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underhammer
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pedersoli .38-55 blackpowder loads
Sep 29th, 2017 at 6:13am
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I bought recently a Highwall with 1-12 twist from Pedersoli,
received a mold from Buffallo Arms money style 365 grain   
looking now for a good load with swiss blackpowder for it
can anybody help me out in powder compression, overall bullet length, load
I have the long Starline 2.125 brass
I shot this group on 220 yards with 53 grain swiss 1 1/2  prone with sling,but this load was not the same accurate on 110 yards; WHY??
  
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Hornetb
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Re: pedersoli .38-55 blackpowder loads
Reply #1 - Oct 2nd, 2017 at 12:00am
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You're on the right path, just got to get the combo right.

I've got one too, with all the same components. The 365gr BACO (cast with 25:1), Swiss 1.5. Federal Large Pistol primers. I'm loading 49gr with a 30 thou veg wad drop tubed. I don't have the overall length handy, but basically there are 2.5 lube grooves outside the case mouth. Compression was minimal, guessing but I think it might have been about 60 thou.

I haven't done a lot of testing (so really I'm not much use to you) but that combo seemed to shoot quite well out to 500. I was basically hitting exactly where I aimed and sight adjustments were true. I was dotting the rams at 500. 

I used SPG lube and it was excellent for cleaning and shooting with blow tubing between shots and cleaning after a run of 10-15 shots in silhouette. I have done another round of loading using a home made lube of (I forget) but it was Crisco, Bees wax, lanolin. I got a very small amount of leading and a little more clean up between shots but I don't have any more SPG.

I've tried 50gr of Wano FFF and the accuracy at Turkey's (385m - only distance tested) didn't seem to be there so I need to do some more testing with that powder, but its not as nice as Swiss.

I'll be shooting a match tomorrow with the load of 49gr of Swiss No.1.5, home made lube so will see how it goes. I want to bump up the powder charge to have a bit more legs at rams so when I get a chance I want to try cramming some more powder in the case. With 49gr, I'm "just" ok on the ram knock down. I've rung a few.

Wish we could get black powder easier. Swiss is non-existent most of the time here in Australia and supplies of Wano are intermittent.

I'm keen to see what the responses are here as I have a lot to learn. I like the rifle. The set trigger works its way loose if you don't loctite the adjustment. On my rifle the wood to metal work fit was very, very disappointing. 1.5mm gaps around the tangs. I bedded the rear stock and I also removed the awful varnish finish, stained with a walnut stain and finished in tung oil for a better look.
  
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Red Cent
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Re: pedersoli .38-55 blackpowder loads
Reply #2 - Oct 4th, 2017 at 3:00pm
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Underhammer, those holes looks as if the bullets are not stabilized.
  

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John Boy
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Re: pedersoli .38-55 blackpowder loads
Reply #3 - Oct 4th, 2017 at 3:58pm
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The Dan Theodore 38-55 'Money Bullet', shot in a 1:12 twist bore has to be seated so the case mouth is at the 2nd driving band up from the bullet base.
Further, the reload should not be crimp - just remove the bell on the case mouth.  I also would increase the powder charge up to 57grs Read the attached text
Good Luck
  
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oneatatime
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Re: pedersoli .38-55 blackpowder loads
Reply #4 - Oct 4th, 2017 at 8:01pm
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Underhammer, what was your alloy and bullet diameter? As odd as it sounds I have seen claims of less MOA at greater distances than close as the bullet goes to "sleep". Never tested it.
  
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underhammer
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Re: pedersoli .38-55 blackpowder loads
Reply #5 - Oct 7th, 2017 at 10:58am
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Thanks for this information guys,
The bullet casting I did with a 1-20 alloy
The bullet comes out the mould. 3795
So I shot it unsized with SPG grease
Have to say that my brass is new and measures not the full 2.130 lenght now
I did not realize I could compres the powder as much as.250 th and 57 grains
Gonna try it out
  
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SSShooter
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Re: pedersoli .38-55 blackpowder loads
Reply #6 - Oct 7th, 2017 at 1:57pm
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Wow!! Some of those loads are a lot of powder for a 38-55. I only put 54gr of 2F Swiss in my 38-50 with the 365gr BACo Money bullet in a 12" twist. I've been shooting a 38-55 recently (and, again this & next weekend - shooting both 600yd BPTR & BPCR matches). I'll be shooting a 325gr BACo Money bullet (first time), 340gr Brooks and the 365gr BACo bullet. Will be using 43, 45 & 47gr of 2F Swiss. I'll let you know if/how it works out. Have gotten as many as 7 turkeys with the 365gr bullet and 5 rams. Just getting back into shooting after the summer off. Everything I've hit has gone down.
« Last Edit: Oct 9th, 2017 at 7:58am by SSShooter »  

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underhammer
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Re: pedersoli .38-55 blackpowder loads
Reply #7 - Oct 9th, 2017 at 5:39am
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sss shooter,
how much powder compression you have on the Baco 365 money with 2f powder
  
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SSShooter
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Re: pedersoli .38-55 blackpowder loads
Reply #8 - Oct 9th, 2017 at 7:44am
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If you look here 
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links);
you will see the rds I've loaded for the C. Sharps 38-55 Hepburn I'm using. 
While I have not measured accurately, I would say it is ~0.20". I've only compressed the amount needed to allow me to seat the cartridge with my thumb, engraving the rifling ~0.10". The 360gr (that's what the 365 casts for me) and the 340gr have the base and last grease-groove in the case. The 325gr is about halfway in the case. I'm using my 38-50 sizing die to put a slight straight-taper crimp on the last 3/16" of the case as the last step in loading, which squares up the bullet to the bore axis. These are the short Starline & Win cases. The long cases would need considerably less compression. Also, these are new, unfire-formed cases. Once fire-formed the amount of compression will be less.

As an aside, I find loading the 47gr in these cases to be a real PITA. I normally load in batches of 50. Weigh & drop-tube 50 cases. Add wads to the 50. Compress 50. Etc. However, the case is so full that the powder wants to 'hop out' if the case is rattled at all before the wads are put in. Thus, have to add the wad on each case immediately after drop-tubing to insure the powder doesn't jump out. YMMV.
« Last Edit: Oct 9th, 2017 at 8:13am by SSShooter »  

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underhammer
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Re: pedersoli .38-55 blackpowder loads
Reply #9 - Oct 20th, 2017 at 6:08am
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hello,
I did some test last weekend with different loads on target 330 yards distance.
I tried also the 57 grain Swiss 1 1/2 load, but that one seemed not to work for me,I shot 9 shots with this load, only 3 were good the others spread out.shot also with 47 grains FFF swis, did very well at 110 yards and not bad to on 330 yards;gonna try next time with 47 grains 2FF loads
  
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Re: pedersoli .38-55 blackpowder loads
Reply #10 - Oct 20th, 2017 at 12:02pm
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I use 46 grains of Swiss 3F with a .030" wad compressed just enough to allow the 322 grain BACO bullet to chamber. I seat the bullets by hand, and use CCI LP primers.
  
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