Green Mountain Barrel range report

[victorcharlie]

Finally got a chance to get back to the range to try the new 1 in 70" twist 32" Green Mountain barrel on the Thompson Renegade.

This is the first time out for the barrel and I only got to shoot a few balls, but with .490 speer 170gn round balls, .020 wonder patches and 70 grains of pyrodex RS, the rifle is shooting just about the same hole at 25 yards.

I fired 8 or 10 rounds, then loaded a ball without power.....DAH!  HERE'S MY SIGN!  Getting the ball out used up the rest of the time I had for today, but I'm pleased so far!
Can't wait to increase the load to hunting levels as well as increase the range and see what it'll do at a hundred yards.......What do you figure the minimun load with a 170 gn round ball ought to be for deer at 100 yards or less?

After working with +p+ loads on the 45.70 marlin for the past month or so, 70 gns of prodex and 170 round ball sure is pleasant to shoot!

[quickdtoo]

I shoot 95grns of 3f Goex and a .498 ball for a huntin load in my flinter. Longest deer kill was a 75yds, thru the ribs, deer ran downhill 40yds with a lot of blood loss, piled up and didn't move a muscle.  Dry balling is no fun, not that I have ever done it :oops: , but I hear the best way to get back to shootin is to remove the nipple and with a small flintlock primer, add a few grains of 4f, then reinstall the nipple, cap up and fire it at a soft target, not a tree or something the ball can bouce off of, seen it happen, a shooter shot himself in the possibles bag, luckily no one was hurt. This method beats pulling the ball with a ball screw. I'm interested in you r .45-70 loads, I'm working on a 2200-2300fps, 300grn nosler partition load myself.

Tim

[lonewolf5347]

quickdtoo: Don't forget the flint knapping pictures I can't waite to see how to renap my flints:  Victorcharlie :Best money ever spent the CO2 discharges ,I went up in the early m/l seson in PA hunted 5 days 3 of them in the rain I did use the dischargers to unload at the end of the day work's like a dream  

[quickdtoo]

I went up in the early m/l seson in PA hunted 5 days 3 of them in the rain I did use the dischargers to unload at the end of the day work's like a dream  

Where's the fun in that, one of the great pleasures of shooting a muzzleloader is that you always get one shot at the end of the day, great practice and fun! We always bet a milkshake on the best shot. At camp a few years ago, we had an empty disposable propane bottle hanging is a tree about 100yds behind camp. Cuz it was in under some trees, you could see it, but it wasn't easy to hit in the shade where it was, add to that the fact that we only shot at it late in the day, it was a fun target. Kinda shades of a rondy mini shooting trail, if ya know what I mean.

Gotcha covered on the flint knapping if I can get a good digital pic, that's the biggest problem now. :oops:

[Winter Hawk]

Actually, 70gr. should do just fine for deer.  Your best bet is to work up the best load for accuracy you can get and use that for hunting also.  the deer won't know what hit them, even with just 70 grains of powder.

-WH-

[harryo]

Can't wait to increase the load to hunting levels as well as increase the range and see what it'll do at a hundred yards.......What do you figure the minimun load with a 170 gn round ball ought to be for deer at 100 yards or less?!

I have shot mine with up to the maximum recommended load of 110grns, using Goex Ffg, a .495 ball & .018 ticking patch lubed with moosemilk.  Even with the maximum load, I was shooting 2" groups at 50 yds.  I've settled on 100 grns Swiss 1.5 Fg, with the same ball and patch, for my hunting load.  If you can get some .495 balls, you might want to try them.  My GM barrel shoots .490s OK but it is definately more accurate with the .495s.

[Medbill]

I load my Sharon Trade rifle in .50 cal with 85 grains of Elephant 2ff.  I've taken two deer with it.  One at 25 yards and another at 75.  The long shot went right through him and through one shoulder.  Plenty of power, main thing is to work up your most accurate powerful load as said earlier.  Not need to beat yourself up.  At a certain point your just wasting powder because it can only burn so fast and the shorter the barrel the less powder will burn.

Good luck!

Billy

[tucoblue]

Shoot the same "Mix" in both my Green Mountain barrels.
  .495 ball
  .020 Ox Yoke pre-lubed patch
  70 grains Goex 2F.

Three shots at 50 yards touch. Ball passes thru deer at least up to 55 yards. Yes, the fit is tight but it's accurate and I'm O.K. with that.

[Les Staley]

My flint rifle is a green Mountain 42" fifty.. I buy my ticking at JoAnn fabrics, carry a micrometer in my jeans pocket, and mike the cloth,  the .015 works well for me,  a yard of material lasts 10 years...  tear it in strips, roll em up, dip in liquid  wonder lube (microwave till liquid)  (If Daniel Boone had a microwave, he would have used it)..., carry the lubed roll in a special pocket onthe  outside of my possibles bag,, cut the patches at the muzzle, after seating the ball flush with the butt of patch knife,,  490 balls work well for me.. don't use a short starter,  just choke up on the rammer till its down a ways...  groups  2" to 3" at 100 yds  my load is 90 gr goex FFF...  shot one antelope at 150 yds,  held a little high, and did the job....Les

[roundball]

I also use a 90grn charge of Goex FFFg, in all .45/.50/.54 calibers.

I add an Oxyoke prelubed wonderwad, then an .018" prelubed pillow ticking patch with Hornady balls...(.440/.490/.530).

Outstanding loads...I haven't taken anything like your long range antelope, but everything I've shot inside 100yds has gone right down