A+++ condx. In looking for RB's for this thing, I noticed the.530" (recommended) and the .535. I realoze most people use the .530, what's the .535" for?

I know this is a dumb question, But.

I have a Jed Smith Commemorative Santa Fe Hawken in ".53" caliber. I have used both .530 and .535" balls in it. With a thin patch and a .535" ball, it is more accurate, but slower to load due to the difficulty of starting the ball. The availability of different size balls allows you to try different combinations of ball diameter/patch thickness to find what shoots best in a specific barrel - some ".53" barrels are larger than others, and have different groove depths, etc. Same is true in other bore sizes.

For example, I use a .500" ball in my .50 for competition target shooting because it is more accurate, but a .490" ball for hunting because it loads faster!