[Roosevelt]

I have a CVA Accura and was wondering if it would be OK to shoot patch and ball thru it. I have a bunch of .50 cal. patch and balls leftover from my old percussion rifle and thought I'd use em up on some squirrels.

So, is it OK?

Right now I'm using the Powerbelt platinums w' 100 gr. of Jim Shockey's Gold powder.

Can I use the same powder and qty. w' the patch and ball?

 

[CHASINEYES]

I just talked with my cousin about this very topic during a deer drive. He might be using the same gun, I know its a cva, but I dont know what model. He told me that he was using round balls and they had to drop his charge to 80 or 90 grains for good groups. He uses black powder.

 

[CHASINEYES]

Sorry, I should have also mentioned another gent is using an inline with round ball. I dont know any details on powder with that guy. I do know he shot a deer with at 80 yards with that gun. None of these guys will go hunting with a gun that will not group.

 

[Roosevelt]

Thanks, if I could get good 50-100 yd. groups I'd deer hunt w' it. I'm more interested in fairly close range squirrel hunting though but was concerned I might damage the barrel or something. I know the rifling is different than the old traditional ML's but not sure how.??? 1 in 28" twist vs. 1 in 32".

 

[glockman55]

You could but that rifle has a fast twist to the rifling and a patch and ball would not perform as well as in the slower twist ML's a 1 in 66 twist is more for the round ball, not sure about yours but my guess is 1 in 28. But go ahead and try it.

 

[Munsterlndr]

It won't hurt it to use patched round balls but most in-lines don't have enough barrel length or the correct rate of twist to stabilize a round ball, so the results can be pretty inconsistent.

 

[Roosevelt]

Thanks, it's a 27" barrel w' a 1 in 28" twist. My old percussion cap rifle was 1 in 32" I believe and it was made for balls...I believe?? LOL!

 

[Nick Adams]

The modern inlines tend to have fast twist barrels and relatively shallow rifling. The barrels designed for patched roundball have a slow twist and deeper rifling.

You can shoot patched balls in the modern inlines but most people find they can't push them very fast and maintain good accuracy. Your best results with a patched roundball in your inline are more likely to be somewhere in the range of 50-70gr of powder rather than with 90+ grains of powder.

-na

 

[Roosevelt]

Appreciate it, Thanks! If I remember correctly I used to shoot 70 gr. w' my old caplock.

 

[adam bomb]

When i first got my T/C Thunder Hawk Shadow i shot round balls with poly patches out of it. At the time I used 100 gr of loose Pyrodex and No. 11 percusion caps as my ignition system. I had excellent accuracy with this set up out to 100 yds. Never shot it any farther than that, so i cant comment on it beyond there.

I shot quite a few deer with that set up before switching to more modern projectiles, T7 pellets and upgrading my ignition system to musket primers w/flame thrower nipple.

I guess try it out, if it groups, use it...if not, dont.

Have fun shootin'.

 

[Rootsy]

Faster the twist rate of the barrel the narrower the window for an accurate powder charge. Plus everything else already stated above...

Rule of thumb, 1:48 is about as fast a twist as you want for a PRB...

If you want to shoot a PRB, learn to read patches... They'll tell you where to go with powder, thickness, lube, etc...

 

[QuakrTrakr]

A .50 caliber roundball for squirrels? Did I read that right?

 

[BallsRdragn]

A .50 caliber roundball for squirrels? Did I read that right?

Yeh didnt you know Michigan has 100lb squirrels.!! :16suspect

 

[Pinefarm]

Lots of good answers so far.

Most factory percussion side hammer "traditional" ML's use a 1:48 twist. That is consdered a compromise twist, so that the buyer can shoot conicals and round balls. The 1:48 does neither extremely well, but is good enough to shoot both conicals and balls.

Your modern inline has a fast twist designed specifically for bullets vs patched balls and for higher charges. Usually 1:20 something to low 30's.

Nick is one the money with powder charges. For example, I have a .54 TC Renegade and a .58 custom flintlock. The .54 Renegade has a 1:48 twist, the .58 custom has a 1:66. The custom .58 has a custom Rice barrel with deep groves made specifically for patched round balls.

In the 1:48 twist, I shoot 90-100 grs of 2F, but in my slower twist 1:66 with the deep groves, I shoot 70-80gr's of 2F.

You CAN shoot the round balls out of your inline. But other than hearing the gun go off, why? They may likely not shoot very accurately. And, for hunting, the main mystique with shooting a hammer "traditional" type ML is a feeling of the connection with the past and, if a custom rifle, the incredible beauty of the woods and "the furniture", which is like the scrolled butt plates, trigger guards, etc.. That and irons sights and using a patched ball.

It isn't because the round ball is the most effective. A round ball comes nowhere close in killing power that the modern inline offers with jacketed bullets and high powder charges.
Here's some good info from TC. Scroll down about 3/4's tp find ballistics.
http://www.tcarms.com/assets/manuals/current/Shooting_TC_Side_Lock_Black_Powder_Guns.pdf

If I was using a modern inline, for hunting I'd use the bullets that match up best with your rig. And that's not round balls. If you just want to target practice and raise some smoke, then shoot up those balls, but at a target not gamr.
If you want to hunt with a roundball, then get a rifle that's best for it so no animals are wounded.

If anyone is interested in a custom Michigan made ML, go here. I own two of Ray Franks rifles. I just picked up a youth .32 for my girls to shoot target practice with daddy.
Ray has a great .62 flintlock he's making right now. It's got a very high grade curly maple #4 fullstock with silver/pewter furniture. He calls it "the bone cracker". I'd love to own this rifle and suggest it to anyone who thinks they want a great big bore flintlock. Wouldn't you love to thump a deer with that .62 ball?
Here's the rifle in the white...
http://www.sittingfoxmuzzleloaders.com/Early Pennsylvania Transitional Rifle.htm

Here's his finished rifles...
http://www.sittingfoxmuzzleloaders.com/finishedguns.htm

 

[Nick Adams]

You CAN shoot the round balls out of your inline. But other than hearing the gun go off, why?

Cheap practice. Good small game load. Good introductory loads for new shooters. Adequate deer load within limited ranges (<50 yards).

-na