Picking up a 1980s vintage .50 caliber percussion Zoli muzzleloader. 28" barrel with a 1:48 twist and .008 rifling. Do you think I will be able to use Minie / maxi balls, or just patched round balls?
Thanks
Picking up a 1980s vintage .50 caliber percussion Zoli muzzleloader. 28" barrel with a 1:48 twist and .008 rifling. Do you think I will be able to use Minie / maxi balls, or just patched round balls?
Thanks
If somebody were down on the corner handing out $20 bills, someone else would be complaining that it wasn't two $10s.
Try em.. Your rifle will tell you if it likes them or not.
My Hawken has a 1:48 twist and shot maxi balls fine. But it did NOT like sabots
With such shallow grooves I'd think it might do well with conicals.
If you do try PRB's I'd think you'd need a really thin patch. My rifle has ~.502" lands and .520" grooves and a .490" RB with a 0.016" patch needs a fair whack of the short starter to get seated.
TinP,
(use real BP)
It should shoot all ML projectile types pretty well. The 45 cals in 48" twist can be pretty picky about accurate bullets/balls. But from the 50s through the 58s, the 48" twist is very good- in my experience.
I wouldn't worry about the groove depth. I know the so-called dedicated Minié shooters are supposed to have shallow grooves, but I've not found that to be a universal truth at all. One of the most accurate Minié shooters I have has a fairly deep 7-groove bore of 54 caliber and 48" twist. One of the most accurate solid base conical shooters I have has grooves of fairly standard depth about like yours. It's a 50 caliber with 48" twist.
The patched roundball can be accurate from light up through heavy charges. The solid base conicals usually need a pretty good bump to shoot their best. The Miniés, on the other hand, usually do best with light to moderate charges.
Where are you in Pittsburgh I am in observatory hill.
Andy
Over near Carnegie
If somebody were down on the corner handing out $20 bills, someone else would be complaining that it wasn't two $10s.
I have been trying to figure out this same question with my CVA Plainsman, 50 caliber. I am also curious as to BP or Pyrodex? I have been using Pyrodex RS from it being easier to get from the Walmart only 2 miles away, wish they also had the P for my revolver.
"Pray for war, at least in war you know who the enemy is." A Shipmate
"One who respects the law and enjoys sausage, should never watch either being made." Benjamin Franklin
I have a T/C with a 48 twist. It didn't like anything i stuffed down the barrel except patched round ball. It's very accurate and has since accounted for a number of critters.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |