.45 cal, 1:20 twist ML. What bullets?

This may help. In NC, we have an active hunting forum, the "North Carolina Hunting and Fishing Forum". http://www.nchuntandfish.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?19-Muzzleloading/

The thread I picked out for you is:http://www.nchuntandfish.com/forums/showthread.php?106916-new-to-muzzleloading/

I believe the thread deals with a .50 caliber, but the brands mentioned have .45 caliber bullets in their lines.

If you want to get great advice, register on the forum, tell them, "Buck sent me" and ask about recommended .45 caliber bullets for your identified rifle.

Another good choice in the .45 caliber are the T/C solid lead slugs, AKA "Maxi-Ball" & "Maxi-Hunter". Extremely accurate with 90grns Goex 3F and 100grns Goex 2F...devastating on deer to 70 yds..

I've always told hunters, "you can kill a deer with a Mack truck or you can kill a deer with a pickup truck. One just kill them harder than the other one, but they both kill the deer."

If its any consolation, one of my customers, Gordon Smith, CSM 7th SFG(A), RET, kills deer every year with his TVM Southern Mountain flintlock longrifle I sold him in 1998. His .45 caliber round ball, weighing about 130 grains, is powered by 70 grains of GOEX 3FG powder, and drops deer out to 75 yards.

"Remember, accuracy (concentration) is 99% the 'nut' behind the trigger".

For small game, use .440 RB & .015" thick cotton patch, lubed with Ox Yoke or T/C 1000+ grease. Use 25 to 30 grains of GOEX 3FG or Hodgdon's Triple 7, FFFG grade on squirrels and 35 to 45 grains of the same on rabbits, & bobcat-size animals.,

The fast twist of 1:20" does not work well for the round ball much above 50-60 grains due to the law of centrifugal force.

That is a fast conical twist (as opposed to roundball).
45 Maxiball using Crisco as lube would be ideal.
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/1200/1/LYMAN-454-616 --The mold)
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/129/1/BALL-45-MAXI Bottom of page (Buy a few to test first)

AND.....

If you are willing to slow things waaaaaay down for lighter roundball (from ~normal 1,600fps/61gr FFFg black powder) to about 800 (15gr FFFg) to alleviate that fast twist, it would be a good itty-bitty-critter rifle.

vincyr said:

Just traded in my H&R Pardner Turkey model(it was not a fun gun to shoot) in at a local gun show for a Traditions Lightning .45 caliber muzzleloader. Came with about 200 .45-.357 sabots, and a nipple for percussion caps. It has 26" barrel with a 1:20 twist . What would be some good bullet choices for this gun? Would I be able to hunt small game as well as deer?

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That twist is actually best served by 45-70 style bullets if your grooves aren't cut too deep. Lyman 451114 is almost the perfect bullet for this twist and if you don't mind sizing, the 457121PH is a fantastic long range bullet as well.
http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/bullet-casting/select-mould-blackpowder.php

Other more widely available choices again are the 45-70 offering such as these from Lyman.

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/bullet-casting/select-mould-rifle.php?styleRef=cat19#anc

http://leeprecision.com/bullet-casting/rifle-bullet-molds/bullet-mold-double-cavity/

The Lyman 457193 is a 405 grain bullet that I shoot with 45's and with a sized bullet to bore diameter or maybe a thousandth over, (mine are 451 with bullet sized to .452) is as accurate a bullet as I could ever expect with open sights. Any 45-70 bullet will shoot well in that twist and I'm assuming that if it is a saboted twist, that the groove depth is probably in the range of .003-.0035... perfect for the 45-70 bullets.

If you're casting bullets for a rifle, get a sizer and either push them through base first or rubber hammer em through base first... but base first unless you've a reloading set up then just size and lube.

Aloha....

Rattus has it right. I used to shoot a Navy Arms 'Rigby - Creedmoor Match' .451 m/l percussion target rifle. I used the Lyman 457121PH bullet, which weighed 475gns in pure lead, sized to .450" (bore NOT groove size) it just slipped into the muzzle & was loaded over 65gns of FFg & a .45 caliber felt wad. With aperture rear & globe front sights it was very capable of MOA at 100yds.

These guns are designed for plastic sabots.

Noz said:

These guns are designed for plastic sabots.

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Well that shouldn't matter as long as the groove diameters are not too aggressive in depth. .003 to .0035 should shoot any appropriate conical.

Aloha....