rafsob

Well took the Seneca out last Friday and was some what disappointed. I had various bullets and attempted to shoot them for results. Actually the only bullets that I could say shot well were the Maxi's. The Hunter and Ball shoot extremely well, but the others didn't do very good. I had some Mini balls that were very loose going down the barrel and I think the skirts failed to open. Most mini's I have shot in other guns have this characteristic due to the bullet design.

I had an 8" paper plate and the first round hit the edge at 1:00. The second hit the edge at 7:00. And the third hit the edge, at 1145. So that would give me an 8" group or so. Don't have the package in front of me, but I ordered them from a store on line. They were very good looking bullets. I also ordered a quantity of Maxi Balls too. The Maxi's shot very well.

I also tried some Great Plains bullets I got from my local store. I pulled three from the package and could only get two to go down the barrel. the third wouldn't even get started into the barrel. The two that I did shoot very to about 3/4" at 25 yd target.

I had an old box of Buffalo saboted lead bullets that were so tight I had a problem getting them down the bore. They shot very well, but I would not like to fight these in the woods during hunting season.

I did have a box of round balls, but left them on my table at home. I will have to shoot them and see how they do.

Don't know about others, but I have always had a problem with Thompson Center barrels being too tight! Everyone of their ML rifles that I have shot have had barrel bores that seem to be under sized for the calibers that they shot. I also noticed that the TC bullets seemed to have no problem loading in their barrels. Wondering if this is just my thoughts or am I going nuts???

Semisane

Of course you're going nuts rafsob. You're a muzzleloader shooter aren't you?

Minnies are not likely to shot well in any gun not designed specifically to shoot them. Those guns have very shallow grooves and even then the Minnie must be sized for a close fit to the bore.

It's a shame the Great Plains bullets won't load easily in that .45 Seneca. That would be the perfect bullet for that gun. If all else fails, it might be worth it to slug your bore to determine its exact diameter, and order a custom sizing kit from Lee. http://leeprecision.com/custom-lube-and-size-kit/

I wonder if it would be worth trying 180 grain or 200 grain .40 caliber XTPs in 45/40 sabots.

rafsob

I'm thinking of slugging the bore and that will give me a start. The idea of shooting and .40 cal. XTP in a sabot would be interesting. that bullet has always been very accurate in all my guns.

don't get me wrong, I'm happy that the Maxi Hunters work very well. I could be happy in the woods with them. It's just that I'm the kind of guy who likes to tinker with different loads and see how my rifle will work with them.

Now on the slugging part. What would be the best way to accomplish this with this gun? How about just using my calipers, would that work? Or should I use a round ball?

cayugad

Doesn't that rifle have a 1-48 twist? I would suspect roundball would shoot real well with about 60 grains of powder. Also if you want to try some large conical bullets, let me know. I have some that are .451 diameter and weigh 460 grains. I'd be glad to help you out with your testing. But those wouldn't need much powder under them. I think I even have some 488 grain laying around also.

Semisane

Here's how I would do it.

-Use a six-inch piece of 3/8" steel rod (cutting the head off of a 3/8" bolt works).

-Put a double wrap of electricians tape or duct tape around the rod at each end to protect the bore.

-Drop the rod down the well oiled bore.

-Use one of the Great Plains bullets that's oversize to the bore and force it in nose first by tapping lightly with a hammer.

-Use a short dowel to move the bullet a few inches down the bore, again tapping lightly with a hammer, to get a good impression of the rifling.

-Hold the barrel at it's center point and tilt is back and forth like a See-Saw* so the bolt becomes a pile driver to drive the bullet back out.

-Measure the slugged bullet with your calipers to determine bore diameter and groove depth.

(* Keep in mind that liberals have decided that See-Saws are dangerous and have had them removed from play grounds. So wear a helmet when you do this.)

rafsob

Thanks Dave for the offer. I'll send you my address and let me know what the cost will be so I can send it to you.

I do believe it is a 1 in 48" so the RB's should work well. When I was shooting the Maxi's I was loading 60 grs. of Pyrodex. I got to admit the recoil was very healthy in that small rifle.

Semi, that sounds like one way to do it. And I wouldn't want to have OSHA on my butt for not using the proper safety gear. Thanks!

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Well I got up off my big butt and checked out the bullets I used. The lead bullet sabots were from Buffalo bullet company and the bullets weighted in at 162 grs. the Maxi hunters were 255 gr bullets. the maxi balls were 240 gr bullets. I was surprised to see that the round balls I have are .440" and weigh in at 128 grs. The Great Plains are 325 gr. not sure what the diameter is.

Blackpowdersmoke

rafsob...

I too have a Seneca, but mine's a .36 not .45. That said, I do have a .45 Hawken flint, which is a 1:48 twist. It likes the taste of the .45 Maxiball but not so much the Maxihunter. Why I don't know. It shoots RB's very well also but I always used the Maxiball for hunting preferring a heavier projectile. I have a mold for both the 240 and 255 gr. Maxiball and although they both grouped well, I stuck with the 255 for a little extra weight. I've shot a half dozen or so deer with it, and it's a fun rifle to shoot and hunt with. I never ran more than 75 gr. of FFFg for my hunting load, but then again the deer I've shot with it were within 50 yds.

BPS