« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: kentucky rifle question......  (Read 1122 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline highwayman

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 499
kentucky rifle question......
« on: April 10, 2012, 02:54:40 PM »
i have been looking at these rifles and noticed they all seem to come with slow twist barrels. are the long rifles unsuited to shoot conicules???
Logged

Offline tacklebury

  • GBO Supporter
  • Trade Count: (12)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3633
  • Gender: Male
  • Central Michigan
Re: kentucky rifle question......
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2012, 02:58:07 PM »
Most of the 1:66 or 1:48 will shoot the Great Plains and similar conicals pretty well in my experience.  When you get down into the 1:32 to 1:24 they work better with sabotted bullets.  I'd give it a try, it might surprise you.  My hawken shoots 3" groups with Great Plains bullets at 100 yards offhand.  ;)
Logged
Tacklebury --}>>>>>    Multi-Barrel: .223 Superlite, 7mm-08 22", .30-40 Krag M158, .357 Maximum 16-1/4 HB, .45 Colt, .45-70 22" irons, 32" .45-70 Peeps, 12 Ga. 3-1/2 w/ Chokes, .410 Smooth slugger, .45 Cal Muzzy, .50 Cal Muzzy, .58 Cal Muzzy

also classics: M903 9-shot Target .22 Revolver, 1926 .410 Single, 1915 38 S&W Break top Revolver and 7-shot H&R Trapper .22 6" bbl.

Offline keith44

  • Trade Count: (2)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2748
  • Gender: Male
Re: kentucky rifle question......
« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2012, 03:15:37 PM »
The PRB works fine for everything I hunt, but if you prefer a bare bullet, and the great plains bullet does not work for you, try the Buffalo Bullets "ballete"
Logged
keep em talkin' while I reload
Life member NRA

Offline flintlock

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1405
  • Gender: Male
Re: kentucky rifle question......
« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2012, 04:35:00 PM »
When American Long Rifles were in use, all they had were round balls...
 
Are you looking at custom or factory guns???
 
Most customs have a cut rifling, usually .012-.018 deep and a slower twist for balls...My .54 is rifled 1-72 inches...This deep rifling isn't made for conicals...
 
Production guns will have button rifling which runs .004-.008 deep...Rate of twist varies but many run 1-48 inches which is a comprimise between round balls and conicals...
Logged

Offline bubba.50

  • GBO Supporter
  • Trade Count: (151)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1170
  • Gender: Male
Re: kentucky rifle question......
« Reply #4 on: April 10, 2012, 05:18:48 PM »
all the early minie-ball firing muskets had slow twist barrels. and they shot some massive chunks of lead. for what it's worth and have a good'en, bubba.
Logged
fetch the hammer maggie-they's a bee on the baby's head!

Offline Rock Home Isle

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • A Real Regular
  • ****
  • Posts: 902
  • This is Rock Home Isle
Re: kentucky rifle question......
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2012, 02:51:12 AM »
The LEE Real bullets in the lower bullet weights are designed to be shot from barrels that are primarily RB Barrels. I have dual cavity molds for both .50 calibre and .45 calibre. My experience has been that this is true and these projectiles shoot very well.
Logged
“Lost?? Hmmm... been fearsome confused for a month or two, but I ain't never been lost!”
Henry Frap the "Mountain Men"

“Ain't this somethin'? I told my pap and mam I was going to be a mountain man; acted like they was gut-shot. Mother Gue said to me; ‘Make your life go here, son. Here's where the people is. Them mountains is for Indians and wild men.’  "Mother Gue", I says "the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world," and by God, I was right. Keep your nose in the wind and your eye along the skyline.”
Del Gue in "Jeremiah Johnson"

Offline bubba.50

  • GBO Supporter
  • Trade Count: (151)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1170
  • Gender: Male
Re: kentucky rifle question......
« Reply #6 on: April 11, 2012, 05:21:12 AM »
+1 to what rhi said. that's what i use in my r/b twist barrels. nothin' against roundballs. i just find them about as tedious as sabots to load and they don't scrape the foulin' between shots for ya like maxi's and r.e.a.l.s do. for what it's worth and have a good'en, bubba.
Logged
fetch the hammer maggie-they's a bee on the baby's head!

Offline spooked

  • Trade Count: (5)
  • A Real Regular
  • ****
  • Posts: 515
  • Gender: Male
Re: kentucky rifle question......
« Reply #7 on: April 11, 2012, 04:00:57 PM »
Quote from: bubba.50 on April 11, 2012, 05:21:12 AM
+1 to what rhi said. that's what i use in my r/b twist barrels. nothin' against roundballs. i just find them about as tedious as sabots to load and they don't scrape the foulin' between shots for ya like maxi's and r.e.a.l.s do. for what it's worth and have a good'en, bubba.


Ditto, have real molds for my .45 an .50, also have a maxi for the 45... ;)
Logged
Lost between sunrise and sunset yesterday-one golden hour...never to be found or reclaimed:-(

Offline coyotejoe

  • Trade Count: (4)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2937
  • Gender: Male
Re: kentucky rifle question......
« Reply #8 on: April 13, 2012, 12:40:32 PM »
Quote from: bubba.50 on April 11, 2012, 05:21:12 AM
+1 to what rhi said. that's what i use in my r/b twist barrels. nothin' against roundballs. i just find them about as tedious as sabots to load and they don't scrape the foulin' between shots for ya like maxi's and r.e.a.l.s do. for what it's worth and have a good'en, bubba.
The patched ball may not "scrape" fouling but with a wet lube that patch does a very good job of cleaning powder fouling and a patched ball will never leave lead fouling as conicals do and which is very much harder to remove than powder fouling.
Logged
The story of David & Goliath only demonstrates the superiority of ballistic projectiles over hand weapons, poor old Goliath never had a chance.

Offline bubba.50

  • GBO Supporter
  • Trade Count: (151)
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1170
  • Gender: Male
Re: kentucky rifle question......
« Reply #9 on: April 14, 2012, 07:17:48 PM »
i've never had a problem with leadin' except in a barrel or two that had it when i got them. bore butter for lube and boilin' water with a bit of dawn for cleanin' and i'm good to go. have  good'en neighbor, bubba.
Logged
fetch the hammer maggie-they's a bee on the baby's head!

Offline Rock Home Isle

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • A Real Regular
  • ****
  • Posts: 902
  • This is Rock Home Isle
Re: kentucky rifle question......
« Reply #10 on: April 15, 2012, 06:01:41 AM »
I've never had a leading problem with any of my smokepoles...course I'm mostly a Patched Roundball shooter. I reserve the conicals for range practise & Elk. They work awesome on Elk.
Logged
“Lost?? Hmmm... been fearsome confused for a month or two, but I ain't never been lost!”
Henry Frap the "Mountain Men"

“Ain't this somethin'? I told my pap and mam I was going to be a mountain man; acted like they was gut-shot. Mother Gue said to me; ‘Make your life go here, son. Here's where the people is. Them mountains is for Indians and wild men.’  "Mother Gue", I says "the Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world," and by God, I was right. Keep your nose in the wind and your eye along the skyline.”
Del Gue in "Jeremiah Johnson"

Offline Ron T.

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • A Real Regular
  • ****
  • Posts: 646
Re: kentucky rifle question......
« Reply #11 on: May 20, 2012, 07:44:40 AM »
The flintlock Pennsylvania Long Rifle (aka the "Kentucky rifle") had barrels mostly in 1:60 to 1:70 twist and were originally made to shoot ONLY round, patched rifle balls.  Such rifles were used during our Revolutionary War & the War of 1812 era... circa 1776-1820 at which time the percussion cap ignition system was developed.  During the years between 1830 to 1860, many flintlock rifles were converted into percussion cap rifles.

The conical bullets came with the Civil War era (1860-1864) and the use of the shorter barreled (often "Hawken" style) percussion cap rifles having 1:48 twist barrels which can handle both conical bullets and round, patched rifle balls.

With a modern Hawken replica rifle, you can use either the round, patched ball OR a conical bullet in their 1:48 twist barrels. 

However, with most Pennsylvania Long Rifles (or "Kentucky rifles") with the 1:60 to 1:70 twist, you need to use a round, patched rifle ball ONLY.  These rifles are adequate for taking deer in .45 or larger calibers with the most popular caliber being the .50 caliber for deer and the .54 caliber for larger game such as elk or bear.

Good luck and make GOOD smoke...   :)


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.
Logged
"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."  - Thomas Jefferson
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »