testing new 45 on bench

[hortonstn]

took my new jp beck to the range sunday,50 degree day, its a 44 inch b weight gm , the first two shoots off bench 55 fff .440 ball shot extremely well, then proceded to .445 and 65fff the rifle grouped well but about 2 inches to right
same ticking was used. question?? i sandbaged the rifle about a foot from the muzzle on both shots is this wrong? should it be where your hand would be on an off hand shot? also i noticed with the increased powder chg the recoil of course was worst Question  how do i control the jerk from the shot to get it back on the center. i don't want the sights off center on the barrell..
hope this makes sense. i wonder how light a load i can shoot at 60 yards
acurately??
thanks for your thoughts
paul

[Gene Carrell]

I always hold the lower forestock just as I would shooting offhand, then rest  the back of my hand  on the sandbag for stability when bench shooting. This way, the rifle will shoot to the same POA as offhand. It does not take much pressure near  the muzzle to move the shot placement  a very noticable distance.  Just my experience.

[smallpatch]

It's way too early to adjust sights.  You need to work up a load that gives the smallest, most consistent groups.  Make sure your patches look good, not tears, burn outs, etc.  When you've achieved what your barrel likes, and you get that smallest, perfect group, then adjust your sights for center.

Make only one change at a time.  Patch thickness, OR, ball size, OR, load.  Decide which group is best, then go with that, adjust your sights accordingly.

Hope that helps.

[smylee grouch]

Paul, when you shoot off of sand bags make sure that the bags have equal sand on both sides of the V or if the bags are full enough that the top of the bags are some what level as recoil will push your shots away from the high side. Yes shoot several loads befor making sight adjustments.  Hope this made sense.  Smylee

[Daryl]

I always hold the lower forestock just as I would shooting offhand, then rest  the back of my hand  on the sandbag for stability when bench shooting. This way, the rifle will shoot to the same POA as offhand. It does not take much pressure near  the muzzle to move the shot placement  a very noticable distance.  Just my experience.

Ditto - this is the way I hold most of my rifles as well, when shot off sand bags.

When shooting off a chunk prone with the .40 cal., I found resting the rifle at the second entry pipe on the bag gave the same poi as offhand.

As noted, find the accuracy load, then adjust the sights. Adjusting both front and rear can reduce the amount a single sight is off centre.

Shooting as described by Gene, will give a better idea where the rifle is actually shooting, then merley letting it bounce on the bags.

[The other DWS]

Bench rest competitors have learned that barrel movement due to recoil and the movement of the ball up the barrel can create a combination of harmonic vibrations that can do strange things with bullets or balls.  Resting the forend directly on the sandbags,  in the proper vibration nodes (if you can find them) may produce smaller groups, but they will be irrelevant to the way you shoot under other circumstances when you are hand holding the rifle.  
As little time as it seems to take for the ball to get out of the muzzle after tripping the trigger, there is more than enough time for us  to add all sorts of negative inputs with our follow through, trigger control, breathing, our actual seating position etc etc.   This is true even with 3/4000 FPS high velocity target rifles and very much more so with black powder arms with longer barrels and slower velocities.
Unless you are getting into flintlock bench-rest competition about the best you can do is to use the bench rest/sandbags as a steady rest to stabilize your forend-holding hand and make everything else as absolutely consistent as possible.

[Mike R]

took my new jp beck to the range sunday,50 degree day, its a 44 inch b weight gm , the first two shoots off bench 55 fff .440 ball shot extremely well, then proceded to .445 and 65fff the rifle grouped well but about 2 inches to right
same ticking was used. question?? i sandbaged the rifle about a foot from the muzzle on both shots is this wrong? should it be where your hand would be on an off hand shot? also i noticed with the increased powder chg the recoil of course was worst Question  how do i control the jerk from the shot to get it back on the center. i don't want the sights off center on the barrell..
hope this makes sense. i wonder how light a load i can shoot at 60 yards
acurately??
thanks for your thoughts
paul

to address some of your other questions:  I have seen 50 gr fffg and a .440 ball make tight groups at 60 yds with a couple of different barrel makes.  Your 65 gr fffg and .445 ball is my hunting load and groups very well in my old Green River barreled .45 [under 1" at 50 yds].   I won two local club shoots with the .440 and 50 gr load offhand at 35 yds a while back. O fcourse patching and lube are also key parameters specific to your barrel.

[Daryl]

With a water based lube, my .45 rifle (60" twist) likes 55gr. of both 3F or 2F.  I use .445" balls and 10ounce denim at about .0225".  

If using a slippery LHV lubed patch, I must use 75gr. 3f or 85gr. 2F to maintain it's excellent accuracy.  Both of the latter loads exceed 2,200fps

[Roger Fisher]

My ol rifle needs to rest on her center pipe X stix, log or bench with not too solid nor soft rest bag or carpet or whatever.  She is a .45 now closer to a .46. .454 ball .018 patch and spit lube.  She has served me well.   Make sure your bag or other rest under the rifle does not allow the rifle to skid around sideways on ignition. 

[hortonstn]

roger,
thats exactley what is happening the rifle skids to the right how do i stop it?
paul

[Daryl]

I use a V bag, that cradles the sides of the barrel when shooting off a chunk, so the gun cannot move sideways. When shooting of the bench, I'd control of the rifle in my left hand. Follow through is of the utmost importance.