making some 58cal bullets

[Redhawk45]

I was hoping to pick a few peoples brains on the H&R Huntsman 58cals.  What is the twist?  I have been told that it is 1:58.  As of right now we have only fired round balls out of them. I would like to try something different. A friend of mine makes bullets and we are wondering what moulds and types of bullets would work best.  We think because of the twist it would have to be a fairly light bullet.  Anyone here have shot bullets or made their own and got good results?  As of right now I found on Midway lee makes one in 440gr and lyman in 315, 405, 460.  Anything that is already made I have found so far in 58cal is t/c maxiballs and they are over 500grs Thanks for the info everyone!

[myarmor]

To tell ya the truth, my Ol' .58 shoots round balls so good, I don't feel the need to go with anything else.
Still I see your point, and exploring possibilities is always fun. Plus factory offerings for the .58 isn't much. I haven't measured the twist in mine yet (I don't think I have a a jag big enough to do so ) so I am not real sure what the exact twist is.
 I bought 2 boxes of Hornady round balls here in the Classifieds and have been very pleased with their performance.
I am always looking for more info on these Old Huntsmans...


-Aaron

[jbtazgrabber]

tried the lee real bullets no luck...tried the sabots that was even worse.....tried hollow base lee target bullts they were onlt thihg that kida worked max load 80 grains coated in lee alox...twice......1 in 58 i think is right....if i havenot melted them down ill send you some...the mold is a fried of mine dont even know if he got it any more  ,,,,,we called them trash cans.....flat nosed hollow base.......jb

[Hammerspur]

My .58 Huntsman patches out at 1 turn in 66". I've never shot anything but balls in it so I can't offer any advice there.

Steve

[jbtazgrabber]

i done a little cleaning today all i found was some 50 cal trash cans and some 72 cal balls.....i more than likly melted the 58 cals sorry if i do come across them ill get back to you im not finished CLEANING YET ...jb

[Redhawk45]

Hey, thanks for looking!  I picked up a 58cal huntsman the other day from a small gunshop.  The owner of the H&R passed away and the family sold the rifle with everything that he used.  He had a box of hornady sabots in 58cal.  I thought how would these work?  I thought because of the twist they would shoot terrible.  The guy must have been doing well with it.  He has two speed loaders still full and they had the sabots in there.  He was also using 110gr of blackpowder.  I am curious to shoot this thing.  He also had some hornady round balls. 

[jbtazgrabber]

110 grains of powder??be carefull...the limit on those barrels was 100 grains i think....my 72 cal i used 150 grains  afew times....now i remember why i have no real theeth...lol...i now shoot a 12 ga wad and lyman slug with 110 grains .r.s. pryro......jb  ......ps let me know how it shoots.......jb

[Redhawk45]

thanks for the info.  My uncle and dad have been using 120gr of blackpowder for a long time and have no problems in their 58cals.  Neither of them have a H&R manual.  Do you have one?  I was thinking of shooting American Pionner and I was planning on putting it at 90-95grs to start since I know it burns hotter than blackpowder.  That is the main worry I have been when buying a older firearm.  Powder and bullets have changed and you don't want to blow up the gun or take a piece of your body off

[Walleye Magnet]

Hey Redhawk45,
Couldn't find the barrel twist in any of my old catalogs or the owner’s manual.  The manual does call out a recommended load for a        58 CAL.

Cap - #11
Powder - 55 grains FFG
Patch - .013" thick
Round Ball - .562" Dia. Pure Lead
Minie - Any of several available commercially.  No patch needed

Note: Mimie bullets must be lubricated with any one of several commercially available lubricants.

Walleye Magnet

[jbtazgrabber]

yes the newer powder SCARE ME i use the older guns myself and ill stick with pryro,,,,,,ill take the mess over trying to do it without my hand or head......i think anything over a 100 is risky....plus a heaver bullet makes it even worse.....be carefull is it worth the little extra speed???all the deer i have taken never knew how fast the bullet that just killed them was going........BECAREFULL....i put a 54 cal ball and poly patch down my 58 by mistake ONCE.it now has a nice BULDGE about half way down the barrel.....wouldnt think it would but it did,,barrels are not that tuff in black powder.....jb

[Redhawk45]

thanks for the tips everyone!  I really appreciate it, keep them coming if you find anymore information.  Wow, 55gr to 120 is a big jump!