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Offline highwayman

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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???
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Offline tacklebury

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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.  ;)
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Offline keith44

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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"
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Offline flintlock

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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...
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Offline bubba.50

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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.
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Offline Rock Home Isle

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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.
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Offline bubba.50

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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.
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Offline spooked

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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... ;)
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Offline coyotejoe

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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.
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Offline bubba.50

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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.
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Offline Rock Home Isle

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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.
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“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.

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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.
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