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I BOUGHT A NAVY ARMS KENTUCKY RIFLE AT A GUN SHOW ID LIKE SOME ADVISE ON WHAT MATERIALS TO BUY TO SHOOT IT POWDER, CAPS SIZE, BULLITS. ITS A .45 CAL. LOOKING TO FIND OUT IF I CAN USE THE SAME MATERIALS USED IN MODERN MUZZLE LOADERS OR DO I HAVE TO USE CAP AND BALL AND PATCH ID LOVE TO TAKE THIS RIFLE HUNTING THIS YEAR ANY INFO I GET WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. KEITH

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find out what twist the barrel is.  for bullets I'd use .44 cal round ball for starters with standard 45 cal patches. for powder try some good old fashion black powder (ffg?), goex, pyrodex. once you get sighted in (25 yards is a good start). than purchase some maxi balls or maxi hunters in 45 cal. both made by Thompson center and I still use them. for caps it probably takes #11 percussion caps.

 

basically get very familiar with the gun and VERY familiar with the loading process. powder first than the bullet. lol!  get yourself a bullet puller. lol!   I've done it a couple times.

 

best of luck with it. its a very fun hobby and even more rewarding if/when you harvest game with it.

 

Nick

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Thanks for the info Nick do you think its possible to use those 50 grain powder pellets and the bullits wraped in plastic and no patch. The little info i could find on the rifle said to use 60 gr of powder. Keith

 

 

Oh Boy, where to start?

 

Keith,

 

Your percussion side-lock traditional muzzleloader will NEVER make a poor man's inline.  Most Kentucky rifles like regular black powder, NOT Pyrodex, and certainly NEVER those expensive powder pellets!

 

A .45 caliber rifle generally uses a .440 ball and a .10 or .15 patch.  Some Kentucky rifles have a slow twist for patched round balls--NOT Maxi-balls or other conicals!  60 grains of Goex 3Fg will do the job.

 

If you really want to learn what to do and what you need to make it go BANG, maybe you should show-up at a local Shoot that uses these guns and black powder?  Old Bridge's regular match (this month only) will be held on the 3rd Sunday (due to the big Steel Match this month) of June.  Come out and see what's UP!

 

Dave

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Thanks for the info Nick do you think its possible to use those 50 grain powder pellets and the bullits wraped in plastic and no patch. The little info i could find on the rifle said to use 60 gr of powder. Keith

I would not use the pellets in your gun.  and as for bullets in a sabot a patch is not needed. with that said I would get comfortable with powder and patch/ball before moving on to conicals. google traditional blackpowder shooting or your "gun make/model loads."   im sure you'll come across some good info.  

 

whatever your gun manual says to do as far as shooting I would follow it and not deviate from it.  60 grains is a good start.  some of my guns I only use 80 grians for hunting loads. more is not always better.

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Hey Keith, Your rifle I believe has a 1:48 twist. That is a tricky one. That twist rate leaves it up to the gun in a lot of ways. My Renegade has a 1:48. She loves PRB but also shoots R.E.A.L. conicals very well. Some 1:48 twists will only shoot one or the other well. It's up to you to find out what she likes. Now powder. If you really want to use the pellets you can. You can use any powder except smokeless and Black horn 209. I would suggest using Some Goex FFF. A good rule of thumb for starting is 1.5 gr times the caliber. so 1.5x45=67.5. Now that's where you start. From there I would shoot 5 shot groups going up and down in 5 gr increments. I would only go up and down about 20gr from there. You can definitely use sabots with a plastic jacket. Like I stated though, you have to see if she likes them. I would not suggest shooting them a lot in a row as plastic will begin to melt into the bore. I would bet she probably will shoot the best with a PRB. A .440 ball and a .010 or .015 Lubed patch. If you feel man enough try .020 or higher. I shoot a .020 out of my renegade but that's what she likes. If you do show up at a old bridge match, I can give you some Round balls and some conicals to try. I cast my own so I can make some for you. Any questions, feel free to ask.

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Hey Rob hows it going lots of helpfull info alot to digest at first ive never been around these guns before although i have a general idea of how to load them i needed the info on what to use. Would like to go to the match and check it out. If i can make it ill text you. Im sure i have to get some access for it like powder measure and capper cleaning kit. Thanks Keith

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Hey Rob hows it going lots of helpfull info alot to digest at first ive never been around these guns before although i have a general idea of how to load them i needed the info on what to use. Would like to go to the match and check it out. If i can make it ill text you. Im sure i have to get some access for it like powder measure and capper cleaning kit. Thanks Keith

Powder measure is good to have. Get a cash capper. They hold 100 caps at a time and are great. Cleaning kit is not really necessary. All you need is a .45 jag, rod, some patches soap, water and oil. You can do more but for basics you only need that. We can go over procedure if you want or go to a match. I would recommend taking a drive out to PA and go to Dixion's. They only deal in muzzleloaders and have everything from start to finish with them.

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If you can find a place or someone that casts mini-balls i would try them also, they have a cavity in the rear of the bullet that helps the bullet expand to the rifling when fired. They were designed for the older muskets with slower twist rates, and a look into books about the civil war would show they were used during that period.

 

I have a Lyman Deerstalker in 54cal with a 1:48, I tried Maxi Balls and Maxi Hunters and a few different Sabot type bullets, and varied powder charges with each bullet looking for some consistency and the only bullet I have accuracy with is the Lyman Mini Ball. I shoot them over 70grs of FFFg with a typical group of about 1 1/2" at 50yds. I wasn't able to find them packaged, I found them at Charlie Stones (Neshanic Depot) in Ottsville PA, he would cast his own, but I think he retired b/c his store has been closed for some time. You might want to try calling Dixon's to see if they carry them. They are worth the try!

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