Lee Real Boolits+1:48 barrel

[siamese4570]

Ok, I got a question for you guys. I have a 50 cal T/C New England rifle and a Lee Real 320 grain boolit mold. I've tried various loads of 2f, 3f, and pyrodex to get this thing to shoot. I get 3-4" groups at 50yd but can't hit a washtub at 100. I'm beginning to think that the 1:48 won't stabilize the heavy (320 gr) boolit and maybe I should try the lighter 250 gr boolit. I'm using a mutton tallow/beeswax/pariffin lube with a lubed felt button under the boolit and wipe the barrel after each shot. Anybody got any experience with this?

Siamese 4570

[Guido4198]

What are the "various loads" you've been trying..???
My 1 in 48 T/C bbl does just fine with 370 & 385 slugs and 80-90 gns. powder.

[725]

I usually do great with the felt wad. However, have you ever tried it without?

[Blammer]

my 50 cal t/c has trouble with the 320 lee real boolits too. Not such good groups.

I also have the lee 250 real boolit and they shoot great!

My favorite load is any kind of lube an sometimes bare, with 80gr of FFg.

My renegade is 1:48 twist.

[curator]

My New Englander is the same as Blammer's; it likes the 250 grain .50 REAL but not the 320. I have used the felt wad under the bullet but found that 40 grains (measure) of cream of wheat on top of the 75 grain Goex FFg powder charge is more accurate and cleaner burning. I lube my REALs with a 50/50 mix of bee's wax and grocery store lard, and cast them of pure lead with 1/2% tin added to get sharp castings. Once I got my tang-mounted peep sight zeroed in, no soda can is safe out to 100 yards with this load. Extraordinarilly effective on diminutive Florida deer too!

[yeahbub]

Siamese4570, a friend and I were experimenting with a .50 and a .54, using REALs and, like you, got underwhelming results. We varied loads/lube/seating pressure, etc. and some things helped, but not enough, until he cloth patched the bottom driving band like a round ball in his .54. It was a HUGE improvement. I tried it in my custom 1-in-56 .50 cal. over 85gr of 2Fg and got 4" groups at 100 yards, down from platter sized patterns. That looked like minute-of-deer to me. I attributed the problem to gas cutting. With the patch, the base band will be tighter, but can still be started by hand. It's a more positive trip down the barrel and I have confidence it won't come off the powder if dropped. I have since fabricated a bullet board with .525 dia or so holes x .75 thick to hold two rows of patched and lubed REALs for a total of ten. Each hole has a counterbore on the bottom that fits over my octagonal barrel and centers the REAL over the bore. The patches are trimmed between the first and second driving band when starting them in the board or barrel and the lube grooves filled by hand before pushing them in.

. . . . The friend went on to bag an elk in Montana with his .54.

[idahoron]

I think you should stay with the lubed felt wad between the powder and bullet. You might try a trick another guy told me about. Wrap the bullet in teflon tape. It will work as a gas seal as well as the over powder wad. Are you using pure lead? They shoot good fair out of my 1-28 twist Renegade. I am getting under 3" at 100 yards. Nothing great, but they are in the ball park. Ron

[siamese4570]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Went back anc checked my loads and look at Lee's recommended loads and I may be a little light. The lee load table maxed out at 90 gr FF. They also state that these are conservative loads. I remember that we used to shoot 385 gr hornady great plains bullets with 100 gr ff. I may try a touch more speed before I give up on the Lee 320's. Maybe I'm not spinning them fast enough to stabilize. If that doesn't work, I'll try the Lee 250's. Sounds like several people have had good luck with them.

Siamese4570