.458 muzzleloader

[John Taylor]

Many years ago I was playing with the same idea. Took the last 2" of barrel and made a bullet sizer. Had to shrink it down a bit by turning it down on the OD and pressing it into a sleeve. The bullets that were sized and lubed had the rifling engraved so all you had to do was line up the lands and grooves and push the bullet down the barrel. Using soft lead the bullets did not need to upset very much to seal the bore. Loading was easy and they shot very good.

[725]

Good Cheer,

just a question about the picture above: What are the strings? I have paper patched but really am not that well versed.

[Good Cheer]

The precut lengths of kite string are a temporary pull down to make the tails real tight on the base. After drying the string comes back off for reuse next time. The tails get snipped close up with a set of nail clippers. It's just an alternative to a folded bottom on the patch.

[taco650]

I'm shooting my RCBS 45-300-FN out of my Lyman Great Plains Hunter with a sabot from MMP.
http://mmpsabots.com/store/orange-hph-sabot/

AntiqueSledMan

Thanks for posting this link. I'd like to have another option to PRB's and use the existing .44 & .45 cal bullets I already cast.

[AntiqueSledMan]

I have also sized some to .451 to try in a .54 cal. Lyman Great Plains Hunter with Harvester Sabots for .54 cal.
I can't see why this wouldn't work in a .50 cal. with a Harvester Sabot for .50 cal.

AntiqueSledMan

[Plastikosmd]

Mine is full custom. I don't use standard slugs, rather 2 part swaged, Paper patched, pic is here on my site
http://plastikosmd.com/Default.aspx?ContentPageID=184

[Boz330]

I picked up a Gonic (.458), but the barrel was trashed. Too bad, too. The serial number indicated it was the inventor's son's gun. Had to rebarrel it. The new barrel is just over ..453 -- go figure. It's been a nightmare to get this one right. Many technical problems to overcome. That said, I'd rebarrel one of these again and just put up with the challenges involved. The ever present option for you would be to send the gun to Bob Hoyt (barrel magician) and have him line it or bore it to your spec's. Since you know your boolit weight, he could give you a twist rate optimized for it.

I use to guide for an outfitter that pushed the Gonics for his ML hunts for elk. The inventor's son came out for an elk hunt and refused to check his zero the night before the hunt saying he knew where his rifle shot. Even though it was fresh off of the line. The next morning he dropped the hammer on several caps with no boom. The elk got tired of all the noise and left. After getting back to camp we found that the nipple had somehow not been drilled all the way through. We figured that one of the employees had set him up. The guy was a real *******. He never got another shot at an elk.
He ran the business into the ground after his dad died. A real shame since I never shot one of those rifles that didn't shoot really tight groups. I zeroed one for a client that grouped into 4" at 200yd.

Bob

[flyrod]

If you're not opposed to encores, the Bergara 45 barrels are .458"

[glockky]

If you're not opposed to encores, the Bergara 45 barrels are .458"

That's some good info. Too bad they quit making them and the stainless ones are hard to find now.

[flyrod]

The Haus of arms has Bergara 45 barrels the last time I looked, if you're interested.

[glockky]

Can anyone else confirm they are .458"? I can't find that info anywhere else.

[Good Cheer]

I'd like to put together a longer barrelled .458 bore to operate like my New Englander and might just use another New Englander to do it or maybe another Renegade. But a full length stock as from Pecatonica is really really tempting. A barrel to use the molds made for .476 / .480 caliber revolvers would be nice but I'm already set up with molds and .457 push through sizer. Reckon I'll have to think a while on how much faster of a twist and land geometries. And how very slender can the entire package be made.

[glockky]

Been doing a lot of reading on taking a single shot 45-70 and having the barrel drilled for a breech plug. This seems to be one of the more affordable options to get a good 45 cal muzzleloader.

Plus side is your able to make a smokeless muzzleloader out of it too.