Hey folks. I need some help. I just bought a used Pedersoli Kentucky Rifle, .45 cal. cap & ball. It came with no info and I'm new to this. I believe it has a 1 in 48 twist, should I use round ball or conical? How much powder should I start with? What would be a max. powder charge, and how can I tell when I'm reaching the upper limit? I handload for pistols and know what to look for there. But with no case to examine I'm at a loss.
Thanks

The traditional load for a .45 caliber Kentucky rifle would be a patched round ball and about 60 grs.of FFg or FFFG blackpowder. You could experiment with different loads and see what works best. Conicals might work and would offer greater weight than a round ball. Hope this helps. All the best...
Gil

Thanks Gil that's about par with other info i've found out there. One individual states he uses a .444 case as a scoop measure for about 85 grains. Seems a little high. Anyone know if I can use lead revolver bullets like what I load my .45 Long Colts with for a conical?

Thanks Gil that's about par with other info i've found out there. One individual states he uses a .444 case as a scoop measure for about 85 grains. Seems a little high. Anyone know if I can use lead revolver bullets like what I load my .45 Long Colts with for a conical?
My brother has .45 long rifle. He shoots 80 grains pyro and a maxi ball. Don't know how heavy the maxi is but accuracy is acceptable to 75 yards.

I have a Pedersoli .45 cal. Blue Ridge (Frontier) flintlock. It also has the 1 in 48 twist barrel. I use 70 grains of 3Fg behind a .440 ball with a pillow ticking and moose milk. I get very good accuracy with this load. I have not tried conicals yet, but they should be decent with this rifling twist.

Hi Brokenock- The 1-48 twist is a compromise twist that tries to deliver accuracy with both round ball and maxies. Usually the rifle will choose which it likes best. Law unto themselves. Mostly you will find accuracy in the lower loadings with the round ball. The purely roundball twists are usually in the 1-60 and up.-Cariboo

I too have the Blue Ridge .45. These barrels have rather shallow grooves as compared to true roundball barrels and thus do best with a very tight fitting patch and ball combo. Mine likes a Speer .451" ball with patch of .011" linen, spit lubed. For target and plinking I load 45 grains of 3f Goex. If you absolutely must shoot a conical I'd stick to the shortest ones. I've never had much luck with pistol bullets from muzzleloading rifles. If you look at a Maxi ball they are a very different design, with deep lube grooves and long bearing surface extending right up to the nose, they're made that way for a reason, because that is what works in a muzzleloader.

Thanks for all the help guys. I finally got to shoot the gun Sunday ( the only time my range is open during hunting season,) and loved it. Problem is, at 50 yards it shoots a foot and a half high with a 138 grain ball, .015 patch and 70 grains of fffg. Less powder seemed to have the shots drifting left and still very high. What now? this would probably be great @ 100 yards but I can't see a deer that far away. The gun has old school kentucky rifle windage adjustable only brass sights.
As always any help is appreciated,
Dave

If you go to their web site and look under support they list all recommended loads for their rifles. TF

You need a taller front sight to bring the muzzle down. Generally, the front sight is made taller than needed so you can file it down to zero, I suspect the previous owner got carried away with the file, that often happens. Your sight needs to be about 1/4" higher than at present. There are many sources of parts available on line, "Track of the Wolf" is a good one. They list many front sights. I'd recommend a straight steel blade, the tallest one they list. Then when you start filing it down to zero don't YOU get carried away. It really is best to just get it shooting near the bull but still a bit low while you try out various loads and do the final zero only after you have settled on the exact load you intend to use.
Good luck and have fun! :D

Oh, I should add, you probably have a .360 dovetail cut for the front sight. You may have to get a 3/8" dovetail sight base and file it (the sight base, not the barrel slot) to fit.

Thanks for the help. I got the book for the rifle sent to me by ThunderRidge. The load it lists is only 38 grains of powder. Everyone else I talk to with a similar gun is shooting 60 to 80 grains. I figured on the front sight having been filed too far so I thought about making the rear sight lower. Also may try to find a heavier projectile.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving all.

Merry Christmas to all. Thanks for the help folks. I've got the gun shooting 6 to 7" high at 50 yards and maybe 2 or 3" high at 25 yards. With 70 grns FFFG and a patched 138 grain .451 ball. Having had no shots on deer during our muzzleloader season I put up life size deer targets with vitals marked in at 25 and 50 yards at the rifle range. Took 1 shot off hand standing from a cold clean barrel at the 25 yard deer, Heart hit. I cleaned the gun with patches and powder solvent, ran a bore-butter patch through loaded up and waited a half hour. Took 1 shot kneeling and got the lungs just behind the heart.
I think I'll pretty much leave my set-up as is.
Thanks again,
Dave