AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Black Powder Shooting => Topic started by: Maven on September 02, 2021, 01:22:53 AM
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All, for September, how about we try shooting from a rest (front & rear bags) at 25 yd. at this target: https://www.targetz.com/targetzlib/10098.pdf (page 7) We will be shooting for 5 shots for group, so hits on the paper count. Also, if you're using a rear or aperture sight on your smoothbore, please say so. I'll try this one myself with my T/C .56cal. SB, but only to see whether tow wads are more accurate than a patched RB and I won't put myself in as an "official" entrant. Have fun, and good shooting in the cooler weather!
(https://i.ibb.co/Sc8Gxpf/10098.jpg) (https://imgbb.com/)
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Even though I'm not an official entrant in the September SB Match, I did download and fire at two of this month's targets today. I used a T/C .56cal. SB with adjustable sights and set trigger and a .550" diameter RB that I cast from a Lyman mould. The two targets represent a patched RB on the left and one fired with tow wads fore and aft on the right. Judging from the targets, I could have done better especially considering the front rest and rear bag + rear sight. As for the tow wads, I think if one were to cut and weigh them prior to a range trip it would be a good thing, Damp swabbing the bore after every or every other [tow wad] shot would help too. The powder charge was 80gr. Graf's (Goex) FFg. The targets below represent a patched RB on the left + tow wads on the right. For comparison, there's a third target, fired from my trade gun (no rear sight), kneeling with my right elbow on the bench. All shots were at 25 yd.
(https://i.ibb.co/kGr6TnK/IMG-6434.jpg) (https://ibb.co/51zx3DT)
(https://i.ibb.co/nkGQn0w/img454.jpg) (https://ibb.co/w6kpwLd)
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It's been several months since I participated in our postal match, and the weather has cooled off nicely getting ready for autumn. So I went out Sunday with my PA fowler and some undersized balls. My fowler has no rear sight. I usually shoot .600" balls and a .018" patch but I had some pistol balls at .595" so I used them, and this is the result. Oh, and I used a table and rested on my elbows, no double rest, or bags here. The flier on the right was my fifth shot...bummer.
(https://i.ibb.co/DkRCg5K/image.jpg) (https://ibb.co/sQVwJy3)
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How many of these can we contribute this month?
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Great shooting, Taylor! For some testing, I actually prefer shooting using my right arm and knee for support (i.e., kneeling) rather than a front rest and rear bag. Indeed, since I'm not an entrant in this month's match, I'm going to do just that with the T/C smoothbore, which really doesn't fit me. And yes, I'll also be using an undersized RB.
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Four (4) targets would work for me. After all, we're only shooting for bragging rights and fun.
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Here are two additional, and unofficial, T/C .56ccal. SB targets, shot from a kneeling position with my right arm on the [shooting] bench. Everything was the same as my earlier targets, but I decided to try a .535" RB (Lee mould) +.018" pillow ticking patch against the .550" RB (Lyman mould) + .011" patching and I changed the nipple to one with a smaller orifice. The powder charge was 80gr. Graf's (Goex) FFg as before. My standard patch lube is 1 Ballistol : 6 water, also as before.
The .550" target (left) was the better of the two, but loading the patched .535" ball was so much easier. Because of that, I think I'll eventually retest the smaller RB with some .022" denim I have.
(https://i.ibb.co/4V0QGdb/IMG-6436.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fxTc5v3)
geo file online (https://geojsonlint.com/)
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What is the size of the paper Maven? Brian
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Standard 8 1/2" x 11" Brian. And remember, we're shooting for group, so all 5 shots needn't be in the black. Good luck to you!
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I like this match, Maven.
Its trying the gun rather than just the shooter.
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Thanks, PB! I generally prefer to shoot from a rest (my CF guns have spoiled me!) so that I too can be reasonably sure I'm testing the gun/load/bullet and not my shooting ability or lack thereof.
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I'm BAAAACK! (from the lake)
Hope to shoot this next week. Good match, Maven. ;)
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Thank you, Daryl. I hope you had a great time and caught lots of fish!
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Greetings All,
Today I finally got to the range with a fowler I took delivery on back in June. Below target is shots 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 from it. Center to center of widest shots equals 2.97"
I look forward to more range time with this fowler and more ALR smoothbore matches.
Kevin
(https://i.ibb.co/hfn8cW4/SONY-DSC.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jRx4zMQ)
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Very nice shooting, Kevin!
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Taylor will be home today. We should be able to get out this week, sometime, weather permitting. Got my "stuff" ready to grab and go
along with my table, BR and bags. (legs from Canadian Tire, 3/4" plywood top)
(https://i.ibb.co/vxG194Z/new-bench-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/C5ZBLKh)
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I'm looking forward to seeing your targets, Daryl (and more sibling rivalry between you and Taylor, LOL).
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I'm looking forward to seeing your targets, Daryl (and more sibling rivalry between you and Taylor, LOL).
Oh yes - there is that for sure, every time. ;D
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My 4 entries - not shooting since last spring shows - LOL
Load for the 1st three submissions:
.597" ball
85gr. GOEX 2F
10 ounce denim .021"
Water sol. Oil and water 10:1 lube
Last target marked BB
5 shots taken-one miss.
110gr. 2F GOEX
bare ball
lubed patch(2) over ball to simulate army blanket
That's enough of THAT foolishness for me.
I tried it on 3 targets - this was the best. 2 of them
had a miss. Exactly the same hold as with patched balls.
(https://i.ibb.co/VMJ34pT/25-yard-bench.jpg) (https://ibb.co/HGBX8pq)
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Nice shooting Daryl and very close to, well, you know who. ;)
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Just wait, you ain't seen nothing yet. ;D
I was going to verify Taylor's target as having 5 shots, but we were in a hurry to leave and hit Timmy's for lunch, we forgot.
Yes- it has 5 shots on it. The way the paper tore, failed to register a double,yet it was VERY visible in the coroplast backing we used.
Taylor also tried the bare ball with patch over the ball. His results were not as good as mine were. LOL Actually, I was surprised my
results were as good as they were.
Oh yeah- that right hand flyer in my first group, was the second shot, not a pulled shot on purpose, after all, I was shooting against Taylor. :D
Just goes to show you, if you shoot enough targets, you are bound to get a good one, sooner or later.
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Daryl and I enjoyed a pleasant couple of hours at the range today. We did some experimenting with naked balls, so to speak. We both have abandoned that method of shooting, in favour of the patched variety.
Our loads, as it turns out are almost identical, though our bores are vastly different. Daryl has a 32" barrel with a significant choke at the muzzle, and this permits loading a very tight combination that loads with two fingers on the rod, after passing the choke with a short starter. My PA fowler has a cylinder bore but is silky smooth, and loads easily with just the wooden rod. He shoots 85 gr. FFg and I, 86 gr. FFg both GOEX. He uses 10 oz denim as do I, but today, I used some cloth from a worn out pair of Carhart work pants, and it measures .023" compressed as hard as I can in a pair of Vernier calipers. He used water sol oil and water today, and I used saliva, and we shot balls from the same .595" mold that throws pure lead balls @ .597" x .598". Daryl's ignition seems to me to be quicker than mine.
So here's my today's effort: I will post a full page picture if required to, to show no other shots on the paper. The high shot in this group was first shot out of a clean barrel: I know - a no no!
(https://i.ibb.co/dfYGry1/0-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/3TZB7HG)
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Excellent shooting, Taylor! ;D I have to agree that a patched RB is the way to go in my SB's too. A stout powder charge, e.g., 90gr. FFg, seems to work well with the PRB at longer distances in my trade gun, but as little as 70gr. FFg is good at 25 yd.
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The missing 5th shot, is just barely above the bottom hole in the slot of 4.
Appears obvious to me now that I've had a good look at the target with the
paper flattened out.
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I used my plastic circle grid over the target to pin point the centres of the holes, and made a mark on the paper beneath my target. Then I measured centre to centre on the furthest apart two holes. The weather was coolish and threatening rain, and after this first target, I had serious issues with heat waves distorting the target, and too impatient to let the gun cool right down...no snow banks yet to cool off the barrel, but that's coming.
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I had no trouble seeing that 5th shot, Daryl.
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I got some Smoothbore targets shot. Targets 1-3 were shot with a Fusil de Chasse, no rear sight. I’m working up a PRB load for a new smoothbore pistol so I used that for target #4.
(https://i.ibb.co/vQsW859/82-BE672-B-96-B2-4-BDC-92-D1-E703-DC1-DB08-C.jpg) (https://ibb.co/P9Ty8pk)
(https://i.ibb.co/mTZmC0j/7-C542-E93-053-C-4477-997-B-1205-C433-AFD0.jpg) (https://ibb.co/YQn67XC)
(https://i.ibb.co/nmLfqbL/63673-D4-C-48-DC-4-D4-A-9302-0-A65-B8-A43783.jpg) (https://ibb.co/g9Rwb3R)
(https://i.ibb.co/g3pbP6d/825682-A4-7281-4161-AD3-D-CDB794-E70862.jpg) (https://ibb.co/bPZj27F)
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Center to center measurement of your best target, PK? And very nice work there! ;D
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Center to center measurement of your best target, PK? And very nice work there! ;D
Target #2, 2 1/2”. Thanks.
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Last day for the September SB bench rest match. Thus far there are only 4 participants excluding myself: Taylor and Daryl S, Kevin, and PK. Anyone else?
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I had targets all printed….Nevah made it to the range. It’s always something around here. Looking forward to The October Match
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Sorry to hear that, Nessmuck. And yes, there's always something.... :(
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Well guys, this was an easy match to score as there were only 4 entries, but even given the small sample, there were a few commonalities. To wit, FFg in larger doses was evident, as were SB's with no rear sight. Also, the patched RB was used in 3/4 entries, but in the 4th, there wasn't a difference between it and a bare ball load. Lastly, this match and the one prior to it show how accurate a SB can be, approaching and sometimes virtually equalling that of a rifle. With that said, here are the results (extreme spread, rounded off since 3 decimal points didn't make a difference):
Taylor, 1.37"
PK, 2.50"
Daryl, 2.74"
Kevin, 2.97"
Those results were really close and closer than many would imagine. Congratulations to the participants, and to Taylor, with the smallest group! Thanks for participating and now it's up to Taylor to choose the format of the November frolic.
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Maven: thank you very much for sponsoring this match, and for your analysis of the shooting. I think what you have said bears a lot of merit, showing trends and evidence for better shooting. With that in mind, I think we'll use this same target for October's match, and the same bench rest format, to see what kind of groups folks can wring out of their favourite rifles. And like the Sept event, it'll be for fame, glory, and edification, rather than a material prize.
Submit up to 4 targets...measure centre to centre for group size...five shots on a target...50 yards, rest. Now some prefer X sticks or elbow rest on a table, but a bench with double support is allowed as well. What we're looking for is the best five shot group, anywhere on the paper, that you and your rifle can provide.
Post your loads, rifle, etc. so that comparison can be made, and learning the goal.
My advice: shoot slowly, allow your barrel to cool, avoid sight mirage issues which increase as the barrel heats. (I will try to follow my own advice). Try cleaning between shots and shooting out of a clean barrel for each shot. Also try shooting a fouling shot and then follow up with five shots for score through a fouled barrel. This is an opportunity to discover (again) what works best for you and for your rifle. Have fun!!
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Sounds wonderful, Taylor...and thanks for the compliment!