54 smoothbore roundball load

[Forestclimber]

I have a 54 caliber, smoothbore, Green Mountain drop in barrel in a T/C Hawken.  Last year I tried various loads but never could get it to consistently shoot in the same spot very well.  I tried patched balls (.530 and .535) and cushion wads also.  I'm going to play with it some more when the weather warms up.  I'd like to hear any helpful hints or ideas.

[flintlock]

I don't shoot a smoothy so take this with a grain of salt...

I've shot flintlocks since the mid-70s and I believe the most ignored part of the equation to a good load is the patch material...After you shot last year, what did the patches look like??? I ask this everytime and most guys don't know...If that patch is burned through or cut, you won't have a good group...

I'm also an advocate of buying bulk pillow ticking and lubing your own patches...I have seen cases where a guy had a rifle that quit shooting well and we traced it back to old patches that were bought already lubed and the lube broke down the cotton fibers so the patch burned out...

Also, what powder and load were you trying???

Just some thoughts...

[Longknife 76]

Usually to get a .010 undersize ball to load in a smoothbore barrel you have to use a thinner patch than is normally used in your rifled barrel. The thinner patch will burn through and accuracy suffers. If you go to a .020 to .025 undersize ball and a thick patch this may cure the problem??

[gvnut]

I've had good luck with a .530 ball, .010 patch, and 70 grains of 3F.  At 25 and 50 yards a wad doesn't seem to matter, but at 100 yards a wad seems to help.  I use the .010 patch because, without going to a smaller ball, it is as thick a patch as I can get started and since the patches are burning it's fine. Depending on your actual bore diameter, your patch/ball combination would vary.

[gvnut]

whoops
Make that "since the patches are NOT burning"