.440 Black Powder Load?

[Clifton Hicks]

How many grains of powder would you put behind a .440 roundball for hunting deer?

I have been shooting black powder guns most of my life but have never hunted with one. Plan on using this rifle (on the left) for deer this year.

From searching the forum it looks like most of yall use .50 cal rifles with varying loads. My rifle is a .45 and, since it's a flinter, can only be reliably fired with real black powder. With .440 patched round balls and 45 grains of powder it puts the shots (mostly) on-target at 100 yards.

I will be hunting at much shorter ranges in open hardwood forest, but I still think a "hotter" load will be required to effectively drop the animal. I'm thinking 55 or 65 grains will do the trick, but figured I'd ask yall.

 

[snuffy]

Cant help you on the load. ( I shoot a 54 and use 90gr. of goex 2f)
But nice rifle though.
Good luck.

 

[fishtail]

Just in case you don't have this.
http://www.goexpowder.com/images/LoadCharts/RB-Rifle-Musket.pdf

 

[SASS249]

I assume you are shooting FFFG powder. I actually tend to use a lighter load than most. I generally use 70 gr. of FFG in my 50 and have a velocity in the 1500fps range.

45gfr in your rifle might be a little light, but if it shoots well I would not hesitate to use it. Obviously you have to limit yourself to clean well placed shots.

Bumping your load up to 60 or so grains might not be a bad idea, assuming that it will group well with that load. If you have the range time to work up a hotter load then go for it, but if you do not I would stick with what you know works.

 

[RNC]

I would get me a big piece of cardboard . Paint me a 10 inch dot in white ,then a 1 inch dot of orange in the center. Load it up with 60gr of powder an a prb ,take 3 shots at 50 yards and see what kinda group she would hold .

Also be sure your patches are of proper thickness for the best accuracy :0)


Best of luck and let us know how it went with pictures

 

[White Horse]

I would get me a big piece of cardboard . Paint me a 10 inch dot in white ,then a 1 inch dot of orange in the center. Load it up with 60gr of powder an a prb ,take 3 shots at 50 yards and see what kinda group she would hold .

Also be sure your patches are of proper thickness for the best accuracy :0)


Best of luck and let us know how it went with pictures

Mr. Hicks, this is good advice, as are the other answers in this thread. I would add a couple of things.

First, if you don't already have one, get an accurate powder measure so that when you measure 45 grains you know for certain it's actually 45 grains.

Second, what ever load you settle on, shoot it a lot so that you feel confident that the rifle and the load are going to do what you want them to do. A dirty barrel that has already been fired some will act different than a clean one, different patches will behave differently, etc. What I am saying is to eliminate all the randomness so that you are consistent.

Finally, always load from your bag, just like you would in the field. I see fellows at the range with a bunch of paraphernalia that they wouldn't ever carry hunting with them. The way to get consistent is to always shoot like you are hunting, so that when you are actually in the woods hunting it has become habit.

I like your avatar picture and your rifles. When you get a chance tell us more about those rifles. The folks here love front stuffers and are always wanting to see more of them.

 

[Clifton Hicks]

The rifle was made by Leonard Sisil up in Illinois a couple years ago; I bought it from a friend in Kentucky. It just has plain iron hardware on it and a basic L&R lock. The shorter piece is a shotgun made by a guy over in Mississippi (I forget his name, Christianson or something similar) and has a Siler lock.

Thanks for all the good advice.

 

[Darkhorse]

I think 45 grains is too light for deer hunting. I would look at that GOEX chart and choose a suitable load from there. I personally want all the velocity I can get while still getting acceptable accuracy.
I shoot only flintlocks and I have a .54 and a .40.
In the .54 I shoot 80 grs. of GOEX 3FG for my deer hunting load. And 55 grs. for targets.
In the .40 I shoot 60 grs. of 3FG for Turkeys. And around 30 grs. for targets and squirrels.
I prime with GOEX 4FG.
Some of the larger bores, say 50 caliber and up shoot best with 2 FG, and some shoot lights out with 3 FG. My .54 happens to really like 3FG.

 

[Anvil Head]

Every handmade gun is different. A lot depends on the mfgr. of the barrel, - number & depth of grooves and speed of twist. Any decent BP rifle for hunting deer should shoot 4" or tighter groups at 100yds off a bench. Off hand shooting accuracy is pretty much all on the shooter not the gun.
No one should hunt any wild game if they cannot shoot tight accurate groups from any reasonable position. This only comes with lots of practice and absolute confidence in your weapon.
Also fully agree with White Horse - always shoot from your bag. Practice at 30 yds until you can consistently hit a squirrel head off hand or with minimal propping. Then use the early squirrel season to hone your hunting skills in the woods. Get to where you can make clean shots on tree rats and deer are a piece of cake.
Next is powder charges - most 45's have two loads that they do very well with that will hit point of aim (at different ranges). You will need to burn a good bit of powder to learn these load charges. As was implied above you need to eliminate as many variables as possible. Biggest are projectile size, patching and lube. Find the combo that works best for accuracy and ease of loading. Don't want so tight a configuration that you are fighting a reload for a follow-up shot in the heat of the moment should you need it. That's another skill squirrel hunting helps you hone.
Start with a mild load for small game and short range and get it right. Then move on up to your deer load and find the right charge.
In my experience with .45's a 15gr. charge at 30 yds is a good place to start for small game. Adjust grain charge to find most accurate. For deer 60 to 65 grain is a good starting place.
Keep ball and patching the same for both.
I've built just under 30 ML rifles and pistols (not from kits), from .36 cal to .58 and most get used regular by their owners. I don't make them anymore because I enjoy bladesmithing too much.
Moni Lynn (my go to halfstock in .45) shoots extremely well with 17gr zero at 30yds and 70gr zero at 75 yds. They are the only two loads I use in her and she hits what she's looking at. Practice aiming tight/small - on a squirrel aim at the eye not the body; on a deer or hog aim at the heart not the "bread basket". Also practice at variable ranges from different positions and lighting conditions. The woods is not the range.

Nice rifle, get your loads right and you will enjoy her immensely. Give her a good name, keep her powder dry and she will out shine your best dog.
Honor your game with a clean quick kill and thank the Good Lord for providing.