Finally!

[BarryE]

After a bit of flailing about with different sized ball, patches and powders, I think I finally got it.  62 caliber smoothbore,   FF Swiss powder and a 10 thousands patch.

 Has anyone ever noticed that you tend to shoot groups away from the side the sun is shining from?

[rich pierce]

Nice gun, nice shooting, and yes, sun from the side moves your view of where the front sight is.

[Brokennock]

Nice gun. Yes, the angle of the sun on the sights is well documented. Luckily for load development we are looking at group size, not placement.
How far was the target?
Have you tried no patch, just placing the ball between a lubed wad and a wad or card to hold it in? One of my smoothbores prefers a p.r.b. of .600 ball and .010 patch. The other would not shoot what I felt was an acceptable group at 50 yards with any patch combo I tried, okay groups at 25, then out at 50 they fell apart. But, oddly, the loosest p.r.b. combo I tried shot best, so I tried the wad and ball method I'd heard so many speak of.

[BarryE]

I used a .600 ball and it was loose.  This has an FCI barrel, and Charley said it is .62" on the money.  The range was 50 yards.  I noticed that Swiss has more energy than an equivalent load of GOEX.  I hope to use this in the PA muzzleloader season coming up in a few days.  I have a 45 cal that I also built which has  dead on accuracy and repeatability that I built for deer, and has not yet been used.  Decisions, decisions....

[Daryl]

For 50 yards, that is very good indeed, much better than I'd have thought with such a loose combination.
Well done.

[flinchrocket]

I may have to buy one of those!
How long is the barrel?

[BarryE]

Thanks Daryl!  It does pretty good.
Flinchrocket, it has a 46 1/2" barrel made after an original gun by Jacob Altland.  A fellow I know owns the original and graciously allowed me to measure and photograph it.

[BarryE]

Brokennock.  Bare ball did not work in this rifle.  Also I tried various ball sizes, charges, powders, additionally patches, and variations of wads, and it would not shoot a group.  I was happy to find something that seems to be consistent.

[flinchrocket]

Thanks Barry, are you using a rear sight or just the front?

[BarryE]

It's a smoothrifle so it has a rear sight.

[Brokennock]

I'd be hard pressed not to hunt with that smoothrifle. Can we please se more pictures of her?
Any chance you can show the pics you took of the original?

[BarryE]

Brokennock,  Look up my post of April 14 this year in the gun builders section.  There is a complete set of photos there.  Let me know what you think!

[BarryE]

Brokennock, check your PM.