Originally Posted by
cornfork
Well I did some digging and it looks like it was made in 1973 and according to one forums, Investarms may have made it for Lyman.
I still haven't found the twist rate. There isn't any mention of it on the barrel as far as I can tell. I'll have to do some more digging to figure this out. One forum mentioned a procedure to figure out the twist via a ramrod/cleaning patch and some calculations as you pull it out of the barrel.
I went to Track of the Wolf and ordered some .440 balls and a few other things. I'll pick up some powder locally.
Speaking powder.. I went to Gander Mountain and was looking at Pyrodex RS or Pyrodex P. Somewhere I read that for a .45 cal, FFFg is recommended but I also read that RS is acceptable. I couldn't make up my mind so I figured I would do some more research. Does anyone have a recommendation?
With the exception of a different style patchbox, your rifle looks just like the Cabela's Hawken rifle which is also Investarms. I would be willing to bet that it has a standard 1:48 twist but I may be wrong so do the ramrod twist test. As far as powder, there are a lot to choose from nowadays but it's more about what that particular rifle likes the taste of. Personally, I would go with FFFg Goex black powder or possibly Pyrodex P (which is the equivalent of FFF) being that it's a .45, but you could try Triple 7 FFFg as well.
If you don't want to spend a bunch of money on different powders then I would suggest getting the Goex FFFg unless it's difficult to find in your area and if so, then flip a coin and buy either Pyro P or Triple 7 FFFg as you really have no way of knowing how well either will shoot until you try them.
You have already purchased some .440 RB's so you're good to go with them but you can also try the .445 as Cayugad suggests and you should experiment with different patch thickness and lubes as well. Take your time and start with a light charge of 35-40 gr. or so working your way up to 85-90 gr. in 5 gr. increments to see which charge groups best. You don't need to go beyond 90 grains in a .45 unless you want to waste powder, lead, and time.
You may eventually want to try some conicals. I personally prefer SOLID LEAD conicals made from the purest soft lead I can find in a traditional style muzzleloader but if you would rather use a saboted style projectile, that's your perogative. Remember, we're talking about a .45 here so you'll be limiting your bullet weight which will limit you're bullet's energy on impact. I have taken a half dozen deer with my T/C .45 Hawken and only one fell to a .440 round ball (the first one) and I ended up tracking that deer farther than I liked. The rest were taken with a T/C .45 Maxiball (tapered nose), not the Maxihunter (round nose) style bullet and none of them made it out of my sight before going down. The weight of the .45 Maxiball is nearly bouble that of the .45 roundball.
If you choose to stick with the RB's, then take your time and place your shot well. You don't have a lot of lead there and you will always feel better when you're dragging a deer out than you will when your tracking one. If you do use a solid lead conical, try a bore button or wonder wad between the powder charge and the projectile (directly under the bullet) as in most instances, this will tighten up your groups.
The main thing is to be CONSISTENT in everything you do from measuring your charge to seating the projectile and ultimately squeezing the trigger. Consistency is the main factor leading to being successful with a muzzleloader.
You have a nice looking rifle there, I hope it turns out to be a great shooter for ya!
BPS