40 Caliber Whitetail

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Michigan took away caliber restrictions away from muzzleloaders in the past 10 years. I used the same 225 grain 40 caliber bullet that I've used in 45&50 caliber sabots.
 

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I remember you contemplating what twist rate to go with because the 36 caliber barrel was pitted and wanted to rebore to 40 cal. You decided on a 37" twist and I thought to myself " are you kidding " why not a faster twist for longer bullets but I totally understand that the Seneca has a habit of cracking the stock with heavy loads used in 45 caliber barrels so you wanted to gear it more towards a pistol size bullet with the extra weight that a 40 caliber barrel would provide. Now I'm thinking, "why didn't I come up with that".
 
I remember you contemplating what twist rate to go with because the 36 caliber barrel was pitted and wanted to rebore to 40 cal. You decided on a 37" twist and I thought to myself " are you kidding " why not a faster twist for longer bullets but I totally understand that the Seneca has a habit of cracking the stock with heavy loads used in 45 caliber barrels so you wanted to gear it more towards a pistol size bullet with the extra weight that a 40 caliber barrel would provide. Now I'm thinking, "why didn't I come up with that".

That was EXACTLY my thinking, I wanted to stay at, or just under the 240 Grain 45 Maxi Ball, There have been MANY .45 Seneca’s Broke with STOUT Loads pushing the .45 TC Maxi Ball. My Goal was 180 to 200 Grain .40 Cal Bullets, That is where the 1:37 Twist Came From, it lines right up with that Length/weight Bullet :lewis:
 
I remember you contemplating what twist rate to go with because the 36 caliber barrel was pitted and wanted to rebore to 40 cal. You decided on a 37" twist and I thought to myself " are you kidding " why not a faster twist for longer bullets but I totally understand that the Seneca has a habit of cracking the stock with heavy loads used in 45 caliber barrels so you wanted to gear it more towards a pistol size bullet with the extra weight that a 40 caliber barrel would provide. Now I'm thinking, "why didn't I come up with that".
I don't know if you caught the posts of the 2- .40 Seneca's Willfish4fud & IdahoLewis had done. I have the other one. I was shooting 180gr XTP's with T7fff @1800fps but that was abit too hot & the cheap slap from that stock wasn't fun at all. I lightened up my charge to 60gr W T7fff with 150gr Sierra JHP's. I also got some 140 & 160gr GT Bullets cast lead HP's. They dont need running thru the .397 sizing die like the JHP's do. I bought a .40 wad stamp to cut .060 veggie wads down for it. I took about 3/4" off the brass butt & bottom plates to make it more comfortable to shoot from the shoulder pocket instead of the bicep. I've run a cpl lbs of T7 thru mine now ( into my 3rd lb T&fff thru it, so mine is gettin shot. I did kill a nice 10.5" Osceola longbeard at 110yds with mine last yr. I won't be shooting another turkey with a 180gr Speer HP though. Glad I thought to take a broadside shot & not a chest shot, we got to eat the breast meat anyway. I don't plan on deer hunting with mine, but as for the coyotes, bobcats & these damn armadillos are all on my " Targets of Opportunity " list. I sincerely hope you like & enjoy your .40 Seneca as much as I do. Are ya shooting reg BP in yours or T7 like me?
 
Yes I did know that you ended up with twin, they are a sweet little rifle aren't they ? I went with a heavier bullet and a lighter charge of 40gr Swiss 2F. Not sure I even need that much powder, I only had 1 practice session at 50 yards and since it was grouping so good I left it knowing where I was going to hunt there would be close shots but felt confident that I could extend the range another 25 if needed. Eventually I'll practice at the 100-125 yard range so I have a better idea of the rifles capabilities. Not interested in making this another LRH , I have other muzzle loaders for that.
 
Your right Lewis the the ballistic calculators line up with a 180 - 200gn bullet. This particular bullet has an SG (gyroscopic stability) of 1.3 rather than the ideal 1.5 or larger but seems fine for my particular needs.
 

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