Hi, can you help me? With a 1842 .69 smoothbore musket, what kind of powder charge should i use? I was thinking 110 grains of FFg, is that to much?
And also, with a .69 roundball how much will this thing kick? I know blackpowders slow burning, but a .69 balls still alota mass to move, would it be like a shotgun slug?
And one more thing, would it be good for taking a deer or something like that with? Hope you can help, and thanks!
2007-10-24 06:27:22 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Outdoor Recreation ➔ Hunting
110gr. is kinda overkill, as well as waisting powder, not to mention that the ball may be distorted by the overpressure, making the shot even LESS accurate. Smooth-bores are notoriously inaccurate, and more powder won't help anything. If I were you, I'd start with 50-60gr, then work up to heavier charges, if you wanted to.
With the 50+ charge, and the weight of the piece, the recoil will be less than a 12ga. shotgun.
Once again, as inaccurate as these smooth-bores are, I wouldn't use one for deer hunting, as you'll be scaring many more than you will hit. Not only that, but the chance of a serious, non-fatal wound is FAR more likely, IF you do manage to score a hit.
Save the musket for 'fun' shootin', and get a serious front-stuffer, like a modern 'in-line' for hunting purposes.
2007-10-24 08:30:22 · answer #1 · answered by Grizzly II 6 · 5⤊ 0⤋
The standard US Army Load for the M-1842 Musket was 110 grains of powder with a 412 grain ball, rated at 1500 fps with 2060 ft/lb of muzzle energy. This from the Reference Section of the Dixie Gun Works Catalog. They also say: "A lighter charge is required in present day blackpowders." On another page, they list an 80 grain FFg load as proper for the M-1842 Musket.
I have a friend who considers smoothbores to be about as accurate as most muzzle-loading rifles.
If you can put the ball where you look, I'd say that your musket would be good on deer under 75 yards.
Good Hunting.
Doc
2007-10-24 16:56:48 · answer #2 · answered by Doc Hudson 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
How much does your rifle weigh? My muzzle loader, a .54 caliber weighs 8 pounds. With 100 grains of FF black powder and a 400 grain maxie ball, it kicks a whole bunch! Definitely don't want to shoot it all day. But, the cool thing is, you can load it down. Why not start at the reduced loads suggested earlier, and work your way up? That way, you can see if any combination is more accurate and enjoyable to shoot.
Also, if this rifle is an antique, you may want to take it to a gunsmith and have it inspected before you fire it. You will easily be able to harvest a deer this hunting season with it, though I hope you practice with it a lot before you try.
2007-10-25 04:02:09 · answer #3 · answered by xqqz_me 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The 110 grains is plenty. Make sure an practice. Max range will be under 100 yards due to the poor sights on this fun. The weight of the gun will do much for the recoil. Practice with thicker and thinner wadding as well. I have shot many .69 cal rounds out of smoothbores with no problems. Good luck on the deer as this round is quite capable of taking a deer cleanly.
2007-10-24 08:22:08 · answer #4 · answered by Charles B 4 · 1⤊ 4⤋
I would say that 110 grains of black powder is about right. You can't really over do it. only so much is going to burn in the barrel when you fire it, the barrel will not explode or anything. The kick is not bad. I would say less than a 20ga. shot gun. Yes it would be good for hunting deer in most places. I am not sure of the range for your gun. I have a 50 cal. and am good to about 100 meters, beyond that it starts dropping fairly quickly. best thing to do is take it out and shoot it some and find out what you can do.
2007-10-24 08:23:28 · answer #5 · answered by Rick K 2 · 0⤊ 5⤋