The "Mongrels" first range outing and some questions

[Scout]

My first range outing with my "Mongrel". It started off with good intent to become a Verner rifle but after I was told by veteran builders I had pretty much bitten off more than I could chew, I built her to the best of my abilities without patchbox and carvings etc. I'll leave that stuff to the pros, no sense destroying a nice piece of maple.

Anyways I won't call it a "fantasy" rifle as that sure didn't apply, it has the wrong TG, pipes etc. to make it correct.
I will post pics of her as soon as I find a nice backdrop to take them.

So heres what she did on the range with OE powder, it has a .45 GM barrel.

I shot many different loads as far as powder charge and it seemed to shoot best ( most consistant ) with 65 grs. of 3F Olde Eynsford, .445 cast ball, .20 pillow ticking patch, Hoppes Plus as a lube ( wet patch ). Off bags at 50 yards it shoots OK.
My aimpoint was about 4" below center at 6 O'clock as I knew it shot high from the FS height.

My question is when I shot at 100 yards and aimed deadnuts center target it still shot high.
I think I'm gonna take a 16th off the FS to get it closer.
I thought for sure the ball would drop a bit at 100 yards and be close if I aimed center.

I'm gonna take my first hog with her in Gulf Hammock next week. I'll post when that happens.

[Scott Bumpus]

taking off metal from the front sight will raise point of impact.  remove metal from rear sight will lower point of impact.

[SCLoyalist]

Assuming you're getting around 1750 fps muzzle velocity (which may or may not be a good assumption for O.E.),  and at 50 yards are hitting 4" above point of aim, my ballistics tables say  you'd be hitting 2-1/2" above point of aim at 25 and 2.6 inches high at 100 yards, relative to point of aim.

A taller front sight, for the same sight picture, would lower points of impact, which sounds like what you need.  For a sight radius of 30" (and your sight radius no doubt varies), an extra 1/16" of front sight height would lower point of impact by 2" at 25 yds, 4" at 50 yds, 8" at 100 yards.  You could experiment with a little JB weld on the front sight to make it taller and see if you like the resulting trajectory better or less.   Since front sights are fairly cheap, I'd favor putting a new taller one on rather than filing down the rear sight.

Good luck, SCL



   

[moleeyes36]

Scout,

I don't know if you lapped the bore when you built the gun or how many shots you've put through it.  GM barrels are generally good shooters but to get best accuracy they usually work better when lapped or broken in some with about a hundred shots or so. 

I'd go with SCL's suggestion of putting on a taller front sight instead of filling on the rear sight.  Front sights are not only cheaper, but they're easier to file evenly.  But before you go filing too much, make sure your barrel is broken in and you've gotten a load worked out that consistently gives you good groups. 

Mole Eyes

[Scout]

Thanks for the tips. I have 27 shots thru the barrel as of today. Whats the skinny on lapping a new BP barrel? Is it similar to a centerfire rifle ? I lapped in a bolt a few years ago on an M14 but never did a barrel.

SCLoyalist: the .40 shoots great.

[WadePatton]

... Whats the skinny on lapping a new BP barrel? ...

here are some words with regard to that:
http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=27509.0

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=10101.0

HTH

[moleeyes36]

Thanks for the tips. I have 27 shots thru the barrel as of today. Whats the skinny on lapping a new BP barrel? Is it similar to a centerfire rifle ? I lapped in a bolt a few years ago on an M14 but never did a barrel.

SCLoyalist: the .40 shoots great.

Scout,

If you follow the links that Wade supplied you'll see several ways of lapping a barrel.  I prefer pouring a lead plug and lapping with fine valve grinding compound, as suggested in one of the links, on barrels that haven't had the breech plug fitted yet.  With a finished gun it's much easier to use the fire lapping method than it is to remove the breech plug and do it that way. 

Mole Eyes

[SCLoyalist]

Scout: good to hear the .40 is still in service.

[Scout]

Scout: good to hear the .40 is still in service.

Without a doubt. It's tied with my .45 flint that I just built as my favorite. I love my caplock Hawkens and the beautiful .50 cal flint Bedford Gary Rummel built but theres something about the simple, no frills type of rifle I like a little bit better.

Maybe I need to spend more time with the Bedford. 

[jamesthomas]

 Scout, I just used just some 0000 steel wool an ran up an down my barrel about 20 times, helped a lot, it quit tearing patches as much an a 100 rounds finished the job. Green mountain barrel has about 15oo through so far.

[Daryl]

Well done, Scout.

I think you meant that you used a .020" patch, not a .20" patch.
 
Looks pretty good, especially for a new barrel.  The guys are spot-on about your sights.  

My own .45 GM barrel, with slippery lubed patch, preferred 75gr. 3F GOEX and 85gr. 2F GOEX - same .445 ball and 10 ounce denim patch, which I measure at .0225", giving identical accuracy and point of impact.  My rifles are shot without any wiping from the first shot of the day, to the last shot of the day- whether it's only 30 shots or 100.  Wiping is not needed at any time.  

The speed for those loads was just over 2,100fps  IIRC  - might have been 2,200fps or that number might have been the .40 barrel with 65gr. and 75gr., 3F and 2F respectively.  In th e.40, I used .400" RB's and a .020" pocket drill cotton patch, or the same 10 ounce denim.  What is important, was that both barrels gave me 5-shot, sub 1" (well under) groups at 50 yards off the bags.

[Scout]

Daryl, you are correct, it is a .020 patch.

Anyways I got the sights squared away, I dropped the rear down a bit. The pic shows the results of the change.
Thanks to all for the help.

[Candle Snuffer]

That's looking good, Scout!   I really like my .45 Green Mountain Barrels.