Thanks Daryl

[Sharpsman]

Your method works! As I told you earlier I had worked on the muzzle of this .54 GRRW Hawken with some very fine wet sandpaper as I was getting a few torn patches. I fired this today and NO TORN PATCHES! I've also had to work on the front sight filing it down and thought I had it about right but the first shot was high here as shown. Went to work with the file again and fired the remainder of shots! I'm done....with the file! 90 grs. KIK 2F with 530 PRB using .016" compressed pillow ticking with virgin olive oil patch lube! Round ball seats much easier!

THANKS AGAIN!

Untitled by Rick Mulhern, on Flickr

Shows what happens when buddies drive up while I was posting this! First shot made with center hold but I wanted poi to be 6" high because I use a 6 0/clock hold so I had to file sight down a tat more to get the needed zero! Last time I shot impact was low so I held center to see where first impact would be! Phone calls, visitors, and posting don't jive too well!

[Daryl]

Well done Sharpsman.  You are MOST welcome.

[ddoyle]

Yeah we all owe Daryl a sincere thanks for sharing so much hard won knowledge.

[Daryl]

Thanks guys, but Taylor and all the rest of the guys up here load virtually the same way I do. 
Once Taylor gets back from holidays, he'll be re-barreling my Tenn. .32 with a new Rice .32.
 I was not happy with the accuracy of the original tube as the grooves were 1/2 the width of the lands - bas-ackwards imho. I never had any fouling issues, and used balls .310" swaged, .311 cast and .320" cast with patches from .020" to .0235" with all sized balls & the .0235" was the most consistently accurate patch and with the .320" balls (bore size), however the best groups were 1" to 1 1/2" at 50 yards. I am expecting great things from the Rice Barrel that Jason sent me. I'd like to see consistency in the 1/2" to 3/4" range - we'll see. This would make a nice plank rifle, I think - no recoil, at all.

If your sights are not set high enough, you'll never attain that level.

[WadePatton]

Good shootin'.  Good learnin'.  I recommend the wisdoms of Daryl to new/struggling BP shooters as often as possible. 
Glad the forum brought us together over the great miles.

First shot from a clean cold bbl is nearly always going to be "out of the group".  That's why we normally put it on a different target, or anywhere away from the "record" shots.

[Daryl]

We have a 4'x8' sheet of plywood screwed between two trees at the starting station of our trail walk - about 25yards from the firing line.  We use this sheet of plywood for our fouling shots or firing them onto stapling targets.  Too, we'll oft aim at a knot or simply try to hit the #1 pistol target to the right of the board, a fox silhouette - striking the tip of an ear, adding an eyeball, nose touch or a toe with our fouling shot.

Most fouling shots strike pretty close at 25 yards, but show dispersion more and more as the range might extends, of course, some low, some high or to one side or the other - it's the gun's choice and is good to know, just as one should not change from a water based lube to an oil, without deliberately testing the point of impact in relation to the sight picture.

[One Eye]

That is a fine target Rick!
One Eye