A buddy who works at a hog hunting preserve has kindly invited me to come out for a freebie hunt. Don't think I'll be shooting one of the 400 pound trophy tuskers for free but will likely be shooting something around 175-200 lbs. I have dozens of centerfire hog perfect rifles but since this is a freebie, I've decided to carry something a bit more challenging. After all, this should be a fairly easy "hunt" and it's free so if I don't shoot anything I'm not out anything. I originally thought I might pack a handgun but then it dawned on me that I have a T/C "Big Boar" .58 smokepole that I have never even fired. I bought it second hand from a buddy back in '97 because it was a good deal and have never even loaded it. I'm no "buckskinner" and am perfectly happy with the evolution of modern rifles. Still, I'd like to shoot something with the gun and this seems like a good opportunity. I had a .50 that I built from a kit and hunted deer with it a few times but never pointed it at anything. It was stolen so I bought this .58 and it has just been sitting in the safe.
Anyway, I have some Maxi-Hunters but am thinking about just using a patched round ball. What would be a good hog load utilizing Pyrodex RS and either projectile? I'll probably do a paid hunt in the future and will probably carry my shiny new Winchester .405 but figured I'd go primitive for the free hunt and try to bloody this .58 and let it earn its keep.

Of course every ML being made differently means what worked in my T/C 58 may not work in yours. But a good place to start is 70 grains & work up in 10 grain increments to 100. Shot groups will likely open up somewhere in between. Then when you're in the target bubble, tweak the powder measurement plus/minus 5 grains. My T/C 58 prefers the store-bought .020 butter-lubed cotton patches over the pillow tickers. My Traditions sidelocks prefer the exact opposite. The most accurate conical for my 58 are the Buffalo Maxi-Ballet HPs in 405 gr. You can also order roundballs at either link I provided below.



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