A place to start with a new 50-90 Rolling block BPCR

[DukeNukem]

I had Lee Shaver build me a 50-90 sharps on a Remington Rolling block #5.
I has a 1-1/4" octagon barrel, 33" long, 1/24 twist, .500 bore, .508 groove.
I had already bought the barrel from Green Mountain to do the project myself and never
got around to it so I sent it to shaver.
I cast bullets for all my rifles, mainly just use Lee molds with no sizing. 45/70, 43 spanish, 44 russian, 45 colt,
.455 webley. I reload a bunch of others also.

I will get into paper patching one day but not yet.
I have a lyman 3 die set of reloading dies.
I will be shooting 400yds and past that. Want to try 1000 one day at the whittington center.

What bullet diameter do I need? I am thinking .501 or .502 at around 600gr.
I want to try trail boss.

Thanks for your help in advance.

[Gunlaker]

If Lee Shaver chambered it, I'd ask him for a recommendation based on the reamer he used. The 0.508 groove diameter would suggest a .508 or maybe .509 diameter, but it depends on the diameter of the throat. If there is freebore you want the bullet diameter to be very close to the freebore diameter.

That is a pretty fast twist that will shoot very heavy (700gr) bullets well.

I would search this forum for posts by Kurt. He's probably shot the .50's a lot more than most. I have a Winchester BPCR in .50-90 (1-26 twist) but I haven't spent a lot of time with it. I shoot the .45's far more often. But I can say that my rifle likes bullets in the 650gr range and does pretty well with the Buffalo Arms 698gr Creedmoor bullet.

Chris.

[John Boy]

Duke - welcome to Cast Boolits. Have you donated some coins to keep the forum up and running - providing advice for free?

[doc1876]

we got two duke nukems??

[Bullshop]

We ( The Bullshop ) sell boolits if you need some.
Have a bit of game harvest experiance here with the 50/90 so can give some first hand input on the boolit designs I have used. We have weights in 50 cal from 300 to 700gn in gas check, plain base, and paper patch.

[EDG]

We have an old Duke Nukem and a new DukeNukem. It is going to be confusing unless you use a very distinctive avatar.

[Nobade]

New DukeNukem, I would skip the Trailboss except for short range plinking loads and concentrate on 1 1/2F or 2F black powder made by KIK, Swiss, or Old Eynsford. Bullets at .508" cast from 20:1 or so, and good BP lube. That rifle is not made to shoot smokeless, and will certainly do its best work loaded with black.

-Nobade

[nekshot]

We have an old Duke Nukem and a new DukeNukem. It is going to be confusing unless you use a very distinctive avatar.

Boy was I getting worried for "old" Duke, now this clarity makes sence! Enjoy the rifle and don't let a silly handgun outshoot you at a 1000 yards!

[MT Chambers]

My .50/90 uses .512" bullets, and the most accurate is the Lyman #515142, a flat point backed by 100 grs. of Swiss 1 1/2fg, barrel is a Badger.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

It's a funny thing with black powder, the bigger boolit that you use the better burning it becomes. A heavy boolit builds up pressure simply from initia of getting it going. I use 105gns FG and a 650gn boolit which burns very cleanly!

[country gent]

A good place to start with that combination might be a past recoil shield.

[bigted]

i dont know ... 33 inch's of 1 1/4 inch barrel should dampen some of the snap outta the rifle i would think.

love to see some pictures of the beast. i bet she is a looker tho.

[Nobade]

Yep, that's one heavy rifle. Should be fun to shoot. I wonder where the OP went? We want to hear more!

-Nobade