Need some expert advice

[DEACONLLB]

I Have a real nice TC Grey Hawk 50 cal stainless that is new and I re stocked it with a TC wood stock super nice drop in but I have never shot it and am thinking it would be nice to go with RB and use T7. I see that Cabales has the round ball 50 cal size is 490 so what patch do I get to go with these and how much powder I was thinking 60 or 70 grns. most all my shots at deer are 50 yrds or under?

Deaconllb

[SHOOTALL]

I use .015 TC patch  with 90 grs of Black powder in a TC Renegrade 50 cal.

[Bigeasy]

Nice rifle..  I have shot a lot of round ball in 50 and 54 cal frontstuffers, but prefer a conical for deer hunting.  That said, a round ball will work fine, just has it has for many generations.  Most all the MZ manufactures offer pre cut and lubed patches in several thicknesses.  You might have to experiment with several thicknesses to find the one that offers best fit and accuracy.  The fit should be tight when ramming the ball home, but not so tight as to risk jamming in the bore, especially when dirty.  Look for patches that are pre lubed with some kind of "natural lube", like bore butter.  It helps keep the bore fouling soft, and allows for more shots between cleaning then petroleum based lubes.  Experiment with powder charges until you find one that offers accuracy and reasonable velocity.  70 grains is a good point to start at for a hunting load.  Good luck.  Remember, half the fun is working up an accurate and powerful load for your rifle.  The other half is using it to kill a nice buck...

Larry

[necchi]

Ain't that Grey Hawk a fast twist?

Round Ball don't work real good in anything faster much than the 1-48. Yes, they can be OK for plinking with light loads say 30-40grns, but much more and the "skip" the rifling and don't get the spin they need to stabilize.

[DEACONLLB]

Spec. say 24 inch stainless steel barrel with 1-48 twist. Friend has a 54 and his is also 1-48

Deaconllb

[Semisane]

Yep, the Gray Hawks are 1:48.  My brother-in-law's Gray Hawk shoots 385 grain Hornady Great Plains conicals real well, and they knock the snot out of deer.  Sixty to 70 grains of Pyrodex RS will do just fine too.