Cabelas "BLUE RIDGE RIFLES"

[shootercochran]

I'm really intrested in these rifles, but I have a few questions.

Who makes these guns? I don't like to buy something I don't know who made. I think it might be "david pendersoli"  but it's not on the site.


And really important.  HOW MUCH POWDER CAN I LOAD THE .50 and .54 cal MODELS WITH?

The cabelas "kentucky" rifles have a max charge of 65 grains!


AND I WANT TO LOAD THE BLUE RIDGE WITH 120 grains.

How accurate are these rifles?

THANKS!

[coyotejoe]

The Blue Ridge is made by Pedersoli. I've has a flint .45 for 15 years or more and it is still a favorite rifle. I don't think I'd care to fire 120 grains from a Blue Ridge, these are slim, light weight rifles. I don't doubt the rifle could stand such a load but it would be very unpleasant to fire and accuracy with such a heavy load would likely not be very good. There really is little to be gained by trying to push a roundball too fast since they loose their velocity very quickly. One could probably not tell any difference in downrange performance between 80 and 120 grains but you'll sure notice the difference at the buttplate.

[shootercochran]

Well I'm wanting to hunt some moose with one. 

One isn't in the budget right now, but I"m trying to save up for one of these fine rifles.

[coyotejoe]

Back when I bought my Blue Ridge they were relatively inexpensive.  But today, for about the same money you can get a custom rifle "in the white" meaning fully assembled and ready to fire but needing only the final sanding and finishing of wood and metal. You'll get more for your money, have lots of options as to style of rifle, locks, triggers, barrels and sights. Check out "Tennessee Valley Muzzleloading" and "Sitting Fox" online sites. Both offer finished rifles, rifles in the white, and kits. Or, you could just get a Lyman Great Plains Rifle for considerably less money than the Blue Ridge and while it is a half-stock "Hawken style" it also is a reliable and accurate rifle which can handle heavy loads. For moose you certainly will want at least a .54 caliber.

[shootercochran]

Will the Blue Ridge rifle handle heavy loads?

[necchi]

Will the Blue Ridge rifle handle heavy loads?

Wow, and "AND I WANT TO LOAD THE BLUE RIDGE WITH 120 grains"
 That max load idea doesn't make much sence shooter, even if your going to Alaska. Every hunter knows it's about knowing your gun and your game. It's about putting a projectile "ACCURATLY" into the vital organs to achieve a clean and human kill. A patched round lead ball needs to be propeled down a bore of the proper twist with the proper load to achieve accuracy.(period)
 There's another thread just below here that might shed some light about "big",,
http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,171155.0.html

[flintlock]

20 some years ago, I used 120grs in my .54...After a few years and kills, I went to 100gr...
After a few years and kills, I went to 80gr...A round ball kills by mass, not velocity...Something else funny about a round ball, the faster you start them, the faster they slow down...That large frontal mass is pushing air, the faster you push them, the more resistance they run in to...

In a .54 there is no need to go over 100grs...

[coyotejoe]

Agreed, there really is little to be gained from trying to push a round ball too fast. Find your "accuracy" load, which can only be done by test firing, and it probably will be fast enough. I too used to load a .54 Green Mountain barrel with 140 grains of 3f and a .530" ball in a buckskin patch. I found that load actually penetrated LESS than an 80 grain load because the ball flattened on impact to resemble a pregnant quarter. The last deer I shot was with my wife's little .50 caliber carbine with only 50 grains of powder. It was a direct facing shot at about 50 yards. The doe stood stock still after the shot for a couple of seconds then toppled over sideways like a toy animal and was dead by the time I walked to it. The ball had entered at the base of the neck and I found it embedded in the left ham, having penetrated nearly the full length of the deer. That Hornady swaged ball looked like it could be used again.

[shootercochran]

Thank you!  But I just want to know the max load.  Not meaning I'll shoot it, but just wanting to know how much it's capable of.

How well does the rifle shoot with conicals.  I relize 1in65 for the 54 isn't the greatest for conicals.

Thanks!

[flintlock]

Shooter...Without looking at an operators manual it's hard to tell what they list as a max load...What size barrel is on those guns??? Is it 15/16ths or a one inch barrel...How deep is the rifling??? Is it button rifling .006 deep or cut rifling .015 deep...

These are the deciding factors...I shoot and make custom flintlocks so my .54 has a 1 1/16 inch breech area...You would have a hard time blowing up a barrel like that with real black powder...The rifling is cut .015 deep, too deep for a conical to seal the gasses...The rifling is 1-72 inches...The barrel is made for round ball shooting and that's what goes down it...In fact, in a pure round ball barrel, conicals should not be used because the steel used is a softer steel than in production barrels...

My guess is that if it's a .54 caliber, shooting a patched ball and a one inch barrel the max powder charge should be 80-85grs of Goex FF...As already mentioned, with that stock design that loading will give plenty of kick...

[beaverman]

Thank you!  But I just want to know the max load.  Not meaning I'll shoot it, but just wanting to know how much it's capable of.

How well does the rifle shoot with conicals.  I relize 1in65 for the 54 isn't the greatest for conicals.

Thanks!

1:66 isnt even close to a conical twist, its strictly RB, of course you can shoot them but not very acuratley and your not going to get good groups!if your looking for a conical shooter, might as well find something else, 1:48 twist being the max, 1:25 optimum twist for conicals, as far as load goes, manufacturers post in their user handbook usually 30% less of what the barrel is capable of firing just as a CYA for them.

[quickdtoo]

Shooter, I would contact Cabela's on the rifle you're interested in, their BP ML chart lists a 1:48" twist for all of the Blue Ridge rifles, Pedersoli lists 110gr max for most of their .54 cal rifles, one is listed as 80gr max, and all are 1:47" twist, but they probably make something special order for Cabelas, so it would be best to contact Cabela's and get some specifics.

Tim

Cabela's  contact info

Cabelas Traditional Muzzleloaders

http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/img/pdf/BlackPowderLoads.pdf

http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/?item=CategorieFucili&lang=en

[shootercochran]

Thank you very much for the help. 

[coyotejoe]

The Blue Ridge is Cabela's own version of Pedersoli's Frontier rifle, same gun but walnut stock instead of maple. The .54 caliber is listed for a maximum recommended load of 90 grains with a .535" ball and that is plenty.

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

i wonder why they rate their barrels so low.

[beaverman]

i wonder why they rate their barrels so low.

 So stupid people dont blow them up!

[coyotejoe]

i wonder why they rate their barrels so low.

 So stupid people dont blow them up!

It's pretty much a CYA thing. It doesn't mean you can't safely fire heavier loads, it just means the manufacturer accepts no liability if someone blows up a gun with loads of 250 grains. Choosing a rifle based on the maximum recommended load is pretty pointless. If you actually try that 90 grain load in a .54 caliber Blue Ridge I think you'll agree it is plenty.