sam52

I know quite a few of you guys own GM barrels and I would like your imput on what I should do. Frist off Ishoot A t/c hawken .54 cal. with 1:48 twist. I have the desire to shoot conicals and have been casting my own R.E.A.L. conicals in 300 and 380 gr. for the past 6 months.
I have done my time at the range testing with different loads and wad combanations and thinking my next step should be the GM 1:28 twist.
At 50 yds. I can shoot a 3 in. group all day, but when I move out to 100 yd. the group expands to 6 in. with the best powder adjustment.
The Hawken has Williams fiber optic sights, the powder load that works best is 90 grains 777 with a wonder wad @ 50 yds.
I would love to be able to shoot that 3in. group at 100 yds. if the GM barrel is the way to go.I live and hunt in colorado and sabots are out of the question.

roundball

Here's an alternative to at least consider...a GM .58cal 1:70" round ball barrel...I'vehad one fora coupleyears...
a .58cal GM Flint drop-in barrel on a .54cal TC Hawken stock and it's incredibly accurate...plus, a 279grn Hornady
lead round ball will take most anything on the NAcontinent, and at distance because the heavier ball carries energy
a long way...I've shot 4 bucks with it and it's devastating...IMO, there really aren't many things to hunt thatrequire
a big conical...took this nice 10 pointer with it last fall:

sam52

roundball
Thanks alot, now you have really have thrown in the monkey wrench with that option. Inow whish I would have posted that question before I bought the Leemelting pot, 2 moulds and 40 pounds of lead.

sam52

roundball,
I forgot to mention but that is a sweet looking hawken and as you said it looks like it did its job. Where did you get the brass ramrod?? I have been looking for one also.

cayugad

I also have a .58 caliber GMB and like Roundball said, they are a sweet shooter. Mine sits in a Renegade stock. I have two stainless steel GMB's with 1-28 twist in .50 caliber. While I have only shot the one barrel, it will shoot maxiball and I think with a little more load work and some experimentation I can get it to shoot No Excuse Conicals and Great Plains Conicals. Whether a 1-28 .54 caliber barrel you are after will shoot the R.E.A.L. conicals any further and with more authority then a .58 caliber will shoot roundball would be hard to say. These fast twist barrels are excellent SABOT shooters, but as you already said, sabots are illegal where you are.

I also cast R.E.A.L. conicals in .50 & .54 caliber. I shoot the 300 grain out of my .54 Renegade with 80 grains of powder with excellent results out of the original 1-48 twist. Maybe the twist is wrong, but I have not been able to shoot further then 100 yards with them. Although my friends that hunt with .54 calibers all shoot my 300 grain R.E.A.L.s for whitetail around here. I think they do it because the projectiles are free.. although they kill a lot of deer.

sam52

Cayugad,
What kid of grouping can you get with the 300 gr. R.E.A.L. out of you .54 at 100yds. I know you must be using iron sights like myself.What powder and wad combo are you using?

cayugad

My Renegades have open sights and the average groups are five inches andplus. I once shot a three inch group and was really tickled with it. I shoot 80 grains of Pyrodex RS or Goex 2f, a felt wad and then the 300 grain REAL. I lube my REALs with bore butter (long ago) or my homemade lube of castor oil.

Sharp Shooter

Almost anything??? I think it will take anything you tell it to if you put it in the right spot. I have been going thru the same thing as you sam52. I am getting one for my Renegade but I am was not sure if I wanted a Fast twist 54cal or a slow twist 58cal. I am going to order the slow twist 58cal here in July. Whatever you get will be good.

lonewolf5348

SAM: SENT YOU A E MAIL

roundball

I've bought most of mine from October Country...solid brass from end to end...nothing to break or pull loose when out hunting...the extra weight helps my accuracy, and on the Hawken at least, the brass blends right in with the brass furniture...have them on all my Hawkens