TVM .40 Percussion Range Report

[RANGER94]

This is a follow up to my recent post: Cleaning Between Shots?

36 degrees, Windy.

50 yard range, from a bench.

TVM 40 Percussion

Night Before ( I have bad habit of over oiling my guns):
1)   Run Dry Patch
2)   Run Alcohol Patch – wipe lock & eta down with Alcohol.
3)   Run Dry Patch

1)   Used 1 inch Arch Punch on 100% cotton, 10oz natural bull denim (Joanne's Fabric store).
2)   Soaked patches in altoid container with water (75%) and Ballistol (25%) mixture.
3)   Used 40 grains, 45 grains, & 50 grain charges of 3F.
4)   Squeezed patches back into container.
5)   Used .395 Hornady balls.
6)   Major Beast getting them to seat in the barrel, had to use a piece of wood to whack to the short starter to get them down the shoot.  Could not get it started by hand, however, once past the short starter length, no issues with using the range rod.
7)   Shot about 25 times, no problems with misfires, nor dirty barrel.
   Tuff to judge accuracy due to winds.
9)   40 grains 7 oclock at 7 inches low.  45 grains 7 oclock at 6 inches low.  50 grains 6 oclock about 5 inches low (directly under bullseye).
10)   Next trip:  55 grains & 60 grains.

I really want to thank everyone in this forum for their help and assistance.  I was definitely doing some things incorrectly before everyone gave me great advice.  Special shout out to Daryl, who coached me through numerous issues.  DARYL - I cannot thank you enough!!!!

Ranger94

[smylee grouch]

Try smoothing the crown, that should help with starting the tight load.

[alacran]

i am assuming that you are doing five shot groups with each load to determine which gives you the tightest group. If that is so where the groups are . is irrelevant. Once you establish your your best load , you can adjust your sights.
The size of your group is more important than where your group is.

[RANGER94]

i am assuming that you are doing five shot groups with each load to determine which gives you the tightest group. If that is so where the groups are . is irrelevant. Once you establish your your best load , you can adjust your sights.
The size of your group is more important than where your group is.

YUP - that’s the plan.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I have three .40's and they all get the same load, ie:  65 gr. FFFg GOEX, .395" ball from a single cavity Lyman mould, .018" denim patch, and any lube (mink oil, spit, moose milk, water soluble oil and water, ballisol/water, LV, etc.

[Daryl]

Ranger94 - I am glad you are having better results, however I am  concerned over your difficulty getting the loads started.
If the muzzle's condition is as we discussed in PM's, I am puzzled.  However, do as you have to, in order get the ball's started.
What do the recovered patches look like? No holes and no brown scorch marks running radially out to the edges?
Daryl

[smylee grouch]

Some fabrics have "sizing" in them and that makes them very stiff,  a washing usually helps with that and the fabric can conform better as you start the ball which should help.

[RANGER94]

Ranger94 - I am glad you are having better results, however I am  concerned over your difficulty getting the loads started.
If the muzzle's condition is as we discussed in PM's, I am puzzled.  However, do as you have to, in order get the ball's started.
What do the recovered patches look like? No holes and no brown scorch marks running radially out to the edges?
Daryl

Thanks Daryl - I did not think to recover the patches. But I will.

I was not sure if the challenge of seating the ball could be the cold?  I was using water and ballistic mix.

[RANGER94]

Some fabrics have "sizing" in them and that makes them very stiff,  a washing usually helps with that and the fabric can conform better as you start the ball which should help.

Great point. The fabric is stiff.

[Daryl]

Sorry- thought we covered that. I always wash the material I buy, twice. First time with soap, hard spin with extra rinse and second time, the complete cycle, extra rinse and hard spin, without soap.

[RANGER94]

Roger!  Will give that a try. Thanks so much for all of the help!   

[LuVerne Schumann]

I'm assuming since it's TVM you are using a Colerain barrel.

Their .40 barrels, combined with .395 round ball, require a really thin patch. I found some old handkerchiefs that were thin enough to easily start.

I experience minimal fouling even during long range sessions (o/a 50 shots).

I don't swab between shots, partly through the morbid curiousity of finding out how much you need to shoot for fouling to become a problem.

[smylee grouch]

LuVerne: If your not getting any fouling using that thin patch with a deep grove barrel (Colerain ) I am really surprised. It has been just the reverse for me.

[hanshi]

The .40 is as accurate as any other caliber I've fired.  I have a "B" wgt Green Mountain .40, and with the crown having been polished long ago it loads nicely with a .390" ball and a good thick patch.  I'm about to start experimenting with a .400" ball and the same patch.  It's just taking a looong time to do what used to take no time at all.
.390" ball, 30 grains 3F and a thick patch, 25 yds.  Great squirrel load.  Everyday load is 40 grns 3F and serious load is 60 grns 3F.

[Daryl]

One "thing' about the small calibres, is there is very little lead to move to fit tightly, when using decent patch material.
In the .32, .36 and .40's I've had, I found bore sized balls, ie: .320", .360" and .400" loaded just about as easily as balls
that were .005" smaller than the bore. Indeed, the .40 I had, had a .398" bore.
In every one of these, a bore sized ball and 8 ounce (.019/.020") denim patch can be pushed into the bore with just wrist pressure on the
starter's handle, no blows needed, then loaded onto the powder with a 5/16" hickory rod.
Those crowns: .32, .36 & .40.





english to binary

[Mule Brain]

I think you should try a thinner patch as well

My .40, likes .390 ball, and 0.18 pillow ticking patch. I run 40 grains of fff in it.

The .40 shoots the flattest trajectory of anything I have shot

I get good accuracy as well with .395 as well.

Here is my 100yd off hand with it, and I still need a lot more practice

 



My friend who is a champion shooter picked the target up, and asked me what I used. I said a caplock, and he dropped the target and chuckled. I get a kick out of his flintlock snobbery   

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

That's exceelent work @ 100 yards offhand MB!  You should be entering the monthly Covid Postal matches, my friend.

[Mule Brain]

That's exceelent work @ 100 yards offhand MB!  You should be entering the monthly Covid Postal matches, my friend.

I was thinking about doing that, and who doesn't need more range time.

[MuskratMike]

Looks like you're headed in the right direction. I love my .40 Kibler SMR that Jim made up for me. I also use .395 Hornady round balls but I use .012 pillow ticking greased with T.O.T.W. Mink oil/grease. Deadly accurate and easy to load. I did cone the barrel after I got it. Made loading much easier with no decrease in accuracy. For loads I use 40 grains of Goex 3F if paper shooting and close targets on trail walks. 60 grains of Goex 3F for longer shots on trail walks and all hunting.

[TonyM]

Mike Belle used to shoot a .420 ball in Hoppy Hopkins(H & H) barrels. Teflon lubed patch...way back when

[Daryl]

Many competition shooters use over sized balls and teflon patching, oft times up to .022" thick which requires wiping and drying between shots.
We prefer to do ALL of the wiping (cleaning & drying) after getting home with the dirty rifle.  While at the range, we'd rather shoot
than clean. Thus, we use a ball .010" to .005" under bores size as well as a patch .018" to .022" thick. If using smaller balls than that, & I do in the .69, I increase
the patch thickness to well over .030" (14oz denim).

[Leatherbark]

 I see the use of oversize balls and teflon patching at NMLRA shoots.  It looks like the extra thick balls are actually being swaged into small bullets with the larger diameter causing the bearing surface to be longer.  The really thick and tightly woven teflon covered patching needed to survive the hammer blows while seating the ball and a steel rod required to seat the ball. The top shooters using this combo beat the pants off of use regular ticking guys.  The not so good shooters using this combo and cant hit very well because of other variables are wasting their time.  Only after you have squeezed all the accuracy out of whatever load you use will this help to eek out some extra accuracy I believe.  Especially the big barreled bench guns.
I like my rifles I use in offhand competition to also be used for general shooting and hunting without having to use a hammer in the woods.

To me offhand accuracy is relative to the target you are aiming at.  If it is a black bullseye I strive to get all the shots in the black as  a win win.  IF I had young eyes I might strive to aim better to get more X's.

Bob

[Herb]

Many competition shooters use over sized balls and teflon patching, oft times up to .0922" thick which requires wiping and drying between shots.
We prefer to do ALL of the wiping (cleaning & drying) after getting home with the dirty rifle.  While at the range, we'd rather shoot
than clean. Thus, we use a ball .010" to .005" under bores size as well as a patch .018" to .022" thick. If using smaller balls than that, & I do in the .69, I increase
the patch thickness to well over .030" (14oz denim).

Now, that is thick, .0922"..

[Daryl]

OOPS - corrected - don't know how that 9 got in there.