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SPG's loads for .54 '63 Shiloh

Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 9:10 am
by Todd Birch
Looking for something else, I ran across this in the Spring 2003 BPCN .....

"I went through my references on the percussion Sharps and could find no cautions as to air space the chamber when using either paper cartridges or loose powder and ball.
There was more emphasis placed on the necessity of having the bullet greased with tallow.

In my experience with the Shiloh rifle, I used 1Fg to bulk up the 120-grain chamber along with two heavy felt wads soaked with grease. This combination cut the charge back to about 75 grs, which was all the fun I wanted.
The .54 Shiloh shot very well, even out to 500 yards." SPG

This in response to a reader's letter in whih he described his .54 paper cartridge load of 60-90 grs FFg, separator disk and farina as a filler behind the bullet.

The writer said that "the farina and powder will mix in the chamber/breech block when I jostle the rifle around." Huh?

Sounds to me like he had a chamber-length cartridge with that load, so there ought not to be any shearing action when the block was raised.

I tried some .54 loads with 75 grs FFg and cream of wheat filler (no separator), and while they shot well with no problems I was aware of, I saw no advantage to warrant the use of the filler.

Now that I've discovered that 24 ga greased wads fit the chamber, I'd like to try seating a lubed bullet, followed by a 1/2 24 ga wad and a paper cartridge with the charge.

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 5:42 am
by Rich Siegel
Todd,
Great idea with the 24 gauge wads. Let us know how it works out. By the way, where do you get the wads?
Rich

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 7:21 am
by Rooster57
Circle Fly has them.

24 ga wads

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 9:16 am
by Todd Birch
Rich

I got mine from Ballistic Products. Any company that sells odd ball shotgun reloading supplies will stock them - lubed or unlubed.

Bear in mind that they are a SNUG fit in a clean .54 chamber, requiring use of a short starter. Might be a way of chamber cleaning between rds as well as bore scrubbing.

Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 4:06 pm
by Rooster57
I'll be trying some 24 guage wads when I get my as yet unfired by me Shiloh infantry. 54 out for it's fist go. I've had the wads for probably 25 years....always wondered what I'd use them for!

24 ga wads

Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 9:08 am
by Todd Birch
Rooster

With that huge 120 gr powder chamber, you'll be able to use a whole 24 ga wad and still have useable powder space.

I have to cut mine in half. Makes more sense to me than using a loose filler.