Getting accuracy out of conicals

[megasupermagnum]

some like to complicate things as we can see

Follow my advice with the projectiles mentioned and you'll find something in there thats accurate.

My elk load now since the rule change is 80gr 3fg goex or pyrodex p, lubed wad and a 250gr REAL. In my Traditions St.Louis Hawken with 1:48 twist, I can keep them under 2" at 100 yards.

Do you lube the bullets themselves too?

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

Yes I do.

[yeahbub]

It must be a very thin patch such as a .005 perhaps?

That's correct. It wasn't the awning canvas I use for a RB. That will work for the narrow and undersized base band on a REAL (less engagement length than the curvature on a RB), but I went with a somewhat thinner pillow ticking because it was easier and just as accurate. For a maxi it was a high thread count cotton bed sheet material. In both cases, I used a boolit board for convenience so I wouldn't have to deal with all the tedium in the field. I also tried paper patching after running the REALs through a sizer and they worked really well - from a clean barrel. Once I realized I'd have to wet-patch twice and dry to get the barrel clean enough to load the next one without damage, thoughts of hunting with them lost their luster. A cloth patched base band and grooves slathered with bore butter in a board is field practical.

[charlie b]

When sized correctly for the bore I can shoot quite a few times between swabbing with PP bullets. Usually I limit it to 5 rounds. A key for me is the veggie wad. It is stiff enough that it pushes a lot of the crud down the barrel before the bullet goes in. But, the same holds true for lubed conicals as well since I use them with a veggie wad as well.

[kens]

I have a .50 cal 1:48 twist rifle. the 48 twist is too fast for really good round ball accuracy, and too slow for really good heavy conicals, it is an in-between twist rate that stabilizes either RB or conical but neither one very well.
I found the best load is a .45acp bullet in a 45/50 sabot. keep it light like 185/200/230gr bullet was best for me. the Lee .45-200RF does nice for me. (lightweight conical)

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

I've shot up to 460 grains with a 1:48 and excellent 100 yard results.

1:48 twist @ 100 yards with patched round ball from a traditions st.louis hawken. Black bulls eye is 1 1/2" diameter for size comparison.

[brewer12345]

Well I got to the range today and the wad did the job. The smaller real bullet did ok with 60 grains of black mz. The 370 grain maxi ball did even better with 80 grains. I need to cast a bunch and experiment with the maxi, but this will be my hunting bullet.

How do people lube the maxis? We just smeared some bore butter on them, but it would be a lot easier to pre lube them if it didn't melt in summer temps.

[Camper64]

I pan lube mine with bee's wax and olive oil. 50/50.

[brewer12345]

I read online about someone mixing beeswax and bore butter, then dipping up through the lube groove and setting the to dry on wax paper. Sounds plausible?

[Hickok]

I always had improved grouping with T/C Hawkins and Civil-War era Enfield .58 muskets after glass bedding the stock/barrel channel solid the entire length. Stopped the flyers and the shooting groups with 2-3 shots together, and then 2-3 shots a couple of inches away in their own separate little group, I.E., getting two separate groups slightly apart from each other with the same aiming point.

[taco650]

When sized correctly for the bore I can shoot quite a few times between swabbing with PP bullets. Usually I limit it to 5 rounds. A key for me is the veggie wad. It is stiff enough that it pushes a lot of the crud down the barrel before the bullet goes in. But, the same holds true for lubed conicals as well since I use them with a veggie wad as well.

Sorry for my ignorance but can you please explain what a "veggie wad" is or made of? Thanks.

[Ozark mike]

Usually a felt type wad in this case jute soaked with BP lube of your choice

[arcticap]

Cabela's used to sell them labeled as vegetable fiber wads.
They're not as thick or expensive as wool wads.
The vegetable fiber material is also sold in bulk roll form.
Buffalo Arms sells them as "Vegetable Fiber Walters Wads" which cost $20 for a bag of 1000.--->>> https://www.buffaloarms.com/catalogs...table%2520wads

[charlie b]

Veggie wads are not felt. They are a card made with vegetable fiber, kinda like gasket material. I load the lubed felt wad on top of that to provide lube to keep the fouling softer.

I get mine at Buffalo Arms Co

https://www.buffaloarms.com/50-calib...1000-wal512030

[Ozark mike]

I could of sworn they had a jute wad that was similar to a flexible type thicker than .125 maybe I'm thinking of something else

[arcticap]

I could of sworn they had a jute wad that was similar to a flexible type thicker than .125 maybe I'm thinking of something else

I wonder if it's those thick fiber shotgun wads that are made from jute.
Depending on the maker, those seem to be quite fibrous and also easy to split apart.

[koger]

i have hunted with TC Hawkens in 54 and Renegade in .50 and .54, exclusively with Maxi ball types, including the TC varities, and the Hornady Great plains boolits, along with the Lyman in both calibers. I have taken around 50 deer with them at ranges from 35-185 yds. I finally sold all my molds except for the Lyman in .50-390 grs and .54-450 grs. All my rifles with 1-48 shoot great with these bullets, with scopes they will cut cloverleafs at 100yds, from a bench. They all shot slightly better with a veg fiber wad lubricated, but not a must have. The charges mentioned above, are all to light, from my findings. With a .50 I shoot 90-95grs 2ffg, with the nod going to 95grs. For the .54 I settled on 105 grains. I went up and down the whole spectrum of powder charges, and the hotter loads, shot the best, I assume because of upsetting the bullet better, or makin the bullet fill the lands better due to the hotter loading. This info was gleaned from time at the bench and afield, and a lot of powder burned, hope this helps.

[LAGS]

I would think that some kind of wad will do the sealing, and the boolit will not be expanding because of the cushioning effect of the wad.
But I could be wrong.
Maybe we need to test the loads into a deep water source and look at the fired boolit.
Dang,
I don't have access to the police Crime lab I built years ago.
That would have been the perfect place to test the boolits.
But I don't think they would let me fire BP inside the building.

[arcticap]

Personally I think that it has to with the twist rate, the higher velocity increases the RPM's of the bullet which helps to stabilize it.
A consistent velocity helps to provide a consistent point of impact.
But some barrels and bullets shoot better than others.

[Good Cheer]

Too bad there aren't many .50 minie molds on the market.
If there were I'd probably have picked up a GPH for a plinker.