50 cal pyrodex work in 45 cal rifle?

[RAAAR1]

Hey all,
Recently moved to new area and unable to find anything but 50 cal pyrodex pellets...anyone know if these will go into the bore of a 45 cal rifle?

Thanks! :yeah:

 

[cayuga]

It depends on the rifle. If its an inline with 209 ignition, they will work fine. If its a traditional rifle with #11 caps then I would suggest loose powder instead.

 

[RAAAR1]

Awesome..thanks Cayuga!

 

[Busta]

Hey all,
Recently moved to new area and unable to find anything but 50 cal pyrodex pellets...anyone know if these will go into the bore of a 45 cal rifle?

Thanks! :yeah:

Well technically the .50 caliber pellets could go into the bore of your .45 caliber if your bore is a .455", and I am not aware of any quite that large. The Pyrodex Pellets/Triple Se7en Pellets measure .454" minimum diameter, and most .45 caliber bore diameters fall in the .449"-.453", with the majority in the .451"-.452" window.

Of course your groove depth will generally be in the .458"-.459" ish window, so they could be forced into the bore such as a sabot. DO NOT DO THIS!

If pellets are cracked or broken, that changes the burn rate completely, and can/does increase pressures dramatically. If you ever seen a time/pressure curve of a 3 pellet load with cracked/broken pellets, you would never attempt this, as pressures can get up into some smokeless load pressures.

Seriously, reconsider this, as it just isn't worth the possible risk involved. There is a reason the pellets are manufactured to the diameter they are and do not fit tight in the bore, and it isn't just for ease of loading. At a minimum, call Hodgdon first and see what they say about this. I'm sure it has been done, but no way in the world would I do it after seeing the results of the cracked/broken pellet test pressures.

End of public service announcement.

 

[ronald horne]

Why not just use loose powder? Its not any harder to do than using pellets and you can fine tune the load to your gun for better accuracy. Loose powder is usually available at most stores that sell muzzleloading supplies.

 

[casper]

OP'er said all he could find was 50 cal. pellets, that's probably why. :lol:

 

[toytruck]

I have used .45 pellets in a .50 barrel for getting on target at the range, not for hunting, when I had my 209 primer guns. I would not use .50 pellets in a .45 barrel for safety reasons even if they fit. I'd wait till you could get some loose powder an use triple seven, pyrodex is very corrosive an much harder to clean. IMO

 

[Alien8eD1]

I have used .45 pellets in a .50 barrel for getting on target at the range, not for hunting, when I had my 209 primer guns. I would not use .50 pellets in a .45 barrel for safety reasons even if they fit. I'd wait till you could get some loose powder an use triple seven, pyrodex is very corrosive an much harder to clean. IMO

Is it safe to use .45 pellets in a .50 rifle? Will the extra room in the barrel between the breech and and the bullet cause over pressure?

 

[Ninering62]

Is it safe to use .45 pellets in a .50 rifle? Will the extra room in the barrel between the breech and and the bullet cause over pressure?

First off, welcome to the group.
You replied to a 9yr old dormant thread.
As to your inquiry, I'll just say this; a little common sense & using the right tool for the job, go a long way.