Looking for a 1:66 twist muzzleloader:

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skydiver3346

New member
Well, the black powder bug has really bitten me now. I have a very nice T/C Encore (with scope, etc) that is extremely accurate. But I have finally seen the light about what real black powder is all about. My friend and I had a blast shooting his old smoke pole this weekend and all we shot was round ball with patch and real black powder. Could not believe how much fun it was. Now I want to get one too (1:60 or 1:66 twist only). Can't seem to find one anywhere on the gun sites?
Can someone help me out and direct me to a web site and/or good place to purchase a quality muzzleloader that I can shoot lead ball ammo out of? Do not want a 1:32 or 1;48 twist. Thanks for your help. :)
 
The Lyman Great Plains Rifle has a 1/60 twist. Mine shoots round balls very well and also does a fairly good job with Lee improved minis. Traditions also used to sell rifles listed as having a 1/66 twist. Check their site.

I have a traditions springfield hawken bought from bass pro many years ago marked 1/66. For a rifle kit that cost $105 it is a shootin' dude. It never fails to impress me with how well it groups.

I have several 1/48 twist rifles the shoot round balls just fine. One is a cabelas hawken in 45 cal and a T/C hawken in 50 cal. These will both shoot one hole groups at 50 yards with no real work on my part.
 
skydiver - check out the classifieds on this site - there was a fellow WTB a flintlock rifle - another responded that he has a flinter in I think a 1:66 twist. It should be in the first couple of listings - looked like a pretty decent rifle for a production gun
 
the tc pa hunter in 50 cal has a 1-66 twist, i bought a used tc pa hunter barrel and shortened the ram rod piping under the barrel and it fits right in my tc halkens, the pa hunter has a shorter stock and thats why you have to shorten the piping to fit the longer forend on the halken. you will notice the difference in the rifleing between the barrels right away,the round ball 1-66 in deeper. eastbank.
 
The Lyman Great Plains is the closest you can get to a real Hawken in a reasonably priced production gun and it's a real shooter. The TC, CVA and Investarms Hawkens don't look anything like a Hawken.
 
Skydiver3346
I'm just tickled to death that you have discovered Traditional shooting. I will shoot just about anything that I can get my hands on but truly enjoy my PA Hunter with peep sights. Sadly, unless you find a used one, or get a custom made, your best bet and great choice at that, is the Lyman Great Plains Rifle. One of my Buckskinner buddies, takes a deer with his, every year. Keep in mind that a round ball is very forgiving. .. :)



Be Safe !!!
 
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Maybe you can find a TC traditional style muzzleloader with a ruined barrel for cheap and then replace that barrel with a round ball slow twist barrel from Green Mountain.

Also, you can visit some of the bigger regional muzzleloading shoots, there's always something for sale on the trading tables.
 
Green Mountain makes high quality barrels for the T/C Hawken, in my case a Cougar with nice wood. Mine started out as a .45 caliber with a fast twist and thanks to GM is now a .54 with a round-ball-friendly slower twist. Haven't been able to pursue this project recently but it's looking very promising so far..
 
Almost all of the older sidelocks are of the twist you want, but before I went out looking for a new one, I would check at the local pawn shop.
Here about a year ago, I was looking for some of the older rifles to make a wall display out of, so I went down to my local pawn shop. He had a stack of them in the back room, and let me have 4 of them for my display.
He tried to give them to me, but I made him take $20.00 just to make ME feel better.
He says that since the inlines came out that he doesn't sell near as many of the older traditional rifles, and had to quit taking them for pawn, because no one around here wants them.
I picked out 4 rifles, and since they were not going to be for shooting, I tried to pick 4 of them that were not really in to good a shape. But even the ones I got would shoot, if I cleaned them up a little. 2 of them were percussion cappers and 2 were flinters.
You might find a lot better deal on one, rather than buying new.

Just 2 cents worth.
 
Nothing wrong with a 1 in 48" twist for roundballs. My most accurate round ball gun is a 1 in 48", it will cut one ragged hole groups at fifty yards. Don't get much better than that! The Hawken brothers of rifle making fame in the 19th century used this twist, and you don't see many complaints about them!
 
Choice of black powder rifle:

:) Thanks for all the great advice/info guys. I think I have settled on buying a Lyman Great Plains rifle. Can't wait to get it in and go to the range.....
 
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