.32 Tenn Rifle

[Daryl]

I did some range testing last Sunday with Taylor. He was testing some hunting loads in his .60 Jaeger, while I shot the Sharon barrel'd .32 Tenn. rifle.

 I started at 25 yards and had no trouble putting 5 out of 5 into 1/2" to 3/4", with from 25 to 35gr. 3F. I was using some .020" denim (10oz) for patches and spit for lube. At 50 yards, I also shot 25, 30, 35 and 40gr. The 35gr. load shot best, with 5 going into 1", while the 30gr. load opened to 2 1/2" and 25gr. load to about 4". The 40gr. load put 5 into 2", almost the same as the 30gr. charge, so 35 seems to be 'the load' so far.  I put three down on a 100 meter target with 35gr. just to see if I could hit the paper in the wind, and was rewarded with a lousy 5" group, oh well.  I need to test some different patching for grouping as the current stuff loads very easily, but the fired patches appear re-usable, so perhaps that 's the best I can do with this rifle, with these V and blade open sights.  I'd like to get better grouping at 50 yards and beyond - maybe this barrel won't or I can't do that.

I found it interesting that 25gr. seemed to be slightly better at 25 yards, however failed so badly at 50.  This does seem the trend wit most rifles I've tested at both ranges, though, but the difference was more than I had anticipated.  I still haven't gotten around to measuring the rifling twist.

[eagle24]

Daryl,

I know you guys have been at this for years and know far far far more than I will ever know, but I have a .32 that I got from Curt Lyles.  Patch lube by far makes the biggest difference in mine over any other load variable.  As much as a 1 hole group at 25 yards to a 3/4" group with the same load and a different lube.  Interesting, I have a .50 that patch lube seems to make virtually no difference from one to another.

[Daryl]

Thanks for adding to this thread, GHall - I will certianly try some different lubes in this rifle - maybe tomorrow if the weather clears up.   Spit has worked in all rifles I've tested it in, so that's where I started.  Other's experience with the small bores is important to me and I welcome their input. 

Some of my rifles are very picky on lubes, to the tune of 15gr. 3F and 20gr. difference of 2F for accuracy loads, same rifle.   The 14 bore doesn't care much, maybe 1/2" higher at 50 yards with slippery lube, butt he acuracy remains the same. Same with the .58, but the smaller bores are the picky ones.  The .45 needs minor changes in the load and .40 needs more. Of course, I should have thought of changing lubes while at the range, I had mink oil, neetsfoot oil, Hoppe's 9 plus and my -45 windshield wsher fluid wit soap - you'd think I'd have tried something different, but it took over 75 shots just to get a reliable test with spit.

Next time, I'll go through the run of different powder charges with something different - probably the Mink oil and see if it allows a buildup of fouling - kinda doubt it but testing is the only way to tell for sure.  One of my test criterias for a 'trail' rifle, is that it must not foul and give the sme accuracy with the 75th shot as the first and second. Most change POI after the first shot, but some don't. The first shot with spit for lube in the .32, struck 3/4" high at 25 yards - easy to hold for.

[eagle24]

Daryl,

I sort of "backed into" the lube thing with my .32.  It was just a coincidence that the first time I shot it I used a lube that seems to work best.  When I couldn't come close to getting the tight groups later, I finally realized the lube was the only variable.

Out of curiosity, have you found lubes to make much difference across the board?  What I mean is do most of your rifles shoot differently with different lubes?  or would you say most of the time the lube doesn't make a great deal of difference?  I only have experience with 2 rifles, one of which I haven't really found a load that yields an impressive group yet.  It may be that it is just an average shooter, I don't know.

Greg

[Daryl]

Thanks for adding to this thread, GHall - I will certianly try some different lubes in this rifle - maybe tomorrow if the weather clears up.   Spit has worked in all rifles I've tested it in, so that's where I started.  Other's experience with the small bores is important to me and I welcome their input.  

Some of my rifles are very picky on lubes, to the tune of 15gr. 3F and 20gr. difference of 2F for accuracy loads, same rifle.   The 14 bore doesn't care much, maybe 1/2" higher at 50 yards with slippery lube, but the accuracy remains the same. Same with the .58, but the smaller bores are the picky ones.  The .45 needs minor changes in the load and .40 needs more. Of course, I should have thought of changing lubes while at the range, I had mink oil, neetsfoot oil, Hoppe's 9 plus and my -45 windshield wsher fluid wit soap - you'd think I'd have tried something different, but it took over 75 shots just to get a reliable test with spit.

Next time, I'll go through the run of different powder charges with something different - probably the Mink oil and see if it allows a buildup of fouling - kinda doubt it but testing is the only way to tell for sure.  One of my test criterias for a 'trail' rifle, is that it must not foul and give the sme accuracy with the 75th shot as the first and second. Most change POI after the first shot, but some don't. The first shot with spit for lube in the .32, struck 3/4" high at 25 yards - easy to hold for.

[northmn]

I had 32's in a Douglass barrel 1-66 and in a Montana or maybe Sharon?  with a 1-48.  Really was not all that much difference.  I used a 319 ball and very tight patching and could do pretty well with it.  I won a rifle aggregate at a range wheere the longest shot was 75 yards and protected by trees.  I could ring gongs with it at longer ranges (if you could hear or see the hits)  A 45-50 grain roundball has its limitations and the small bores have a poor surface area to volume ratio which limits their use to closer ranges.  Mine used 25 grains very well up close but had to have 35 grains for the longer distances.  Also as you have learned, small bores are more "fussy" than a large bore.  Your example of lubes is one case, another is that 2 grains of powder variation or ball weight in a 50 doesn't mean much, it may start in a small bore.  They are fun.  It is especially pleasing to cut a playing card with one or some such thing against larger bores with their "advantage".  Not getting the dickens kicked out of you is another.  Have fun with it.

DP

[Daryl]

Shot for a while last Sunday with the .32 using mink oil - until I broke the rod - not paying attention. The rod that came with it was ramin - a poor choice for small diameter rods.  I'd left the hickory rod at home - of course. Bend a ramin rod a bit too far and it snaps off straigth across. Better for the hand, but very much weaker than hickory- especially when the rod has a large diameter pin through it, holding the long brass 'end' on - that's where it broke - at the ferrle, down to the cross pin.
The mink oil loaded extremely well for the 25 or so shots I did get off before breaking the rod.  Loading was easy and never more difficult than the first one. No wiping, of course.  Fired patches are reusable - if you can find them - they are only the size of a dime and hide well in the weeds.

[northmn]

I saw a friend buy a new hickory rod.  He liked to mark his load so that he knew whether the ball was seated so he ringed it slightly with his patch knife at load level.  Never saw a more clean break staright across before nor since.  The rod had not been treated, just a new rod, no tip for loading. 

DP

[Daryl]

A thin felt pen works just fine for marking a rod, to be replenished if and when needed. Can't imagine cutting it - not good, but the blunter breaks usually don't go completely through your hand & out the other side, only through the palm, generally.   Either way, this invariably causes a greasy rod from the blood because no matter how hard you try, wrapping it up in a piece of patch material won't stop all the bleeding when you can continue shooting.   I speaks from experience.

[Daryl]

I measured my 32's rifling twist the other day - it's 58 1/2" to 59 1/2".  It is possible they wanted a 56" and ended up with what I measured, or - there was some minor slip in my patched jag as I pulled and pushed it inside the bore. I checked the twist both ways, going in and coming out - 1 inch more (faster) twist going in.  The rifling is too deep for being button'd and is perfectly smooth - no ripples, no tight spots.  It is also possible it was suppoed to be a 60" and the 1" to 2" difference is merely mechanical slop in the system. Now, I'm not sure this is a Sharon barrel - grooves are narrow, compared to the lands, not the optimum situation, but it loads and seems to shoot just fine.  I'm looking forward to the next bench session.

[frogwalking]

Ramin Noodles, Yes; Ramrods, No.

TOW's worst idea. 

[Birddog6]

I saw a friend buy a new hickory rod.  He liked to mark his load so that he knew whether the ball was seated so he ringed it slightly with his patch knife at load level.  Never saw a more clean break staright across before nor since.  The rod had not been treated, just a new rod, no tip for loading. 

DP

I have been shooting BP for over 35 years & have owned over a hundred BP rifles that I have built or bought.    Of all of those rifle I have broken 2 Ramrods.  One was loading a minnie ball back in 1978 & the ramrod had runout near the end, split & ran thru the palm of my hand.  The other one was in 1998 and it was a tapered RR  on a lil Tennessee rifle, the tip having a ring cut in it for the load mark. Broke off flush at the load mark........
  IMHO, cutting a ring in a RR is a mistake.  As it definitely makes a weak spot there.  You may get by with it on a large RR, but on a small one like a 5/16" or a tapered one, you are at risk of it breaking.  If you feel you need a mark, make a Very Shallow scallop cut out of the rod, NOT a ring cut around the rod.  I don't think ya need one at all, but some insist on having them.

[Daryl]

   I don't think ya need one at all, but some insist on having them.

Total agreement here. You can feel when the ball is on the powder - if not, your load needs development in the patch thickness and amount of lube arena.  The ball goes down so easily, it bumps when it compresses the powder. Do it identically each time you load and the best accuracy that load will deliver is yours.