buffalo balls

[rmaisonp]

I've got a cva hawken that I've only shot patched round balls through.
On a good day I get about 2" groups at 50 yds.
I'm pretty sure it's a slow twist barrel.
Any suggestions out there for pyrodex 2F loads for 320 grain maxi balls
and 385 hornady great plains bullets.
I'd like to hunt with them.
many thanks.

 

[mykeal]

The CVA Hawken has a 1:60 ROT. It is a 'round ball' barrel. I don't recommend shooting conical bullets from such a barrel; even with heavier loads to increase muzzle velocity it's doubtful you can develop enough spin to fully stabilize the round.

I think you can use conicals in such a barrel with 'acceptable' results, but I don't believe they will ever equal a round ball in accuracy; they certainly won't surpass round ball performance.

Why do you want to use those projectiles in that gun? If you think conicals are better rounds, get a conical barrel. Otherwise, stick with the round the gun was designed for.

 

[Brillo]

The twist rate is way to slow to stabilize a Hornady GP conical and most likely a Maxi Ball. I would work on ways to improve accuracy with a PRB such as different patch thickness and load combinations.

The only thing beyond a PRB that I would suggest are the Buffalo Ball-et. They are very short conicals but you will need to upload to get the muzzle velocity up to increase the spin rate to stabilize it. You should also consider using a lubed wad underneath this round. Otherwise, as mykeal says, get a fast twist barrel, and I don't mean a 1:45 POS.

 

[Jaymo]

What about Lee REAL bullets? Shorter than a Maxi Ball. Longer than a PRB.

 

[Brillo]

Try REALs and let us know how they work. Still pretty sure you will have to upload to the limit of your rifle to stabilize it. You are correct though that they are a relatively short conical.

 

[arcticap]

The Hornady "PA Conical" is a nearly exact clone of the Buffalo Ballet which is more readily available and at lower prices.

 

[the Black Spot]

you may have to actually shoot conicals a lot slower in that twist of barrel to get them to shoot accurately. if they are that slow then what is the point? i had a cva .54 hawken with 1:66 twist could not get the maxi or great plains to shoot worth squat no matter how fast or slow i shot them. so i went back to shooting the roundball into .75" groups at 75 yards(benched). i still kick myself for trading that rifle for 7mm mauser.

 

[Jaymo]

Sorry for the threadjack, but does anyone know how Lee REAL bullets, TC Maxi Hunter, and Lee improved Minie bullets shoot out of TC New Englander and Renegade .50 cal rifles? I have both rifles and want to hunt with them and was wondering which of these 3 conicals group the best.

 

[Brillo]

Sorry Black Spot but I have to vehemently disagree with your statement. It goes against all science on ballistics. A conical being shot out of a slow twist barrel and downloaded will do nothing but tumble. It cannot possibly stabilize. Longer bullets require greater twist rates to stabilize. A 1:66 twist rate barrel may never stabilize a conical, which is the point of this thread. It's a round ball barrel. My Great Planes Hunter 50 cal with its 1:28 twist barrel uploaded with Triple 7 will shoot most conicals on top of each other at 50 to 100 yards all day long.

 

[the Black Spot]

Brillo, that is why i said "may have to". you are correct in that longer bullets need faster twist to stabilize, so if you shoot longer bullets faster out of a slow twist rifle they can jump the lands. so "sometimes" you have to shoot longer bullets slower in a slow twist barrel so they don't jump the lands.

 

[Brillo]

Black Spot, I thought it was in the fast twist barrels that with short rounds where jumping the lands could be a problem, especially with up loads. Can't remember so I'll have to check this out.