REAL bullet loads?

[frontier gander]

I just got the 320gr Lee REAL mold in yesterday and so i started shooting some to get an idea what they like. It seems that my gun will only shoot them on a hot barrel. Let it cool down and its not even close to being on paper at 50 yards.

What are some loads you guys are shooting? I was shooting loads of 80 and 90gr blackhorn209 with wads between the bullet/powder charge.

[mooman76]

What caliber we talking about, 50? For 50 I usually shot between 50 and 60 BP or Pyrodex just for paper punching. About 70 if I want to move it back to 100y but I usually shoot at about 50y.

[frontier gander]

yeah .50cal inline with 1:28 twist. I'll give 70gr BH209 a try later this evening and see how it goes. Im just looking for a fun bullet to cast and paper punch with. Maybe hunt with if i can find an accurate load.

[10 ga]

Lose the blackhorn for REAL boolits. Get some real BP or at least some 777 or Pyro. Blackhorn is more of a "burn" type powder and you should use a powder that comes closer to "conflagerates"(explodes) like real BP. Loading shouldnt be an issue as the REAL boolits scrape the barrel with every loading. Of course using a base wad and a hard "grease cookie" and proper lubeing helps with the BP too. I've used REALs and BP often but not with the Blackhorn. I'd also drop down and start with about 55 gr. powder and shoot groups and move up in 5 gr. incriments. Even if you're huntin elk and stuff that 320 has plenty of punch with even moderate loads. Cold barrel is where it's at, first shot, best shot. Hard to keep that barrel "hot" when you're huntin. My $.02 worth, excuse me with Obama-recess-stag-in-flation it's $.21 worth. Best, 10 ga

[frontier gander]

i have some american pioneer i have on hand that i plan on trying but i'd much prefer to use BH209.

[frontier gander]

Oh baby!! I found some cci #11s when i was getting my other stuff ready for Sept 10th. I took the CVA Hawken .50cal out this morning at 50 yards, 70gr 2f american pioneer and the 320gr REAL with a wad. 70gr produced a 4" group. Reloaded with 90gr and shrunk it to a 1.5" group. I only had 2 caps left and so i tried 100gr and both shots touched!

I am going to trade some pellets off to the local shop for some loose Pyrodex RS and some caps. If it shoots good like it did today, i will take the hawken on my hunt and trade every other day with the Wolf.

The 1:48 twist seems to do great with them so far. Just need more experimenting and load work to fine tune it. If the bullets shoot good in the sidelocks, i'll be happy! For the 1:28 twist if i can't get it to shoot, i'll just move onto the Maxiball mold.[smilie=w:

[Maven]

fg, Unfortunately, Pyrodex in general has acquired a highly undeserved reputation for inaccuracy, though I never found it to be so. In my traditional caplocks ( 3 different rifles, 5 different bbls, 2 revolvers), Pyro. RS (P in the revolvers) was as accurate as Goex and Graf's (Wano) FFg. In my Knight Bighorn, moreover, there was no difference in performance* with either propellant, although that rifle does like RS and FFg better than P or FFFg.


T/C Maxi-Balls that fit the bore or MMP saboted Ly. #429421 or RCBS 429-250K.

[frontier gander]

I used a lot of RS over the years and got excellent accuracy out of it. I have a lot of pellets to trade in as well as some powerbelts so i will get a can of rs and T7 even though i hate t7.

[curator]

I mostly use real black Powder (Goex) but often use both Pyro-**** RS and T7 2F when someone gives me some (I refuse to buy the stuff!) Across the board, I have found that The Lee REAL bulets shoot better in my rifles with some kind of a wad under them. I use 28 gage over poweer wads in my .54 pedersoli Mortimer, .50 Felt wads with my T/C hawken, and .45 Circle fly .125 cards under the .45 cal in my various 1-in-48 twist rifles.

When no wads are availale I use one-half the powder volume of cream of wheat as a filler/wad to insure accruacy and no powder gass leaking past the bullet.

[white eagle]

not trying to brag and never claimed to be much of a shot
but this is a 4 shot group I managed at the 50 yd line with a
54 cal Hawken and on of Tom's (Accurate Molds) REAL boolit molds
the load was 80 gr of Pyrodex RS and a 360 gr REAL
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v730/kempobb/1aaa.jpg,

[mooman76]

Pyrodex has always shot good for be. Good enough that I couldn't tell the differance between it and black. I never actually measured and shot from a bench but it was good enough that I hit what I aimed at with good accuracy.

[idahoron]

Don't discount Pyrodex P. I like it for shooting conicals. I was getting 3" groups with the reals but the 500 S&W's were doing better. Ron

[frontier gander]

I got it guys!!

I pulled out my .50cal CVA Hawken with 1:48 twist shallow groove rifling. first tried 90gr RS, eh so so group of 2 1/2" @ 50 yards.

Tried 100gr and saw an improvement but had to fix a hang fire issue. Got it sorted out and then pulled off a 3 shot group under 1 1/2" @ 50 yards without the wads. It seems to shoot better without the wad.

Now that i got them to shoot in the 1:48 twist barrel, i am more than happy. Going to try 100 yards in a day or 2.

[idahoron]

What lube are you using? Ron

[onondaga]

I use the R.E.A.L. in 2 different smokepoles but mine is the 250 grain version, and I also size it to use in .500S&W. center-fire.

The 2 smokepoles have very different results. My Lyman bore has a very fine finish and loads slick and easy and groups 1 inch @ 50yd with the fast twist barrel and 80 gr volume of Pyrodex P or a weighted version of that charge with American Pioneer 3F that is adjusted to the average weight of a volume charge.

My CVA bore is less fine finish and slow twist and peaks accuracy at 70 grains with 2 inch groups and the above measuring methods with both those powders.

Either of the 2 smokepoles groups all over the place if the boolits are cast with anything other than the softest pure lead. That is a big factor with the R.E.A.L. in getting accuracy---soft, pure lead!!!

You may notice as I have that hard lead will have less recoil and you can hear the hiss of gas jetting around the boolit along with a softer bang. That means you got a problem with your boolit being too hard and not expanding to the bore upon firing. This is when you will notice boolits shooting with poor accuracy. The boolits towel drop at .513 to .514 inches for me so that is big enough for any 50 Cal but if the casting metal is not pure soft it wont expand and seal the bore.

The only lube I have ever used on the R.E.A.L. is Lee Liquid Alox with the tumble lube method and this has proven simple and effective for me.


Gary

[10 ga]

Dittos to all the posts. For the 28 twist I suggest saboted bullets. Something in the 250 to 300 gr. with ribbed sabots works good in my 28 twist guns. Also use the P granulation in Pyrodex if I hafta use a sub. 10

[frontier gander]

Ron, im using a 50/50 mix of beeswax and Alox.

[frontier gander]

Man i just tried them in my 1:32 twist CVA Mountain Stalker .50cal without the wad and it grouped awesome at 50 yrds. I am going to try 3 more with the wads and see if i can see any kind of change. Going to try to Hawken at 100 yrds later on as well.

[ReloaderEd]

I have a 54 caliher R.E.A.L. bullet mold and shoot pure lead bullets with Hawkin MaxiLube and 90 grs. of FFG BP. Shoots great and is dead on at 100 yds from a clean barrel. That is all one needs for hunting up to and including Elk. Be Safe

[frontier gander]

they cast up purdy and shoot good too. Im happy with the mold so far and the results on paper.
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm53/thepowerbeltforum/Misc%20Bullets/DSCN2728.jpg

90gr Pyrodex RS VS 100gr Pyrodex RS @50 yards.
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm53/thepowerbeltforum/Misc%20Bullets/DSCN2724.jpg

[ReloaderEd]

Nice pictures nice group too. The REAL is probably the best I have used. My hollow base mini/lyman shoots good too. However it is harder to cast in pure lead The first one I loaded with 90 grs of BP FFG slide in so nice and easy and I thought it would just make it out of the barrel. Boy what a surprise when it darn near knocked me off the bench!! I thought it had broken my shoulder too. So much for inexperience some 45 years ago. Be safe