.45 Rifle Ideas

[TheOutlawKid]

Oh and i will only be using about 70-90 grains max of OE powder or homemade that is equivalent. Probably with the .45 id start at around 50 and go up from there.

 

[StrawHat]

When I still used a 45 caliber smallbore, my favorite and all around bullet was the Lyman 457122, commonly referred to as the Gould bullet. I had a Trapdoor with a 1/22 twist so not sure how the Gould would work in the 1/48 twist. Perhaps I need to run the Greenhill formula again.

Lately, I have been slowly building a round ball express rifle on the style of the Irish stalking rifle. It will be my first venture back into smallbores with a 45 caliber bare rifled 1 turn in 144”. Work keeps interfering with time in the shop so, it may be a couple of years before I complete it.

Kevin

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Hey Kid, you'll need to sit down and work up your best accuracy loads, I have 3 50 cal rifles that like 65 grains of powder behind a patched round ball, I thought you stated in your post that you have a .54 cal?
I would start with 60 grains and shoot 3 shot groups, increasing powder by 5 grain increments until you get the tightest group. It may like 65 grains or maybe 75. It is a process that can take some time, record your results and once you have a load you like stick with it. I use the same load whether shooting targets or game.

 

[TheOutlawKid]

I have a lyman .54 deerstalker and a t/c .45 hawken. I skipped .50 cal lol

 

[TheOutlawKid]

Yes i can build a load with testing...that i am comfortable with as i have done it multiple times before....but im very new to designing bullets for a muzzleloader because so many variables make the difference...especially length of bullet and twist rate.

 

[rodwha]

A 1:48” twist should stabilize a typical 255 grn .45 cal bullet. There are calculators to figure out if a bullet length will work. I’d start there. My 285 grn WFN is barely a couple of hairs longer than Kaido’s 255 grn version of the Lee bullet. I’d venture to guess it would stabilize just fine.

 

[TheOutlawKid]

I know the .45 cal 250 grain Lee REAL bullet works great and stabilizes very well...so i may not go much longer than that bullet. Your 285 grain design would be somewhat of a dimension id work with. Although id rather have 3-4 bands...not very wide either..and i would want it to taper and fit the way the REAL bullet does where the bands engage the rifling...and the design similar to Lymans Plains bullet and/or Hornady Great Plains bullet (without the hallow base or point). Im guessing maybe .620-.640 tall at the most too...that should stabilize just fine.

 

[TheOutlawKid]

Heres a pic of the kind of bullet i want to design...although mine will have thinner bands and will taper like the REAL bullet..but the nose/meplat design are how i want it to be...

 

[woodnbow]

According to the calculators, this bullet Accurate .45-340I would stabilize best with 1 in 32”



You might ask Tom about shortening it to .65” or so. That should do very well with 1 in 48 but, here’s where it gets weird, IdahoLewis has shot some really tight groups with 80 grains 2f Swiss and the 340 grain bullet in a stock TC barrel identical to yours. I also did pretty well with that rifle and the No Excuses 385 grain bullet. Somewhere around here I have notes for that load and the results, I looked for them before when we first started talking about this. Couldn’t find that book, but I imagine they’re packed away somewhere safe... (The golden years really ain’t all that Golden! Hah!)

 

[woodnbow]

BTW, I’ve never met this Idaho Lewis guy but he’s put a lot of effort into figuring things out and he swears by that 80 grain load in .45, .50, and .54. Weighs his loads too...
This: is what the bullet looks like as cast by Lewis. Obviously, the boy pays attention to the details.

 

[TheOutlawKid]

BTW, I’ve never met this Idaho Lewis guy but he’s put a lot of effort into figuring things out and he swears by that 80 grain load in .45, .50, and .54. Weighs his loads too...
This: View attachment 964310 is what the bullet looks like as cast by Lewis. Obviously, the boy pays attention to the details.

Yeah i have ran into his posts and videos. Him and idahorons. Lots of great info. Ya know...i too shoot 80 grains average on my guns. Its a sweet spot for me. I too also weigh my powder. Always preferred it. Im convinsed the pic of the bullets posted are made on a lathe haha. Them are some pretty bullets...wonder if those are the best from a group of 200 lol. He sure has the casting dialed down as well. I too prefer pristine bullets ..actually dont like my bullets to have a single little dent or ding from when they knock into other bullets in the casting pile. I make them hit a pad/cussion of cotton rags, usually in a box where the bullets land on the pile of rags as a cussion and gently slide down and out of the way into the cardboard box.

 

[woodnbow]

Hah! they are pretty aren’t they? Almost too pretty to shoot!

 

[gemihur]

Had my .45 cal. Kentucky afield yesterday... felt good!