Question for Cayuga

[Tweesdad]

Dave
Do you know of a source of data that shows velocities of .58 caliber Hornady Great Plains Bullets, or for that matter any .58 conical, in front of various powder charges?
I can find this for T/C conicals, but not for any others. All I find for the BPB is the suggested charge of 90 gr. which is packed along with the bullets.
Is there any other data around that you know of?
Thanks

 

[cayuga]

None that I know of specifically for the Great Plains Conicals, but if you know the weight of the bullet you can get close by doing a comparison to other known conicals.

That .58 conical would be a real game buster. With even a moderate powder charge of 80 grains or so, you are going to have a real powerful projectile. Granted for long range it would have a rain bow trajectory, but if that was sighted in good out to 100 yards, nothing would stand up to that.

 

[cayuga]

525 grain conical... WOW!! I ran a ballistics chart on that and set the POI at 100 yards and used a .200 as a BC. I figured it would make 1100 fps. All it says is if you are a number cruncher, do not shoot at any large elk size game at further then 300 yards. Even out to 200 yards if is 942 foot pounds of energy. Which means something is going to get pounded. Plus never forget the size of that conical.

 

[Tweesdad]

525 grain conical... WOW!! I ran a ballistics chart on that and set the POI at 100 yards and used a .200 as a BC. I figured it would make 1100 fps. All it says is if you are a number cruncher, do not shoot at any large elk size game at further then 300 yards. Even out to 200 yards if is 942 foot pounds of energy. Which means something is going to get pounded. Plus never forget the size of that conical.

Hornady lists the BC as .187. They have a suggested load of 90 gr. powder, for a MV of 1275fps. I was curious as to what velocity I can expect from a charge of about 70 gr.
I sent an e-mail to Hornady asking if they had any answers, and am waiting to see if I get reply. There really isn't much data available on the internet. Believe me, I have been searching.
Normally, I would chrono the loads myself, but without going into any gory details, my chronograph is no longer a functioning piece of equipment. Gun shot MUCH lower than anyone expected. Oh well, Christmas is approaching.
Thanks again

 

[cayuga]

I ran the numbers and even dropped the velocity to 1000 fps and it is surprising the energy that load still has. It has to be the big weight of the bullet.

That's why I shoot 70 grains of Triple Se7en 3f and a 500 grain .504 conical for deer. I have no doubt of the ability of that load to take a deer. Actually at 100 yards, I suspect that it would take an elk as well, but am only guessing.

 

[Tweesdad]

Dave
Did a bit of research, and found out that the standard Union Army rifled musket load during the Civil War was 60 gr. of powder behind a 500gr. Minie ball, for a M.V. of 950 fps.
So, if I increase the bullet weight by 25 grains, (Hornady Great Plains Bullet) and keep the same 60 gr. charge weight, I should be somewhere in the 950 fps. power range I am looking for. More than I will need for Whitetails, Blackbear, and Boar. Lower recoil, and cheaper to shoot. Sounds like a plan to me.
It appears that there is going to be some serious range time in my immediate future. I may have to adjust charge weight for accuracy, but only time will tell. Looking for 2" groups at 75 yards with factory irons.
Any suggestions?

 

[cayuga]

I had read that also that 60-70 grains was the standard minnie load. And look at some of the distances they were shooting with the intent of just a hit. They knew that with just a hit, the enemy would be injured, wounded, or killed.

You intend to place that big conical in the vitals.. The weight and size of it will do the rest. I will be looking forward for your range reports.

 

[Tweesdad]

Range report

Had the .58 Renegade to the range today, and was very pleasantly suprised.
I was using a 25 yard pistol target, and firing from 50 yards. One wet patch and two dry patches between shots. As it was about 90 degrees, I let the gun cool in the shade for 5 minutes after cleaning.
Without making any attempt to adjust the sights, I fired a three shot group, using the above method.
Three into 1 3/4 inches, two inches lower than I wanted to be. Adjusted sights up, and using same firing procedure put the next 7 rounds into a two inch group, exactly where I wanted them to go. 2" high at 50 yards.
Bullet: Hornady 525 gr. Great Plains
Cap; CCI #11 Magnum
Charge: 70 gr. Pyrodex RS

Conclusion
This is as well as I can do with my lousy eyes and iron sights. However, any deer, bear, or boar out to 100 yards is in deep doo-doo.
After having just been forced to defend myself from an attack by a wild eyed watermelon, I have a healthy respect for the brute power of this load.
Thought I would share this with you.

 

[cayuga]

Them watermelons are nasty critters... but the green tomatoes that were after me the other day really explode when they are smacked with a good fast load. I was shooting green tomatoes with patched roundball and they would explode into nothing but a stain on the back stop. It was a lot of fun...