So, I like shooting muzzle loaders, but, I do not cast my own bullets. Not a big deal for round ball, but, finding good bullets is a bit more difficult. This thread is for store bought bullets only. However much I'd love to shoot something like the Lee .500 pistol bullet or REAL, I am not able to currently.
My current rifle is a Lyman GPH in .50cal, yes, also a store bought gun (vs a hot rod, which I would not mind having at some point).
And, yes, I can be cheap. Until I get a lot better at this I am not a candidate for a Pedersoli Gibbs or a custom barrel for my rifle. So, 1/32 twist, .502 bore is what I have (shallow rifling). I am not against round balls and I do shoot them in my faster twist barrel (they like very low powder charges, 30gn Pyrodex Select).
Here are the bullets I have tried so far.
Buffalo Arms paper patch bullet, 450 gn .492 dia
https://www.buffaloarms.com/reloadin...92450?___SID=U
Buffalo Arms cast bullet, 550 gn .502 dia
https://www.buffaloarms.com/reloadin...of-50-502550fn
Hornady Great Plains 385gn .50 cal
https://www.buffaloarms.com/reloadin...r6620?___SID=U
Before telling me the 550gn bullet is too long for this twist/caliber, I know that. It was more an exercise to test the concept of a GG bullet vs paper patch. If it works I have a couple more experiments to try with them.
I have also had a bit of a difficult time getting my loading procedure correct. Thanks to some people in here I think I finally found what will work for me.
Last, this is not for hunting. I shoot paper almost exclusively. If I decide to hunt I will go out and get some Powerbelts (they do shoot very well). $1 per bullet is not that expensive for an Elk hunt. Anything less than Elk and I will be using round ball or arrows (shot from a longbow ).
So, now for some results.