Let's talk 54 caliber

[HEAD0001]

I finally broke down and ordered a new TVM Early Lancaster rifle today. All my MZ's are 50 caliber. But I ordered this one with a 38" swamped barrel.

All the accessories I have are for 50 calibers. So I have to start over with the 54.

What mold do you guys suggest I buy. I do not mind buying good quality molds if they will be better. I never had alot of luck with Lee molds. However the only ones I really tried are the REAL molds, and the bullets did not shoot very well. so I am not knocking Lee. Just didn't have alot of luck.

Any other things you would like to say about the 54?? I would like to hear. Should I go with a .530?? What size patch do you recommend?? Load in that rifle?? Just general information. Thanks, Tom.

[stubshaft]

If it's an Early Lancaster than it should have a ball twist. Never had much luck with anything other then PRB in any f mine. Lee .530 and/or .535 balls work just fine. As you know from shooting 50's the barrel will tell you what it likes best, patch thickness, ball diameter. One thing that I did to all of my Flinchlocks was to cone the barrel. Makes loading and shooting PRB's much easier.

[waksupi]

Always choose your patch first, and it most likely should be striped pillow ticking. It is the gold standard. Until you get the barrel you really don't know the ball size. If you know the manufacturer, they may be able to help you out. My .54 shoots a .526 RB, but it is a custom barrel. I can pound a .530 in it, but the very little difference in accuracy, is not worth the extra work.
Dimensions can vary.

[looseprojectile]

I got a Cabellas Investarms 58 cal. Hawken some time ago and I already had a Lyman hollow base minie mould to fit. The gun was in really neglected condition and it took a lot of fluffing and buffing to resurect it. Bore is nice. Cost me $60.00 .
I would like to shoot some round balls in it eventually. 80 grains of FFG is a good load with the minie. I think the twist is one in forty eight.
I have heard it said that the 54 or better yet the 53 caliber is the optimum diameter for the best velocity and knock down power of all the muzzel loaders.
I have had several 54 caliber guns.
Is your new gun a cap or flint? Should I know that an early Lancaster is a flint gun? Some of the new made old gun copies can get kinda pricey. Love em all.

Life is good

[looseprojectile]

I just googled TVM early Lancaster. I gotta get one of those. Beautiful!!

Life is good

[Dean D.]

I do love my Lancaster, I'm sure you are going to have many, many hours of enjoyment with your new rifle! My Colerain barrel prefers the .530 but like others have said, you'll have to see what yours likes better.

[FL-Flinter]

The .54 is one of my all-around favorites and what I suggest when clients ask, "What's good for deer & black bear?" I started with a .45 for deer, then moved up to the .50, then .54 and so on, not that there was anything wrong with the .45 or .50, it's just that with the bigger ball and the right load, the .54 has a bit more horsepower and, of course, makes a bigger hole. I normally use twist rates of 1:66 or 1:72 with a groove depth around 0.010" which normally works well with a 0.535" ball and 0.018" patch over a starting load around 90gr 2F. I like Lee round ball molds because I prefer the tangical sprue cut as opposed to the typical standing sprue.

[northmn]

The 54 is a great caliber for most shooters. It can be loaded fairly hot and still not kick the dickens out of the shooter. Its big enough to handily take out elk and moose. I have done some chronographing and get 1820 fps with a load of 110 grains of 2f GOEX out of my flintlock. A 54 has better velocity retention than a 50 such that that load is plenty. I suggest that you buy two boxes of ball, one at 530 and one at 535 and see which works best. I could give all kinds of recommendations but rifles tend to be individuals. I would not go with a patch thickness much under 015. Lee mold cast excellent round ball. One little trick is to add just a touch of tin solder to your casting, no more than maybe 1-100 tin lead. I buy my patch material at a fabric store by the yard as I get about a yard for the same price as 100 of the precut. Make sure its all cotton.

DP

[Hanshi]

Coming from TVM I'd bet a .530 ball and .015 ticking will give you the performance you're looking for. Just to make sure, though, I'd get a few balls of .530 and .535 to try with the .015 ticking; you never know. I use Lee molds for virtually all my ball casting. They are splendid rb molds. When developing loads I always start with a .010 undersized ball and .015 ticking before trying anything else. You can also vary patch material.

You have a fine rifle on order. I have an EL in .54 with the same barrel as yours on order from them. Congrats on a fine choice.

[mooman76]

You could email or go to a web site for who you are buying it from and ask them. They may have a recommendation or the paperwork that comes with the gun may say. Personally I wouldn't get both the 535 and 530 RBs. I'd get the .530 first and see how it does. Most likely that will be it and if not they should shoot reasonably well or you can go to a thicker patch and get the 535's later if you think that's what it needs. If you get the 535s and they are to tight, then you are stuck with them. A friend of mine just got a new 54 and he's having a hard time getting 530's down the barrel.

[JeffinNZ]

I am 'babysitting' a .54cal Lyman GPR. The owner shoots a RB over 110gr of Pyrodex RS which seems a bit exceesive to me. I have shot it on the range with 70gr 2Fg, .530 ball in a .021 patch and it SHOOTS!

Another friend in Alabama swears by his .54's for deer and he only ever shoots 70gr 2Fg. That should produce 1300fps which is heaps for the job at hand.

[white eagle]

I have been shooting a T/C 54 cal Hawken for 15 years
use mainly .530 r/b with .018 pt patch
tight but way good accurate
I got my r/b mold from Jeff Tanner (beautiful mold)
I have a mold from Accurate molds for a muzzleloading boolit really nice and easy
to stuff in the barrel even after numerous shots
will be switching over this year to that particular boolit

[Alan]

I have an old T/C Hawken with a 15/16" .54 GM barrel 32" long on it. It is wonderfully accurate, and it loves 110gr Goex FFg. GM doesn't recommend over 120 with it, but a heavier barrel could take considerably more. I don't think any more would be needed unless going after something that could bite back. Original .53 Hawkens used up to 200gr as a service charge, but shot well with much less too.:holysheep

[northmn]

One thing about testing two size round balls to determine which mold you want. If one size does not work as well throw them into the pot and they are not wasted. Most production barrels like TC seemed to like smaller ball. Most of the better shots I knew liked to use 535 in their custom barrels like you would find on a TV. Even so a 530 will likely shoot with a little heavier patch. Two things that enter in to ease of loading. One is a proper barrel crown and the other is the lube.

DP

[missionary5155]

Greetings
And once you decide upon a ball size you can shoot your .50 RB´s in your .54 while waiting for the mold to arrive. Thick patch and start shooting. I have shot all sorts of undersize RB´s in my 69´s 58´s and my 54. As long as you carefully patch accuracy is not that bad.
When I get back up NORTH there next time one of my projects will be to run accuracy trials with thick patched RB´s. I find it interesting to find out how small a patched RB in a caliber 69 will really shoot well.

[Ron60]

I discovered long ago that you can make two rifle barrels out of the same bar, using the same deep hole drill and the same reamer and rifling head and they may both prefer different size ball and patch AND load combo.
Best to buy some pre cast or swaged round balls in two or three sizes, .526, .530, and .535 and see which give you the best balance between ease of loading and accuracy. Be very careful about "coning" the muzzle. I prefer a nicely polished crown that won't tear a fairly tight patch. I have always had pretty good luck with LEE round ball molds. REEL bullets are fine for melting down and turning into round balls. If your going to go with a traditional arm use traditional projectiles. I have killed lots of game with round balls including two bison. The kill all out of proportion to their paper ballistics. They shoot plumb flat out to about 100 yards with decent charges behind them. Best of all you can eat right up to the hole they make in game as they do not do the surface tissue damage modern cartridge guns do and to a lesser extent that bullets do.
Hope this helps a little
Ron