200 Yard Performance With A Traditionally Styled Muzzleloader!
The rifle shown in the photo above originally left the Thompson/Center Arms factory in Rochester, NH as a stock .45 caliber percussion Hawken model. I purchased the rifle from a muzzleloading shooter who apparently had not read the manual when he bought the rifle. He had shot the muzzleloader a dozen or so times in early summer 1981, shooting loads of black powder, and never cleaned it. When he pulled it out of the closet four months later...the bore was ruined. But...I did not buy the rifle to keep it as a stock T/C Hawken. I bought it for all the other parts (lock, triggers, nose cap, trigger guard, etc.) I needed to build pretty much the rifle you see above...for testing the Green Mountain drop in "Interchangeable Barrel System" for the T/C Hawken (and similarly styled rifles) back in 1983.
About that same time, I became fascinated with the fast-twist bullet rifles of circa 1850. This was before the in-line rifles and saboted bullets most of us shoot and hunt with these days. I wanted a muzzle-loaded big game rifle with more range and more knockdwon power than possible with any .45 to .54 caliber patched round ball rifle. In short, I was looking at building my own modern copy of those deadly accurate 200-yard plus muzzleloaders of just before the start of the Civil War. My problem was, at that time, I could not get Green Mountain to make me a .45 or .50 caliber barrel with a snappy 1-turn-in-24 inches twist. (Barrels with a turn-in-28 inches weren't even available then.) So, I sent the original .45 Hawken barrel (pitted bore and all) to a custom barrel maker...had it reamed out to .50 and rifled with a 1-in-24 twist. The rifle shot like a dream. I had a modern scope mounted on the muzzleloader, and with a 100-grain charge of Pyrodex "RS" and the 385-grain hollow-pointed bore-size Buffalo Bullet, the rig was fully capable of shooting inside of 2 inches at 100 yards...and 5 inches at 200 yards.
The fact is, 200-yard game-taking muzzleloader effectiveness was not invented with the in-line rifles and saboted bullets. Rifles such as the one I have refined along the way since 1983 had become the norm by the early 1850's. For the same reasons I had, shooters of that time turned to the then new and harder hitting conical bullets, like those shown in the photo at above right. And to stabilize the lengthy cylindrical projectiles, rifle makers got away from the slow turn-in-48 to 72 inches rifling twists found in earlier patched round ball rifles, and went to twists generally ranging from 1-in-18 to 1-in-24 inches.
The rifle now has one of the Green Mountain 1-in-24 twist .50 aliber "Sharpshooter" barrels on it, shown here with one of the excellent circa 1855 style 6x "Wm. Malcolm" telescopic rifle sights now available from Leatherwood/Hi-Lux Optics. The following is a look at several fast twist bullet rifle reproduction which are now available.
About that same time, I became fascinated with the fast-twist bullet rifles of circa 1850. This was before the in-line rifles and saboted bullets most of us shoot and hunt with these days. I wanted a muzzle-loaded big game rifle with more range and more knockdwon power than possible with any .45 to .54 caliber patched round ball rifle. In short, I was looking at building my own modern copy of those deadly accurate 200-yard plus muzzleloaders of just before the start of the Civil War. My problem was, at that time, I could not get Green Mountain to make me a .45 or .50 caliber barrel with a snappy 1-turn-in-24 inches twist. (Barrels with a turn-in-28 inches weren't even available then.) So, I sent the original .45 Hawken barrel (pitted bore and all) to a custom barrel maker...had it reamed out to .50 and rifled with a 1-in-24 twist. The rifle shot like a dream. I had a modern scope mounted on the muzzleloader, and with a 100-grain charge of Pyrodex "RS" and the 385-grain hollow-pointed bore-size Buffalo Bullet, the rig was fully capable of shooting inside of 2 inches at 100 yards...and 5 inches at 200 yards.
The fact is, 200-yard game-taking muzzleloader effectiveness was not invented with the in-line rifles and saboted bullets. Rifles such as the one I have refined along the way since 1983 had become the norm by the early 1850's. For the same reasons I had, shooters of that time turned to the then new and harder hitting conical bullets, like those shown in the photo at above right. And to stabilize the lengthy cylindrical projectiles, rifle makers got away from the slow turn-in-48 to 72 inches rifling twists found in earlier patched round ball rifles, and went to twists generally ranging from 1-in-18 to 1-in-24 inches.
The rifle now has one of the Green Mountain 1-in-24 twist .50 aliber "Sharpshooter" barrels on it, shown here with one of the excellent circa 1855 style 6x "Wm. Malcolm" telescopic rifle sights now available from Leatherwood/Hi-Lux Optics. The following is a look at several fast twist bullet rifle reproduction which are now available.
Pedersoli 1-in-24 Twist Missouri River Hawken...
I can gaurantee you if this fast-twist .50 caliber had been available back in 1983, the rifle above may have evolved into something else.
Pierangelo Pedersoli, who now heads the family business, Davide Pedersoli & Co., in Brescia, Italy has done a great job of recreating a very fine American styled .50 caliber bullet rifle of late 1840 to early 1850 styling. The one I shoot, also shown here with one of the 6x "Wm Malcolm" scopes aboard, has produced many 1- to 1 1/2-inch hundred yard groups for me when loaded with 90 grains of FFFg GOEX Express and the 440-grain bore-size soft lead Traditional Hunter bullet offered by Parker Productions.
For those who are looking more for a "traditional look" than to shoot a "traditional load", I've shot some great groups with this scoped .50 caliber side-hammer when topping 100-grains of FFFg black powder with a Harvester Muzzleloading saboted 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold. In fact, some of the groups punched with the load will rival some of the best accuracy I've gotten with a modern in-line rfle.
Pierangelo Pedersoli, who now heads the family business, Davide Pedersoli & Co., in Brescia, Italy has done a great job of recreating a very fine American styled .50 caliber bullet rifle of late 1840 to early 1850 styling. The one I shoot, also shown here with one of the 6x "Wm Malcolm" scopes aboard, has produced many 1- to 1 1/2-inch hundred yard groups for me when loaded with 90 grains of FFFg GOEX Express and the 440-grain bore-size soft lead Traditional Hunter bullet offered by Parker Productions.
For those who are looking more for a "traditional look" than to shoot a "traditional load", I've shot some great groups with this scoped .50 caliber side-hammer when topping 100-grains of FFFg black powder with a Harvester Muzzleloading saboted 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold. In fact, some of the groups punched with the load will rival some of the best accuracy I've gotten with a modern in-line rfle.
Dixie Gun Works .451 Caliber Hexagonal Bore Whitworth Rifle...
Considered by many to be the most accurate rifle of the Civil War, the unique hexagonal bore of this mid 1850s style percussion rifle, built on the Enfield military design, spins with a very fast turn-in-21 inches. That's right...this "rifle" does not have conventional rifling. Instead of "lands and grooves" to impart spin on the bullet, the bore of the Whitworth is hexagonal in shape...and the entire bore spirals the length of the barrel.
Consequently, the bullet must also be hexagonal in shape.
Our coverage of traditional muzzle-loaded big game rifles will share a lot more on this very accurate long-range rifle. Shooting a big 500-grain swage-shaped hex bullet
with 100-grains of black powder, we've gotten our "Malcolm" scoped Whitworth to
print some very impressive 2-inch groups at 200 yards. And even at that distance, the big bullet plows home with enough wallop to bring down game as large as elk.
Half the fun of shooting this rifle is casting...swaging...and paper patching the bullet. In 2012, we'll share the details.
Consequently, the bullet must also be hexagonal in shape.
Our coverage of traditional muzzle-loaded big game rifles will share a lot more on this very accurate long-range rifle. Shooting a big 500-grain swage-shaped hex bullet
with 100-grains of black powder, we've gotten our "Malcolm" scoped Whitworth to
print some very impressive 2-inch groups at 200 yards. And even at that distance, the big bullet plows home with enough wallop to bring down game as large as elk.
Half the fun of shooting this rifle is casting...swaging...and paper patching the bullet. In 2012, we'll share the details.
Transforming Exisiting Round Ball Rifles Into Honest Bullet Rifles...
It's been a few years since the Hopkins & Allen underhammer percussion rifles were made. Back in 1963, when these models were first introduced, you could buy a .45 caliber rifle, 25 lead balls & patches, a tin of percussion caps, and 1/4-pound of black powder...all for less than $50! And it was such a deal that got many first timers into muzzleloading.
In .45 or .50 caliber, the rifles were rifled with a 1-in-48 inches rifling twist, which through the 1960s and 1970s was touted as a twist that would give good accuracy with either a patched round ball or a conical bullet. In reality, the twist was better suited for the patched ball. However, the spin was fast enough that the rifles could not be loaded with hotter charges to produce the energy levels needed for deer and other big game beyond 50 yards. On the other hand, the twist was too slow to produce top accuracy with a projectile that was right at twice in length as in diameter.
The rifle here belonged to a machinist friend who wanted to turn it into a fast-twist bullet rifle. He had done a great deal of metal work for North American Muzzleloader Hunting, so we shared one of our Green Mountain 1-in-24 "Sharpshooter" .50 caliber barrels. While this 200-yard group was shot with the saboted 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold bullet, this muzzleloader will also print the big Parker Productions 440-grain Traditional Hunter bore-sized conical about as well at that distance. This rifle has been set up to use larger and hotter winged musket caps for ignition, and is normally loaded with 90 grains of FFFg Triple Seven.
In .45 or .50 caliber, the rifles were rifled with a 1-in-48 inches rifling twist, which through the 1960s and 1970s was touted as a twist that would give good accuracy with either a patched round ball or a conical bullet. In reality, the twist was better suited for the patched ball. However, the spin was fast enough that the rifles could not be loaded with hotter charges to produce the energy levels needed for deer and other big game beyond 50 yards. On the other hand, the twist was too slow to produce top accuracy with a projectile that was right at twice in length as in diameter.
The rifle here belonged to a machinist friend who wanted to turn it into a fast-twist bullet rifle. He had done a great deal of metal work for North American Muzzleloader Hunting, so we shared one of our Green Mountain 1-in-24 "Sharpshooter" .50 caliber barrels. While this 200-yard group was shot with the saboted 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold bullet, this muzzleloader will also print the big Parker Productions 440-grain Traditional Hunter bore-sized conical about as well at that distance. This rifle has been set up to use larger and hotter winged musket caps for ignition, and is normally loaded with 90 grains of FFFg Triple Seven.
Installing Primer Ignition On A Traditionally Styled Muzzleloader...
The Norman Brockway muzzleloading rifle shown here could have originally been percussion ignition, then fitted with a primer adapter sometime after the Civil War. However, Brockway continued to build deadly accurate bullet shooting muzzleloaders well after cartridge guns became the norm, and this rifle may have even been built with a primer ignition system.
While black powder is easily ignited with a quality percussion cap and ignition system (or flintlock for that matter), percussion caps exposed to damp weather conditions were prone to misfire or produce lengthy hangfires. Somewhat protected from the weather, the primer used in this ignition system was more likely to give more spontaneous ignition in most any kind of weather.
While black powder is easily ignited with a quality percussion cap and ignition system (or flintlock for that matter), percussion caps exposed to damp weather conditions were prone to misfire or produce lengthy hangfires. Somewhat protected from the weather, the primer used in this ignition system was more likely to give more spontaneous ignition in most any kind of weather.
Primer Ignition Adapters For Today's Traditional Percussion Rifles...
The rifle that you can see peeking out between those two canisters of "black powder substitute" is the same stock assembly seen at the top of this page...only fitted with another drop-in bullet barrel topped with one of the short 18-inch 6x "Wm. Malcolm" scopes. This is one of the Green Mountain 1-in-28 twist "Long Range Hunter" barrels (for the T/C Hawken) that has one of the Hubbard "Mag-Fire" adapters installed, allowing the use of extremely hot No. 209 shotshell primers for ignition. This is a sabot-shooting barrel, which I can now load and shoot with harder to ignite black powder subsitutes, such as Triple Seven or Blackhorn 209.
Shooting 90-grains of Blackhorn 209 behind the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold, this rig has produced many 1-inch and under hundred yard groups. Here is a very traditional looking rifle and scope that will very likely out shoot quite a few of the modern in-line ignition rifles. The 1-in-28 inches rifling twist is also much better suited for shooting modern bore-sized conical bullets, like the 385-grain hollow-point and 410-grain solid-point Hornady Great Plains Maxi Bullet for the .50 caliber bores. The snappier twist also does much better with Hornady's newest .50 caliber conical, the FPB, in 300- or 350-grain. This is a polymer-tipped, copper-plated version of the old Civil War Minie bullet.
Shooting 90-grains of Blackhorn 209 behind the 300-grain Scorpion PT Gold, this rig has produced many 1-inch and under hundred yard groups. Here is a very traditional looking rifle and scope that will very likely out shoot quite a few of the modern in-line ignition rifles. The 1-in-28 inches rifling twist is also much better suited for shooting modern bore-sized conical bullets, like the 385-grain hollow-point and 410-grain solid-point Hornady Great Plains Maxi Bullet for the .50 caliber bores. The snappier twist also does much better with Hornady's newest .50 caliber conical, the FPB, in 300- or 350-grain. This is a polymer-tipped, copper-plated version of the old Civil War Minie bullet.
The Accuracy Of The Long & Heavy Bore-Sized Lead Bullets...
Shown here is a diagram of an actual 10-shot group shot in 1859 by rifle maker and marksman Morgan James. He was shooting a "small bore" .38 caliber bullet rifle of his own make, using 90 grains of black powder and a 210-grain cylindrical bullet. This is a "40-rod" target...that's 220 yards...and all ten shots are well inside of 2 inches center-to-center.
If you truly want to hunt with a traditional 1800s style muzzleloading rifle, and know that there is no way you can prevent from taking shots at deer and other big game outside of the effective 50 to 60 yard range of the majority of traditional patched round ball rifles and loads, perhaps you need to concentrate on mastering one of the faster twist true muzzle-loaded bullet rifles. North American Muzzleloader Hunting will continue to cover the traditional side of muzzleloading. However, the majority of our coverage will be on the 200-yard rifles produced roughly from about 1840 to just after the Civil War. - Toby Bridges, North American Muzzleloader Hunting
Published 11-16-11
If you truly want to hunt with a traditional 1800s style muzzleloading rifle, and know that there is no way you can prevent from taking shots at deer and other big game outside of the effective 50 to 60 yard range of the majority of traditional patched round ball rifles and loads, perhaps you need to concentrate on mastering one of the faster twist true muzzle-loaded bullet rifles. North American Muzzleloader Hunting will continue to cover the traditional side of muzzleloading. However, the majority of our coverage will be on the 200-yard rifles produced roughly from about 1840 to just after the Civil War. - Toby Bridges, North American Muzzleloader Hunting
Published 11-16-11
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