- Joined
- Jan 22, 2008
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The old timers often used reduced charges when hunting small game.
Way back when I owned a .50 caliber muzzleloader with 1/72" twist rate. At one shooting session i watched as my mentor, "Uncle Joe", shot a three shot 50 yard group using patched round balls and 60, 70 and 80 grains of Du Pont powder. The bullet holes were touching. Yep, a slow twist barrel will put the balls in the same group with varied powder charges.
As the twist rate gets slower more powder is required to stabilize the balls. Among my junk is a .,50 caliber Navy Arms Hawken in good shape. Because of the fast twist it's useless to me. Sometime this year it will become a .54 caliber with slow twist barrel.
Way back when I owned a .50 caliber muzzleloader with 1/72" twist rate. At one shooting session i watched as my mentor, "Uncle Joe", shot a three shot 50 yard group using patched round balls and 60, 70 and 80 grains of Du Pont powder. The bullet holes were touching. Yep, a slow twist barrel will put the balls in the same group with varied powder charges.
As the twist rate gets slower more powder is required to stabilize the balls. Among my junk is a .,50 caliber Navy Arms Hawken in good shape. Because of the fast twist it's useless to me. Sometime this year it will become a .54 caliber with slow twist barrel.