.58 muzzleloader questions

Original .58 Enfields were 1:72 twist. Most Italian repros are 1:48. My Enfield will hold minute of five gallon bucket at 300 yards and mushrooms nicely. That's with a charge of 70 grains of Pyrodex and a home cast Lyman traditional minie.
 
I have an original and an older Armsport. The Armsport was the one I was referring to. Here's a minie I recovered after going through a metal five gallon bucket and leaving a hole four inches across and nine inches deep in the soft sandy soil of a pond bank from 300 yards.

 
200 is along poke with a .58, If thats the way your going to go the only way to know what your bullet/ball is doing out at 200 is to shoot it alot. The fellows that I know that shoot 200 yds for money test there loads for months before finding one that would count as close enough. You may want to look at a a whitworth rifle if your going to count on long shots
 
Back in the hay day of minie balls and conicals they used to shoot what was called a 40 Rod gun. They would target shoot at 40 rods/220yards, but would often shoot as far as 100 rods/550 yards. Their records are all sub-MOA, even at 550 yards. Yes these were benched rifles, but this shows you how accurate muzzleloaders can be.

Let's compare the ballistics of my .50 and. 58 caplocks, both shooting bullets out of 32" barrels with 150g charge of FFF.

.50 395g bullet @1700 fps. 2535 ft-lbs
Zerod at 125 yrds.
+2.65" @50, +2.1" @100, -3.5 @150, -15.5 @200
990 lbs retained energy @200 yrds

.58 450g bullet @1600 fps 2558 ft-lbs
Zerod @125 yrds.
+3.0 @50, +2.4 @100, -3.9 @150, -17.0 @200
1070 lbs retained energy @200 yrds.

Is not that big of a difference really.

Boomer
 
I don't even want to think of 150gr FFF behind a 400-450gr bullet.
My 45-3¼ with 100g/1Fg behind a 550PP is bad enough.
 
Boomer58cal said:
Back in the hay day of minie balls and conicals they used to shoot what was called a 40 Rod gun. They would target shoot at 40 rods/220yards, but would often shoot as far as 100 rods/550 yards. Their records are all sub-MOA, even at 550 yards. Yes these were benched rifles, but this shows you how accurate muzzleloaders can be.

Let's compare the ballistics of my .50 and. 58 caplocks, both shooting bullets out of 32" barrels with 150g charge of FFF.


Boomer
Click to expand...

You use a 150 grain charge with the 50? I think the max charge for my hawken was 100g as listed in the manual. I wouldn't mind the extra recoil if it meant better trajectory/accuracy, but I also am leery of going above that.
 
The max powder charge depends upon the manufacture of your barrel. My CVA Hawken hunter and mountain rifles are generally rated for 100-120 FFF depending on calibre. CVA barrels were tested from the factory with 500 grains triple F and double balled.

My "Oregon barrel" Custom made barrels( Made by their original barrel maker who has sadly passed on ) are rated for 250g FFF. my .50/.58 barrels are 11/8" flat to flat and my. 62 is 13/8" flat to flat. You would have to try to blow these barrels up. They are tested with a 500g charge FFF and two RB's over another 500g charge and two more RB. Essentially if you fill the entire barrel full of powder instead of making a bomb you just make a rocket.

Here's a bit of history... the machines at Oregon barrel are the very same machines that made Lee Enfield 30-06 barrels during World War 2. :)

Boomer
 
I must have misunderstood.
Did you say the 50/58 barrel was (effectively) 1¼" (11/8) flat-to-flat?

If so, the 32" barrel alone weighs 63lbs?
 
I must have misunderstood. Did you say the 50/58 barrel was (effectively) 1¼" (11/8) flat-to-flat?

If so, the 32" barrel alone weighs 63lbs?
Click to expand...

Ok. Both my .50 & .58 cal barrels are 1&1/8 in. thick flat to flat on the Octagon. My .62 cal barrel is 1&3/8 in. thick flat to flat.

CVA .50 and .58 barrels are only 15/16's in. thick flat to flot.

My CVA's weigh about 8 lbs and my custom builds are between 9 and 15 lbs depending on barrel length. I have barrels ranging from 24-42 inches. Weight and recoil are not much of an issue for me since I'm 6'4" 280ish lbs and have been packing a .58 since I was 9 years old.

Are these bench guns you're referring to?
Click to expand...

No. Oregon Barrel makes bench gun barrels that are 2.5-3.0 inches in dia. Their target barrels are round instead of octagon. Those barrels weigh a good two or three times what my barrels weigh.

I shot one of their two bores that weighed around 100 pounds. What a beast!

Boomer
 
I could be off a hair on the CVA .58, I can't remember off hand, but I know the .50 cals are 15/16. I'll recheck my .58's when I get a chance.

I've never had a .54.

All I was saying was my custom "Oregon barrel" barrels are significantly thicker than my CVA's. I don't think black powder has enough energy to blow one up, even if you tried, short of welding a plug in the end of the barrel anyway.

Boomer
 
Just a lil history that has no bearing on the subject. Original Hawken barrels were 1 1/8 with some being 1 1/4 at the breech tapering down to an inch at the muzzle. Some Hawken barrels were straight but most were tapered. My NOS .54 CVA/Douglas barrel on my Hawken is 1 inch.
 
I noticed my cabelas has the pedersoli 2 band enfield for $799. I generally get a few hundred bucks in gift cards for Christmas, so I'm really taking a hard look at this rifle.
It appears to be a 1:48. Does anyone have experience with this particular model? Any insight would be great as that is a lot of money for me at the moment.
 
If you are even considering 150-200 yards, do not invest in a Enfield/Springfield-design musket. That type of [hunting] use was never their intent, notwithstanding whatever ladder sights they may have on [the Enfield].
 
If you are even considering 150-200 yards, do not invest in a Enfield/Springfield-design musket. That type of [hunting] use was never their intent, notwithstanding whatever ladder sights they may have on [the Enfield].
Click to expand...

Are you saying they're not accurate enough? If so that's B.S. You do have to learn the gun but they're plenty capable of 200 yard minute of deer accuracy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top