Author Topic: New TVM .62 smoothie  (Read 6675 times)

Offline hanshi

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New TVM .62 smoothie
« on: April 21, 2010, 02:46:35 AM »

It arrived two weeks ago so just working up prb load at present.  Will work up turkey load later.  .62 x 38", dark stained +P stock, Chambers Colonial Va. lock.  It's a plain gun and is meant to work in the field.
!Jozai Senjo! "always present on the battlefield"
Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff.

Offline hanshi

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Re: New TVM .62 smoothie
« Reply #1 on: April 21, 2010, 02:50:03 AM »


The muzzle end.  I took some more pics today that show the rear sight and both sides full length.  Soon as they're downloaded to the computer I'll post again.  Any advice on working up a good prb load?
!Jozai Senjo! "always present on the battlefield"
Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff.

Offline SCLoyalist

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Re: New TVM .62 smoothie
« Reply #2 on: April 21, 2010, 03:00:15 AM »
I've got no real secrets on working up a prb load to share (which may explain why I'm not the North American smoothbore champ), but the article at this link may give you some helpful hints:

http://members.aye.net/~bspen/SmoothboreLoads.html

It's a handsome gun,  looking forward to more pictures.

SCL

Daryl

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Re: New TVM .62 smoothie
« Reply #3 on: April 21, 2010, 07:03:29 PM »
Looking pretty good.
Also looks like it has a nice crown - bit difficult to see, but looks smooth. A smoothly angled crown will allow a wide range of patch thicknesses to be used.  the smooth crown allows the patch to smoothly fold and wrap around the ball as it's seated into the muzzle.

First thing to do, is to measure the bore.  Calipers with small tines will be close enough. Find out what size it is, whether it's .615", or a true .620". No matter what size it is, you can use a ball form .020" to .030" smaller than the bore, quite easily.

A .620" bore can use a .600" ball with about a .017" to .020" patch and shoot well, or a slightly smaller ball at .595" might shot fine with the same patch. A tighter .615" bore might be best with a .590" ball.  My 20, has a slightly choked (American choke) muzzle. The bore itself is .620", with about a .615" muzzle so I shoot a .595" ball with a .0215" to .022" denim patch, measured with a mic. Measured with 2 different makes of calipers, it goes .024" and .028".  I never have to wipe the bore while shooting and the last shot of the day has the same accuracy as the first - loading is unchanged as there is no fouling buildup.

Use a patch thickness that will hold enough lube to keep the fouling soft, so when you load the next one, it cleans the shot just fired. That way, you will never have to clean the bore while shooting.

Some guys use light charges, like 65gr. 2F, which is 2 3/8's drams. This is a good, normal load for use with 7/8oz. shot in a 20 bore, while 75gr. (2 3/4drams)might be a normal load for use with 1oz or even 1 1/8oz. shot. They will also work with round balls, however I've yet to see a 20 bore smoothie that didn't shoot a lot better with at least 3 drams or more using round balls. That is 82gr. or more.  27.3gr. = 1 dram.

I would set up a target at 30 yards or 35 yards and start around 70 or 75gr. 2F, and shoot groups. Since you have 2 sights, that should be easy. You are looking for 1 hole accuracy - 1 to 1 1/8" groups for 5 shots - off the bags. Hold the gun the same as shooting offhand, but resting the back of your left hand (right hand shooter) on a padded rest- sandbags if you have them.  Hold the gun tightly, as if shooting offhand and it will give you virtually identical point of impact as if shooting offhand.  This works for EVERY gun I have, but it must be held tightly.

Adjust your powder charge up in 5 gr. increments.  If round ball use is for hunting deer or black bear mainly, I'd start at 80gr. and go from there until I got great accuracy (for a smooth rifle) - for moose, I'd start at the same and perhaps run as high as about 120gr.  I am interested in what sort of accuracy I can get at 50 to 75 yards, and if shooting tightly enough, might try it out to 100 yards.  Restrict your 'hunting' range to that which you can hold 10" or tighter.

Note that with a smoothbore, the heavier the charge, the farther out the ball gets before doing it's trumpet-end, flight syndrome spinning off somewhere other than where it's pointed.

We have a few guys who shoot light charges in their 20 bores. I've watched these low velocity balls spinning off to impact 1" to 3" off the longer ranged targets, 90 yards or farther. Binoculars show this quite vividly, in the right light. Other times, you can't see the ball's flight. Sometimes they get straight flight, but a lot of drop, then another goes spinning off well away from the target, just like a curve ball thown by a baseball pitcher.   With heavier charges, the balls are seen to  fly quite straight with much less drop.

We use short starters for seating the ball into the muzzle.  If you want to shoot a weaker combination that you can push into the muzzle with your finger, your accuracy will probably suffer, and the bore will foul.  Those are my findings.
« Last Edit: April 21, 2010, 07:07:16 PM by Daryl »

Offline hanshi

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Re: New TVM .62 smoothie
« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2010, 08:05:25 PM »
Daryl, Sc, thanks for the help.  Got some work ahead of me but can you really shooting "work"? 

Your eyes do not deceive you, Daryl; that is a very well done crown.  In fact I wasn't expecting such a nice touch at the muzzle.  I have a good caliper and have been trying to get accurate measurements.  Harder to do than I thought.  I may just have to take a bunch readings and see how they go.  My mold is a .600 Lee.  Pure lead is right at .600 but WW balls are more like .605.  Assuming the bore is .615, I don't have much wiggle room.  If it turns out to be .620 or larger, maybe.  The next smallest Lee mold is .575 which seems too small even for a .615 bore.  Suggestions?
!Jozai Senjo! "always present on the battlefield"
Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff.

Daryl

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Re: New TVM .62 smoothie
« Reply #5 on: April 22, 2010, 07:40:05 AM »
I bought a Tanner mould in .595" fromt he Uk, as the .600"RB DC Lee mould Taylor has, casts .605" X .608".  They load just fine in my gun, but I wanted to try a smaller ball for WW balls, which allow the same thicker patch I prefer.  The .595's work very well in my gun. Jeff will make any size you want, odd or even, doesn't matter.  You'll need normal Lyman, Saeco or RCBS handles for them, though.  If interested, google Jeff Tanner Moulds.
Run the ID measuring tines of the calipers into the muzzle and wiggle them up and down as you put pull back on the button, reading the highest reading. That will occur when the tines are flat & square to the bore's walls, reading the true bore diameter.
« Last Edit: April 22, 2010, 05:29:13 PM by Daryl »

Offline Don Getz

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Re: New TVM .62 smoothie
« Reply #6 on: April 22, 2010, 03:27:48 PM »
I can see why they are rather inexpensive to buy, at least I hope so.............Don

Daryl

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Re: New TVM .62 smoothie
« Reply #7 on: April 22, 2010, 05:32:22 PM »
Talking about the Tanner moulds, Don? - They are turned from brass bar stock on a CNC rig, I assume.  Slotted for handles, and holes drilled and tapped for the screws.  They are simplicity itself, and with proper technique & lead temperature, it is almost impossible to get air holes inside the cavity due to the long sprue shaft and bubble of lead on top.
« Last Edit: April 23, 2010, 04:56:08 PM by Daryl »

Offline Don Getz

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Re: New TVM .62 smoothie
« Reply #8 on: April 23, 2010, 01:13:14 AM »
Daryl...........I wasn't talking about the tanner moulds.  I was just being curious as to what a gun like that sells for?
Don

Offline hanshi

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Re: New TVM .62 smoothie
« Reply #9 on: April 23, 2010, 02:29:26 AM »
Daryl...........I wasn't talking about the tanner moulds.  I was just being curious as to what a gun like that sells for?
Don

Don, if you're referring to the fowler, contact me off forum and I'll be happy to give you the details (I like to talk about guns).  If not, never mind. ;D
!Jozai Senjo! "always present on the battlefield"
Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff.

cheyenne

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Re: New TVM .62 smoothie
« Reply #10 on: April 25, 2010, 06:06:33 PM »
Nice lookin' shooter....should bring you lots of fun time in the field!

Offline hanshi

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Re: New TVM .62 smoothie
« Reply #11 on: April 26, 2010, 12:30:38 AM »
Really thinking hard about springing for a Tanner mold.  For WW I believe a .590 or .595 is the way to go.
!Jozai Senjo! "always present on the battlefield"
Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff.

roundball

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Re: New TVM .62 smoothie
« Reply #12 on: April 26, 2010, 12:40:23 AM »
In case you may be interested and not aware of it, TOW has small packs of round balls so you can buy a few different sizes to experiment with before committing to a large quantity of a particular size or committing to a particular size mould.
« Last Edit: April 26, 2010, 12:41:58 AM by roundball »