Bullet suggestions

grouseslayer

Active Member
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I am hoping to complete the build on a custom 50 cal. Rigby muzzleloader with a 1:20 twist barrel this summer and am looking for suggestions on what bullets to shoot out of it. I am setting it up with long range lee shaver tang and globe sights and want to find a bullet that will remain accurat at long distances. I plan to target shoot a lot with it and hunt as well with it. I have been a little worried about the 1:20 twist on the barrel being too much does anyone have experience with this? At the very worst I may have to have another barrel made in a slower twist but it should be fairly easy to drop in.
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-05-16 AT 09:13PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Mar-05-16 AT 09:09?PM (MST)

There are tons of bullets so you don't need to re barrel. I am thinking it is a .451 but I don't know for sure. I am using a paper patched RCBS 11mm rifle bullet. It weighs 408 grains with lead that is 8 BHN hard. I use 80 gr of pyrodex P with an over powder wad.
I am sure that barrel will work. You can paper patch a lot of bullets. Here is a link to a web page with moulds. YOu can also order the bullets from them and paper patch them your self. That way you can figure out what bullet the rifle likes.

http://www.buffaloarms.com/.42-.45_caliber_paper_patch_bullet_moulds_pr-4161.aspx

If you use a paper patch bullet you need paper

http://www.buffaloarms.com/paper_patch_paper_it-161977.aspx?CAT=4528

After you pour the bullet you wrap the paper. If you choose a .442" diameter bullet your paper will add about .006" so your bullets will be at .448 as a finished bullet. about .003" under if your rifle is a .451".
YOu can get closer to the .451 by getting a mould that is .443 or .444 it depends on the rifle.
Mine likes a .446 bullet wrapped then sized to .446". The paper springs back a bit but the bullet is not super tight in the barrel.
Here is a video I made on wrapping and sizing a bullet.

https://youtu.be/RmARVEFJbr0

This video I am shooting and field cleaning. In this video I am shooting my .451 out to 300 yards.

https://youtu.be/ibU-5uCuy_I

Here is the link to the bullets that you can buy already made and patch them your self.

https://www.buffaloarms.com/Paper_Patch_Bullets_pr-4528.aspx

I have been hunting with paper patched bullets for about 10 years. I will never shoot another naked bullet again.
 
Thank you so much for the emails and replies. Ron you hotrod Hawkins are what actually inspired this project. I was looking at putting one of them together and may still do so. I didn't go that route simply because I have a uncle that builds custom flint lock muzzleloader and I always thought it would be cool to build my own hunting rifle so we picked something different and went with it. I am a lefty so it isn't a kit and I was forced to modify a fair amount of parts plus hand carve my stock. Your techniques of paper patching has intrigued me since I began this project a few years ago but seemed a little over whelming. After watching your videos it doesn't seem as complicated and defiantly seems worth the time and little extra money. It is a relief to hear my twist should be fine coming from someone with your experience. I decided to build my gun in a 50 cal. so I can hunt anything in Idaho with it. So with that I would assume I would need a .492 bullet? Do you have any suggestions on a particular one to start with. Also what all do I need for my press to size my bullets? I don't think I will start molding bullets right away but will probably eventually go that rout. I have been a little nervous to pour my own since I had a friend give me some he TRIED to make and I couldn't keep them all on a 2 foot target at 50 yards with my inline.
 
I wouldn't even try to put one together now. The barrels are harder to find than an honest lawyer. You are on the right track in my opinion. Now that I know your doing a 50 I am going to say I think you need to buy some bullets first. Don't worry about buying a mould until you find a bullet that works. I am going to guess that a good starting point would be 450 gr. I wouldn't go lighter. You idea about a .492 is spot on. In fact with that one you might not even need a sizer. You would wet the paper and wrap it on wet. Then it would dry out and be .498 which should go down good and have enough friction to hold in place well.
If you did want to dry wrap and size ( my favorite way) if you have a press all you would need is the sizer. They are like 25 dollars.
This is the sizer die that I have.

http://leeprecision.com/new-lube-size-kit-.501.html

If you don't have a press you would get a cheep one like this one. It is 50 dollars.

http://leeprecision.com/reloader-press.html

Don't worry abotu what your friend did. He probably used scrap ##### lead that was too hard for your load. The bullets from Buffalo arms is pure. If they work then you can get the mould and make your own getting pure lead from here.

http://www.rotometals.com/default.asp

If you do your own you can do much better with quality control and make perfect bullets. But if you don't want to heck buy them made from Buffalo and wrap them. To be honest they are cheep!!! I sell some bullets but I charge 1.00 each. Buffalo arms is .50 cents each. For the 1-20 twist I would try the 500 or 550 grain.
If you have any questions feel free to ask. Where do you live in Idaho?
 
I'm from Pocatello. I will go ahead and get a sizer since I have a press. That is exactly what my friend did and after watching your videos it was apparent that that's the reason they flew like crazy.
 

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