lyman trade rifle, what size ball ?

[buckweet]

hey guys.

im needing ammo for this old lyman trade rifle my pop gave me.
but ? he has no lead balls left for it, and he cannot remember what size they are.
its a 50 caliber , but while i was in the store, i bought a pac of t/c's prelubricated cotton round ball patches, .015'' thick.

and a tin of CCI percussion cap's no#11

but when i went to buy the ball's ,, ???? im stumped.

hornady ball's in .0490 and .0495 and so on... which ? am i supposed to get ? how do i know ? measure the bore ? , whats the correct way to do this ?


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[ktw]

whats the correct way to do this ?

Buy one box of .490 AND one box of .495. Take them to range and see which one loads and shoots best in your gun.

Both sizes are intended for 50 caliber muzzleloaders. Between different people's preferences in patch material and ease of loading, their loading procedures, the tightness or looseness of your barrel, etc, one or the other will work better. None of us can tell you which. You will have to try it and see.

-ktw

[docone31]

Sound advice.
I use both in my .50. The .495s I have to pound in the bore. Once in the bore, go down easily.

[bob208]

try the .490 balls with a .018-.020 thick patch. see how it shoots. if it loads lose or does not group good then try the .495.

i have a layman great plains rifle that like .495 with .020 patch.

[buckweet]

hummm...ok, i'll try my patches , and gets both.

gotta find some powder... fffg ? ffg? whats you guys suggest ?


anything else i should ask ?

[northmn]

Assuming its a cap lock you probably would not need magnum caps. If you can get the real black powder it tends to work best in a traditionally styled gun. I use 3f in my 50 at about 80 grains max for deer hunting as it does not seem to gain a lot above that. 50 grains is always a good place to start with a 50 for just plain shooting. Short starters are available fairly cheap and assist in loading, especially a tighter patched combination. Look at the thread on ramrods for an idea on a loading rod which is nice compared to the rod in the the thimbles. You can clean it with water after shooting and make sure you get the bore dry and use a good oil. Always does not hurt to check in a day or two and reoil to eliminate any flash rust. Have fun

Northmn

[buckweet]

ok. im going to try and find some real black powder. FF of FFF

buy both boxes of balls, for now all i have is the .015 t/c lubed patches.

thanks