50-90 load questions

[OD Cleaver]

I just bought a NIB Winchester 1885, NIB, 50-90, 30 inch barrel. I plan to use Starline brass from Midway. I’ve loaded smokeless for over 30 years but the 44-40 is the only black powder cartridge I’ve ever loaded. No problems loading that and I understand the basics, but now I’m in much deeper water and need some advice. Generally, I’ll buy wads/projectiles until I get the feel of what my rifle likes best, I just need a place to start.

1. I have a lot of 2F, can I use that or should I use 1F?
2. Primers - large rifle? Standard ok for full ignition or should I look in magnum primers?
3. I currently use a .03 fiber wad between the bullet/charge in my 44WCF, any recommendations here?
4. Bullets seem to run the gamut from 450 to 600+ grains, is the Big Fifty known for shooting a particular weight better than others? Any recommendations on commercially available cast bullets until I get my feet wet?
5. Hunting whitetails within 150 yards, any pet loads in the mid-level category?
6. Any answers to questions I’m too green to know to ask?

Thanks in advance. I started shooting the Holy Black in SASS (percussion revolvers & 44WCF) because I love to shoot and wanted to get as far away from a .357 semiautomatic with tritium night sights as I could get - I had no idea that once I tasted the Dark Side nothing else would please after that!

[John Boy]

Cleaver here you go:
473gr bullet (1:20 alloy) - 90gr of Fg powder - 1350 fps
Primer - any Large Rifle
Good - .03 fiber wad
Bullet Molds:
Lee 515-450 gr -Flat Nose
Lee 515-500 gr-Flat Nose
Lyman 515142 - 515gr
Ideal 515142 - 515gr ... if you can find the mold

Store bought bullets ... http://westernbullet.com/50riflecaliber.html Be sure to ask them what the alloy harness is because you need soft bullets shooting black powder

[MT Chambers]

You "drop tube" the amount of 2f that fills the case to the bottom of the bullet, alot of the bullets that i use allow 105grs. of 1 1/2fg Swiss. I've used bullets from 440 gr. to 700gr. and the most accurate in my Badger barrel are usually around 530grs. Lyman's #515142 is most accurate so far, but i like the LBT 540gr. for hunting, and the 450grain Hollow Pt. from a group buy, for deer. Recoil makes playing with the 700grain bullets uncomfortable and hard to get a read on accuracy.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I have a Pedersoli "Boss Gun" with a 34" barrel. I load Bell brass with 105gn of 1F behind a 650gn Paul Jones creedmoor boolit.

It has a twist of 1:26" and there is no other rifle in my rack that will shoot 1000yds on a windy day with less drift.

[OD Cleaver]

THANKS GENTS! I can get my rifle shooting now, and I am truly grateful for that.

[WARD O]

I would suggest that you find out what twist your rifle has and then consider picking boolits. Older rifles likely had the slow twist around 1/32 or 1/36 and shot boolits of around 475 grains. Newer rifles seem to offer different twists: 1/22 or 1/26 which seem to do well with the 650-700 grain boolits, 1/32 or 1/36 for the more traditional weight.

They may not all interchange with good results!

ward

[OD Cleaver]

Can’t seem to find much info on the rifle’s specs, very little info out there and what there is seems to conflict. Winchester won’t write me back, not surprising for a company that puts a tang safety on 86/92/94/94 series rifles. They modified 100% of their guns to favor .00001% of the buyers. Lawyer proof but not idiot proof.

I’ll just test the 450/515/610 grain bullets and see which I like best.

['74 sharps]

New to BPCR myself. Recoil may be something to consider also. The total weight - bullet, powder, and wad all are factored in the recoil. I use a 45 -70 with a 480gr bullet, and its about the max for me for doing much shooting with 63gr of Schutzen 3F. I had used some 530gr bullets and it was ok for a little shooting, but got tiring quickly. Same here with going to the dark side....More of a chance being bitten by Dracula and recovering than going back to the gray stuff..........

[OD Cleaver]

Yes, I'm a bit concerned about that, my upper end is a 12 gauge rifled slug out of a light shotgun, much more than that and I'll be selling it soon. I'll try to stick with the 450/515, especially since this is more a hunting weight rifle.

[John Boy]

Cleaver, your twist ratio is no doubt the standard used for the 50-70 and 50-90 ... 1:26

As for the bullets, the most knowledgeable and one the best mold makers for nearly 70 years was Ideal. Here are the only two 50 caliber bullet molds they made with any weight and near the 1870's original bullets:

http://www.three-peaks.net/images/515141_450g.gif Ideal 515141 - 450gr http://www.three-peaks.net/images/515142_515g.gif Ideal 515142 - 515gr

I have shot both these bullets in my 50-70 out to 1000yds. The 515141 will drift due the wind. Here's an example: A high bore swinger about 4 feet to the right of the 1000yd target. I call it ... "My Perfect Miss"!

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd220/Meadowmucker/Ridgway%20May%202009/IMGP0220.jpg

My spotter said ... "That sucker had to be doing 100 mph"
BTW, that circle swinger is only 3" wide IIRC! [smilie=1:

Errata: Be sure to measure the groove diameter of your 50-90. I have to resize the 515 diameter bullets down to 512 for my Rolling Block. Your grooves are probably 512 so resizing would not be necessary. Shooting BP you want the bullet to be 0.003 larger than groove diameter

[OD Cleaver]

Thanks John, I took your advice and ordered 50 each of both those bullets as well as dies, wads, brass etc.. I also decided to go with the .512 diameter to begin with, as that is probably right. The rifle and components should be in late next week and I am like a kid waiting for Christmas. If I get everything put together on a weekday night I just might get the sniffles and call in work the next day - and I don't even have the rifle in hand yet!

"This aint gonna be no 44-40!"

['74 sharps]

Recoil with light clothing is much more noticeable than my leather cold weather shooting coat. I put a Kickeeze slip on pad and it made a huge difference on my ist Sharps. My Long Range has a thicker stock, so I will have to get one on order. The insert pads in the Kickeeze may be added or removed, and are made of a material that actually has a patent on it for reduction.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

BTW, the Pedersoli is a 14lb rifle, recoil is very tame[smilie=p:

The Winchester is I think, a tad over 10lbs!

[OD Cleaver]

You are correct on the weights Bad ***, and I will be using a sissy pad!