# Which round ball to shoot in a .54 TC



## Terry May (Feb 27, 2012)

I have a .54 TC Renegade.  I have Speer .530 round balls already, but I have found some Hornady .535 as well.  Any suggestions?  Thanks.


----------



## 35 Whelen (Feb 27, 2012)

When I owned a .54 TC Renegade I used TC Maxi-balls and Maxi-hunters, which are conical lead bullets.  Supposed to be more accurate at longer distance, better terminal performance on game, and no need for a patch.  Also heavier than a round ball.


----------



## fishtail (Feb 27, 2012)

You gonna find several people will prefer RB over bullets but I couldn't get past the ball and patch dimensions for my preference. It's really not that hard finding the correct patch for the ball and barrel needs for accuracy, I'm just lazy. Went the route 35 said and migrated to sabots and molded stuff in my 50 cal's. 
Nicodemus is sure to have a few words to the positive about the round ball situation.


----------



## fishfryer (Feb 27, 2012)

It depends on your bore diameter,and your patch thickness. Never having seen your rifle,I would guess that .530 will load easier,and the .535 may be a froghair more accurate,but a real pill to load(pun intended). Check your bore diameter, and figure from there,or buy a few balls of each size,and see what loads/shoots the best for you.


----------



## FrontierGander (Feb 27, 2012)

.018" patch with .530 round ball was perfect for my 54 tc renegade barrel.


----------



## Nicodemus (Feb 27, 2012)

fishfryer said:


> It depends on your bore diameter,and your patch thickness. Never having seen your rifle,I would guess that .530 will load easier,and the .535 may be a froghair more accurate,but a real pill to load(pun intended). Check your bore diameter, and figure from there,or buy a few balls of each size,and see what loads/shoots the best for you.





Yep. If that .530 with whatever the patch thickness on your regular load is, and it is reasonably hard to seat, then a .535 might be more than you want. Experiment with some different thickness patches with the .535, and rather than take a chance on a broke ramrod, use your range rod to load it.


----------



## NCHillbilly (Feb 27, 2012)

You just have to experiment. .530 with .015-.018 patch would be a good starting point. I have one .54 rifle, though, that does best with .526 balls and a .018 patch. The .530s were just way too tight in that particular barrel, even with a .010 patch-I would often have trouble loading even the second one. I finally tried some .526 balls with a thicker patch, and both ease of loading and accuracy improved greatly.


----------



## SASS249 (Feb 27, 2012)

One of the most fun things about these guns is that you have to try different things to get the answer.  Even the best guns vary enough that there is simply no single answer.  I have one  50 cal rifle that shoots best with a .495 ball and a VERY thin patch.  Almost nobody would recommend that combination but it is dedly in that rifle.  

I suggest you start with the .530 ball and see what accuracy you get with a variety of patch thickness and powder charges .  Once you establish a baseline "best" load then you can see if you can better it using different ball diameters etc.


----------



## Bernard goldsmith (Feb 27, 2012)

Work-up your own loads, with different patching,an round balls. Each barrel has it's liking. There like a woman, all different !!


----------



## Terry May (Feb 28, 2012)

Thanks fellas!


----------



## 7Mag Hunter (Feb 28, 2012)

Doesn't really matter the size ball...Just use a patch that ensures
you get good tight load pressure to ensure good consistent accuracy...Loose fitting ball/patch will result in poor accuracy...

I have been shooting a 54 cal Hawken for 20+ yrs and have found
the size ball does not matter...It is the patch material that forms
the seal.....If you form a good seal you get good accuracy...If your
ball/patch loads easily, then your accuracy will suffer because of
blow by....
If you have a slow twist rifle, mini/maxi balls will not give you
the accuracy you need to hunt past 40-50yds or so.....If you have
a newer rifle with 1" in 44" twist then you can shoot ether round
balls or conicals....Slow twist rifles like mine shoot round balls
better than conicals....


----------

