Picked up a CVA "Hawkin" at an auction today.
No one wanted one of those old syle shooters. Read non in line.
Anyway its a .54. Me, never having a 54 before am wondering which size RB do you fellows shoot. A .526 or a .530. All my stuff is either .50 and below or .58 or over.
I paid $45 for it with some odds and ends thrown in.

I shoot a .527 RB in mine, cast from a Lee mold. I can start the load without a short starter if I use 0.015 pre-lubed patches, or use a short starter for the .527 ball and .020 pillow ticking.

The conventional advice, though, is to try different combinations of ball diameter, patch thickness, and lube, and go with whatever gives you the best results for the type shooting you do.

SCL

Trail, Of course, you paid too much for it. If you might have waited, maybe you could have gotten it for $44. Now, about ball size, let's hope that barrel has some good deep grooves and you will probably want the .526" or similar to go in a rather thick patch. The .530" balls were brought out after the other over-the-counter rifles were issued in .54 with the button rifled barrels. Those barrels don't have the deep grooves, generally, and they like the .530s with a thinner patch. Give the .526s a good try, maybe with a .020" patch. Then give us a good report. Shoot sharp, Mike

On cleaning the crud off I find its a CVA Mountain rifle. Made in USA. Will have to see if I can find some 526 ball locally. Hate having to do mail order for lead.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Nesbitt:
Trail, Of course, you paid too much for it. If you might have waited, maybe you could have gotten it for $44. Now, about ball size, let's hope that barrel has some good deep grooves and you will probably want the .526" or similar to go in a rather thick patch. The .530" balls were brought out after the other over-the-counter rifles were issued in .54 with the button rifled barrels. Those barrels don't have the deep grooves, generally, and they like the .530s with a thinner patch. Give the .526s a good try, maybe with a .020" patch. Then give us a good report. Shoot sharp, Mike

I shoot 535s in my Douglas barrel all the time. With a .018 patch. Starts with a rod not starter.
The Douglas 54 was always a 54 and predated the buttoned barrels they would use 526s and lots of people did. But 530s and 535s work just fine too.

Dan

quote:

Originally posted by Trail:
Picked up a CVA "Hawkin" at an auction today.
No one wanted one of those old syle shooters. Read non in line.
Anyway its a .54. Me, never having a 54 before am wondering which size RB do you fellows shoot. A .526 or a .530. All my stuff is either .50 and below or .58 or over.
I paid $45 for it with some odds and ends thrown in.

Should use a 530 OK and maybe even a .535.

Dan

Dan, Each gun or barrel can be a bit different. My first .54 was a Green River Rifle Works with a Douglas barrel. I still have it. Way back when, I tried .535 balls in it just one time, then went to the .526" and stayed with that ever since. For me that has been too good to replace. Shoot sharp, Mike

Dan; Every gun is an individual. You will have to try .426, .530, and .535 balls. You will also have to try 0.015 and 0.020 patches with each ball. Be sure to keep the powder charge the same for all ball and patch combination tests. The gun will let you know wat it likes the best when you see the group sizes.

My sharon loves both a .526 ball and a 0.020 patch or the .530 ball and a 0.015 patch.

My Lyman likes the .530 ball with a 0.015 patch though it might shoot a tighter group with a .535 ball. I havin't tryed it because it already shoot minute of deer and its been my deer rifle for many years.

My Pedersoli 54 likes teh .530 ball and a 0.015 patch. Pedersoli recommends a .535 ball but that ball is so tight I'd have to drive it down the bore with a hammer. By the time the ball woudl be seated, it would be deformed and worthless.

Anyway, you get my drive, each firearm is differesnt.

Load fast and aim slow.

does it have a patch box if not that is a big bore mountain rifle they also made it in 58 cal which would be neetthey only made them for a couple of years

Went to my local Scheels (Ugh!)They of course had tons of in-line crap but little "real stuff"
Any way got a box of 535 ball(only Choice) Now I have 98 large sinkers.Needed a range rod and mallet to get it down the bore. .010 patch. The last one I ran down bare ball over a patch wad. Than only just got down the bore. None too loose.
Will have to order some 526 and 530 on line. The ones that don't shoot I'll melt down for .62 ball.
Edit. Oneblanket, no patch box.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Trail,

Trail, I simply must suggest; if you try the .526" balls you probably won't bother with the .530s. Shoot sharp, Mike

I used to have a CVA .54 Mountain Rifle. It liked .530 RB with a .010 patch, and .526s with .015 patch. Didn't need a shortstarter, but neither would "thumbstart" either. Had to use the pommel of my knife to start them in the barrel.
The one nice thing about the .530s is that you can usually find them at gunshops.

After years of battling with .530s, I went to .526 balls. I haven't had a problem since. You can buy them through Track of the Wolf. I lucked out and found a .526 mold at a gun show, so now I cast my own.

I have owned/made numerous 54s over the years barrels by Douglas, Sharon, Green Mountain etc.
I bought my first 526 mould a couple of months ago for a pistol I made with a left over piece of Douglas barrel I had in a drawer for years and years. It will load 530s OK but 526s are easier on the hand. I use the rod as a starter.
SFAIK Lyman no longer makes a mould in this size. The only mould diameter the old Ideal Reloading Handbooks (the one I am looking at is the #37) show that would work in a 54 is the 526 (for 28 gauge shotgun). There is no 530-535. This is why back about 1970 everyone shot 526 balls in 54.

I have never owned a CVA/TC/Italian 54 so I have no idea what they use. I do know its is unlikely that a GM or Douglas will win a match against the guys I shoot against with a .526 ball.
But I have not the slightest doubt that some barrels, especially foreign imports might need them.
Anyone with a GM or other American barrel should do some serious testing 2-3 10 shot groups per load with various ball sizes before claiming the 526 is best.
Occasionally a barrel will shoot scary accurate with a loose ball fit, but most don't.
If you need a 526 Lyman Ebay is a place to find one if you are patient.
I just got in a 54 GM barrel and suspect it will use a 535 without a starter.
Dan

Trail, You got took. That gun'll never shoot right so, you might as well send it to me and I'll dispose of it properly
Aim low boys, they're ridin' shetland ponies!

Hey Trail, I shoot a Hornady .520" wrapped in a .020" wonder-lubed patch and it shoots very respectable.

quote:

I just got in a 54 GM barrel and suspect it will use a 535 without a starter.

Dan, Please keep us posted about that... Shoot sharp, Mike

I have had seferal .54 guns and all worked well with the .530. These were all import except for one Douglas, I never tried the .526 but with a thicker patch they mayhave shot better than what I was using, if you are set up to mould you can always melt and recast anything that does not work well, good luck and keep us posted.

Trail...that rifle is a shooter ! I have an old CVA .50 Mountain Rifle in Flint and it looks like new...wouldnt let her go fer anything!

quote:

Originally posted by Dphar:
I do know its is unlikely that a GM or Douglas will win a match against the guys I shoot against with a .526 ball.
But I have not the slightest doubt that some barrels, especially foreign imports might need them.
Anyone with a GM or other American barrel should do some serious testing 2-3 10 shot groups per load with various ball sizes before claiming the 526 is best.
Occasionally a barrel will shoot scary accurate with a loose ball fit, but most don't.Dan

My JP Beck has a Colerain swamped barrel. It'll shoot .530s accurately enough--but I was embarrassed at rendezvous with the trouble I had loading them. I switched to .526s and even .520s (not THAT much difference in 'em, after all...) and .015 or pillow-ticking mostly, and it's just as accurate or more so.
I confess that I felt some rough spots in the bore when cleaning, so I fire-lapped it and tried some other ways of loosening it up. It seems harder to clean than my GM .45 even now. But it likes .520s and I'm stickin' with that for now.

Dick