[mik978]

I have a question on the pellets vs powder. I have been shooting powder for a few years and lately been wanting to transfer to pellets. I have a .45 and .54 caliber rifles. I was looking into using the 777 pellets for the easyness cleaning factor. They carry it in the .45 cal 50gr. but dont carry it in .54 cal at all. Being that I shoot a 100gr load in my .54 can I just use two .45 pellets in my .54? If Ipack it tight?

 

[cayugad]

They used to make a .54 caliber pellet but I have not seen them for a while. There really is no advantage for cleaning, using pellets. An easier and cheaper way to do the same thing is get some loading tubes and carry pre measured loads. Pellets are not easier to clean then loose powder.

Using loading tubes will make your shooting cheaper, its easy to carry, and you can custom your load with any kind of powder or amount.

 

[mik978]

Hey there cayugad, well I meant as far as the pellets, the triple 7 pellets vs the other pellets as triple 7 has no sulphur and clean up would be easier that way. I understand that there is no difference between loose and pellet as far as cleaning. Just that triple 7 doesnt come in 54 cal and was wanting to use the triple 7 45 cal pellets in my 54cal.

Yeah as far as using the tubes and having it premeasured that is what i do now.

 

[cayugad]

When shooting Triple Seven pellets VS Pyrodex RS, or APP, or Jim Shocky Gold Sticks. Clean up is about the same. Granted Pyrodex RS might take a couple patches more to get the rifle clean. The APP and JSG is an easy powder to clean as well. Cleans with water, no swabbing between shots, some report excellent accuracy.

I purchased two boxes of T-7 pellets. I tried them in a number of my rifles. I compared them to accuracy with Pyrodex RS pellets. The Pyrodex pellets did a much better job of accuracy. In fact part of the one T-7 box was bad and they were duds. Also when you have to swab between shots, T-7 leaves a hard crud ring in the breech of the rifle about where the sabot sits. You must scrub that out between shots. It can lead to you short start a projectile because it feels like you have the sabot on the powder. So keep that in mind when you swab the bore. Pyrdoex RS while more messy, swabs easy. Also it is a soft fouling. And it will come out easy. APP and JSG does not need to be swabbed. Although sometimes you will notice a white powder near the muzzle of the rifle and it makes loading the sabot at first hard. Just a short swab will take that out. It also returns loading to normal.

As for the final clean up.. if one powder takes me five minutes more.. then it is five minutes more. I shoot mostly black powder and everyone knows how messy that can be.

 

[berudd]

I don't see how there would be any difference in using a 50 gr pellet for a 45 as opposed to one for a 54. It's still 50grs of powder either way. The 50 cal pellets I have are not tight in the bore, they drop right down. I would not pack them so tight you crush the pellets. I beleive I have heard that negatively affect accuracy. Just seat the bullet on the powder.

 

[CAROLINAHOAN]

Personally, I would stick to measuring powder, and not use pellets at all. I would never use a 45 caliber pellet in a 54 caliber rifle. I just checked out Hodgdon's website to make sure.

http://www.hodgdon.com/ml-warning.html

However, if you want to try some pellets I would get the Pyrodex, and see how they shoot. It looks like they come in one size for 54 caliber, 60 grains.

 

[mik978]

oh ok thanks guys for all the info. I was just trying to kill two birds with one stone by buying one style of pellets to work both ways. I shoot the pyrodex rs powder now. But since carolina brought it to my attention about the warnings I am going to refrain from doing so.

The other factor was cleaning. My .45 is a crackbarrel optima so cleanup is a breeze. But my .54 is an old cva inline where the whole having to tear it completely down to cleanit gets aggravating.