conicals in slow twist barrels

[hunter.50]

I have 2 guns with 1:60 twist 1 is .54 the other is .58. I was going to order a couple moulds like REAL mould for thr .54 and a mini for the .58. Or should I just stick with Round balls.....Thank you in advance

[Semisane]

I've never shot minnies in my .58, but have shot a group with the shorter 300 grain REALs in my .54 flintlock.

They show potential, but I haven't played around with different powder charges or lubeswith them yet. On the good side, my 1 in 60" twist barrel clearly stabalizes them. The 50 yard group I shot had about a two-inch vertical spread, but about a five or six inch horizontal spread. Might well have been the shooter.

[cayugad]

In a slow twist, I found roundball worked the best. If you want something a little bigger then a roundball, try some Buffalo Bullet Ballets. I have a mold for a .50 & .54 minnie and never got them to shoot well in any of my rifle for "hunting" accuracy.

[Rock Lock]

The 1 in 60 twist doesn't give enough spin on a conical. Most recommendations I've seen go with a 1 in 48 minimum. I'd stay with the round ball. If you hit a deer with a .54 or .58 it's going to be a short chase, if they run at all. I took a doe last year with my .69 caliber musket at about 30 steps and it took her right off her feet. That's a 493 grain ball with 80 grains of 2F pushing and a .015 spit patch. This year we try the Brown Bess.Measure your barrel to see how much of a turn 1 in 60 will give.
Rock Lock

[Rock Lock]

On that last statement I made, divide the length of your barrel by 60 and it will give you the amount of twist the conical will do as a percent of one revolution.
Rock Lock

[HEAD0001]

You never know for sure until you try it. If I listened to what people say about slow twists then I would have never tried a conical in my flinter. The heavy conicals shoot great in this rife, but they shouldn't shoot in the rifle. Just try it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Tom.