November 2016 Bi-Monthly Shooting Matches

[Maven]

November 2016 Bi-Monthly Shooting Matches:  

Click the following link for our Rules & Regulations To Enter Into These Bi-Monthly Round Ball Matches.

Report Your Results For November, 2016 In This Thread - Enjoy And Have Fun With It.

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=28771.0

(With apologies to Candle Snuffer)

[Maven]

I actually completed the November '16 Match in October as I knew our range would close in mid-November for deer season.  In addition, we must shoot to the southeast as that's where are berms are, and the sun is low on the horizon, i.e., directly in your face & on the sights, at this time of year making accurate shooting a challenge.  Nevertheless, here are my meager results, which are due to my own poor skills rather than climatic events:

Distance to target:  50 yd.
Gun:  .54cal. Chambers, "Isaac Haines" w/ R. Rice bbl.
Sights:  Fixed; rear sight has square notch (squared it with a file since the Sept. '16 match)
Score:    32, as follows:  Offhand = 15 (2 in white; 1 in black; 2 in center).  Chunk = 17 (0 in white; 4 in black; 1 in center).

Particulars:  Although I used the same 80gr. Diamondback FFg as the last match, I changed to .024" denim patches for this one since I thought a tighter patch around the .530" [Tanner] RB would improve accuracy.  Unfortunately, it did not nor did it reduce bore fouling of which there was little to begin with.  Patches were once again lubed with 1 Ballistol : 6 water and were just shy of dripping.

I don't know about you, but my eyes don't adjust very well to thin front sight blades (sold 2 Swiss K-31's, in excellent condition because of this), and the Isaac Haines is no exception.  I've since cemented thin plastic shims to either side of the front blade so that I can see it better, but I haven't yet fired it.  Moreover, hoping to improve accuracy, I'm going to experiment with a .535" RB (Lee Precision mould) and a .014" patch initially and a .018" patch if I must.

[Daryl]

Paul -  the guys here using Rice and Getz barrels are using .535" balls and .020" to .024" denim patches with the WWWF lube, year around.

[Maven]

Daryl, It's funny that you said that as I just gave the .535" RB (actually .537") a try yesterday and think the larger balls work better than the .530" ones with patches almost in the range you suggested.  I.e., I used the same patch lube and powder charge as I mentioned above, but varied the patch thickness (compressed): .014" & .018" pillow ticking, and my usual .021" muslin (?).  Like Goldilocks, I found the .014" to be too thin; the .021" ones too thick; but the .018" ones just right!  as they produced the tightest 7 shot group @ 50 yd. (bench rest).  I also found that by shimming the sides of the front sight I could see both it and the target much better and will have to give some thought to replacing it entirely with a thicker one.  I'll have to retest the .021" patch though because, given the orientation of our range, the sun was blinding so I'm uncertain as to whether the poor grouping with that patch was due to sun induced aiming error or the patch itself.  Btw, none of the patches produced much powder fouling except for an easily removed "crud ring" in the chamber.  Indeed, the Rice bbl. doesn't take a lot of effort to clean.

Thanks again for the suggestion, Daryl!

[OldMtnMan]

I actually completed the November '16 Match in October as I knew our range would close in mid-November for deer season.  In addition, we must shoot to the southeast as that's where are berms are, and the sun is low on the horizon, i.e., directly in your face & on the sights, at this time of year making accurate shooting a challenge.  Nevertheless, here are my meager results, which are due to my own poor skills rather than climatic events:

Distance to target:  50 yd.
Gun:  .54cal. Chambers, "Isaac Haines" w/ R. Rice bbl.
Sights:  Fixed; rear sight has square notch (squared it with a file since the Sept. '16 match)
Score:    32, as follows:  Offhand = 15 (2 in white; 1 in black; 2 in center).  Chunk = 17 (0 in white; 4 in black; 1 in center).

Particulars:  Although I used the same 80gr. Diamondback FFg as the last match, I changed to .024" denim patches for this one since I thought a tighter patch around the .530" [Tanner] RB would improve accuracy.  Unfortunately, it did not nor did it reduce bore fouling of which there was little to begin with.  Patches were once again lubed with 1 Ballistol : 6 water and were just shy of dripping.

I don't know about you, but my eyes don't adjust very well to thin front sight blades (sold 2 Swiss K-31's, in excellent condition because of this), and the Isaac Haines is no exception.  I've since cemented thin plastic shims to either side of the front blade so that I can see it better, but I haven't yet fired it.  Moreover, hoping to improve accuracy, I'm going to experiment with a .535" RB (Lee Precision mould) and a .014" patch initially and a .018" patch if I must.

What in the world is plastic? Is that some new fangled material? You put it on your gun??

It will never catch on.

[Maven]

Yep, Pete, I hated to do it!

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Daryl and I went to the range today, intending on shooing both the 50 and 100 yd matches, but 'someone' forgot his powder so all we got done was the 50 yard match.  The powder I had in my horn was GOEX 2Fg Cartridge, and in Daryl's defence, his rifle definitely was not ready for this change from straight GOEX 2Fg.  Here's how we did...

Name:  Daryl Sapergia
Match:  50 yd. offhand and chunk
Rifle:  English Sporting rifle percussion half stock .69 calibre by Taylor Sapergia
Sights:  flip-up folding rear and bead front
Score:  Chunk - 23, Offhand - 17 for 40/50

Name:  D. Taylor Sapergia
Match:  50 yd. offhand and chunk
Rifle:  Hawken percussion half stock .62 cal by me
Sights:  wide "V" (English "B" sight) rear, and silver blade front.
score:  Chunk - 50, Offhand - 19 for total 44/50

We intend to go back out to do the 100 yd. later this week while the weather is unseasonably nice...with our own powder!

[Daryl]

LOL - my group was better than his - LOL - just not in the right spot. 
NEXT MONTH - BEWARE! 

[Maven]

Congratulations on such impressive shooting, guys!

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

We are currently experiencing some unusually nice weather, so Daryl and I discussed shooting our December matches now rather than when it's  - 20 C and three feet of the white stuff.  Anyone have a problem with that?

[Daryl]

Congratulations on such impressive shooting, guys!

TKS Maven  -  the next targets should be better though - as long as I remember my bag and horn & don't have to use that funny GOEX CTG. powder Taylor had in his horn.  LOL- nice looking shiny stuff - but is shot low - really low making 3's instead of 5's.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Our weather has gone for a $#@*..freezing and 2" of wet white stuff, with some drizzle.  But Daryl and I needed to finish our November match before the end of the month to qualify for all this fame and glory.  Come on guys.  Your weather has to be better than ours and I know a lot of you can really shoot.
Anyway, we shot our 100 yd. targets today and here's how we made out...

Daryl

Chunk:  17/25
Offhand:  19/25
Total:  36/50

He was using his English 14 bore percussion rifle...he may have more to say about it in due course.

Taylor

Chunk:  19/25
Offhand:  23/50
Total:  42/50

I shot my percussion Hawken .62 cal. and only changed three things since the last outing, in an effort to get better accuracy.  I changed patches - went to blue jean denim @ .026" heavily compressed...went to Mr. Flintlock patch lube...used CCI caps instead of Remingtons....and a brand new can from a new case of GOEX 2Fg rather than the GOEX 2Fg Cartridge I used last time.  Ok - 4 things!  Same .613" pure lead ball from a Lyman .610" mould, and 127 gr. powder.

I learned a number of things.  First, believe your sights.  When we arrived the range was already in use, so we used our time prior to setting up our targets by whacking away at the 200 m. steel gong (16" square AR500)  Daryl rarely missed it - OFFHAND!  And I almost never hit it, even off the bench.  So I need a different sight for past 100 yds.
And second, both of us shoot better (today anyway) offhand than we do from a rest.  I hit the 5 'ring' four out of five times shooting offhand, but only twice from a rest.  Mysterious.  And here's the third item I learned.  I Chrono's my load and got 1476 fps.  I switched patches to same weight denim but Winter Weight Windshield Washer Fluid with a little Neatsfoot oil added, and with the same charge, got 1507 fps.  Neither patch lube contaminates the powder, but the home-made stuff gives higher velocity.  That may not be a good thing.  Testing on paper will tell...
And lastly, I up'd my charge to 140 gr. 2Fg GOEX and did better on the two hundred m. plate, but I still will change my sights - I love shooting long range.

I encourage all of you to take part in this event.  Shooting paper tells you infinitely more about you and your rifle than any other kind of practice.

Here's today's Taylor target...

[Daryl]

I am feeling old and feeble.  For some reason, that rifle beat me up today.  I shot poorly today (except for offhand at 200 meters - go figure - 3 in a row then a miss) - at 100 yards on target, I dropped 2 low into the white - from the CHUNK! - then shot 3 centers off hand - go figure- yeah- think that score was 21 - 3 5's and 2, 3's, not 19 - oh well, doesn't matter.  I dropped my charge back down to 82gr. (3drams) as the 140 and 165gr. charges were pounding me badly - can't figure it out - shoulders sore - did move some heavy steel pipe yesterday - maybe that was the start of it?

Anyway - DEC WILL BE BETTER! or not - I might try the .36 rifle bl. and see how that does.  LOL

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Daryl and I have screwed up!!  We shot our 100 yd match on 200 yd targets...our apologies!!

Now we will have to do it again on the 16" square target designed for the purpose.  Again, this is simply a misunderstanding of the rules which I have just now reviewed to discover the error.  No wonder it was such a nice clear sight picture.

[OldMtnMan]

Can I shoot just offhand? It's the only way I shoot and I only own one gun. The GPR. Close as I can get to a Hawken. So, no chunk.

[Daryl]

Done see why not.  We'd both have scored better if that if we'd only shot offhand. Don't know why - however offhand, the balls seemed to fly truer to the what the sights were saying.  The eyes seem to be quite quickly letting me down. Next time, I'll wear the .5 dipoters and see what happens.

[OldMtnMan]

You want to be let down? Try my eyes. I should say eye. I only have one left.