Advice on sighting in Kibler Woodsrunner

[idustin3]

Hi everyone. I’m brand new to the American longrifle community. I recently finished a Kibler Woodsrunner kit, and it came out absolutely beautiful. I have never sighted in a fixed sight gun before. I am looking for advice on where to start. I would like to sight it in for 100 yards, but should I start closer and work my way out? And should I wait on load development closer in or at 100 yards? Thanks in advance for any advise that can be given!

[Stoner creek]

Start easy. From rest at 25 yards. Get it shooting at 12:00 o clock in the 10 ring. Don’t be satisfied with the first day of practice. Light and wind will affect your point of impact. Take at the very minimum 2 days to get it shooting where you want. After that you can start playing around with loads and ball patch combinations. I would not try to get it zero at 100 yards to start. It will drive you crazy 🤪!!
Best of luck!!!
W

[recurve]

first get a great group/load I don't care where on the target it groups as long as  it is a tight and repeatable group

use a stable bench  a start at 25 yrds then get good group then try at 50 then ( the above is a green mtn barrel like yours) at 100(this will tell how good a load you have)

this is the sight in group the top photo is the load workup then moved to 100 top 2 were high adjusted sights to the good group

if it's a 50cal I like to start with 70grns of 3f( I like swiss) 10oz denim patch and a  good lube I use mutton tallow

[smylee grouch]

Recurve is spot on . find the best shooting group first then move the sights.

[Daryl]

I would suggest the load combination recurve suggested  but that all load combination development be done at 50yds or more. 25 yards is not the range for development of loads.
I would also suggest you do a search for muzzle crowns then follow suggestions for smoothing the crown.
Best wishes in your road to success.
As far as lube goes, for a hunting load  use Neetsfoot oil or Track's Mink oil. Saturate the patches  the squeeze out the excess back into the container. To apply mink oil, I heat it, then dockage patches in the liquid, then squeeze out the excess when using precut patches.
For simple target shooting, spit works as well as anything else, just many use other water based lubes, some with water soluble oil and water others with plain water or other concoctions.

[grouse]

Have you shot a flintlock before?
If not,put up a sheet of plywood with a 10 inch bullseye and have fun for a few days
learning how to load and getting use too the flash of a flintlock.
It is of no use moving the sights if you are yanking on the trigger!

[Hawg]

You will likely need a taller rear sight unless Kibler has already swapped out the old sights for new ones. Like everybody else said start at 25 yards for groups and then work on distance.

[J.D.]

Have you shot a flintlock before?
If not, put up a sheet of plywood with a 10 inch bullseye and have fun for a few days
learning how to load and getting use too the flash of a flintlock.
It is of no use moving the sights if you are yanking on the trigger!

 

 Also cut a wooden "flint" to clamp in the jaws of the cock, to practice dry fire with, off hand. I suggest dry fire practice for about 15 minutes, at least once a day for a few weeks to get used to the action of the lock. Hold the rifle steady, for a slow count of five, while focusing on the front sight and follow through, as the shot breaks. Better yet, say to yourself, hold, hold, hold; Follow through, follow through, follow through, while keeping the sights aligned, after the shot breaks, before letting the gun down.   
J.D.

[Hawg]

You must have a slow firing lock. Mine requires no follow through.

[Scota4570]

I agree, start at 25 yards, off the bench, double rested.  I like to work oup loads starting with a likely good patch ball combo.  Then increase the charge with each group.  Say, 60, 65, 70,  and 75.  I often see the groups string up and down with the low charges, then tighten, then blow out larger when the optimal charge is exceeded.  After that charge is pinopinted mess with patches, lubes and ball sizes. 

Sighting in, see my sketch.  I used to measure, or guess.  Now I move the sights base on the center of the group relative to the sights.  IF it were possible to put the rifle in an immobile vice, you could sight  in with one group.  You could fire the group then modify/ move  the sights to point to the group without moving the rifle.  That is not possible with this kind of rifle. 

I now move the sights as best I can based on the sight picture.  In the picture the sight need to be moved side-side a little over one front sight width.  It was shooting low so the front sight gets filed lower to raise the point of impact.  I am pretty sure the front sights supplied are made to be a little tall so they can be filed.  Getting a new rear sight is the hard way.   

[J.D.]

You must have a slow firing lock. Mine requires no follow through.

As  former high power rifle competitor, I learned that every single shot requires follow through, no matter how fast the lock time. Some folks might have a shorter follow through than others, but every single shot requires some sort of follow through, for best results.

When instructing new shooters, especial new flint lock shooters, who invariably flinch with nearly every shot, until they learn the muscle memory to avoid said flinch. Focusing on continued sight alignment and follow through while dry firing instills that muscle memory working to control the flinch reflex.
J.D.

[Stoner creek]

Those locks aren’t slow…….. If they are slow I would bet on operator error.  If they are truly slow send it back and it will return fast. 

[Hawg]

As  former high power rifle competitor, I learned that every single shot requires follow through,

I shot 1000 yd. competition altho informally with a 30-06. Once you feel the recoil the bullet is gone. I see no point in follow through. I can see doing it with a flintlock that has a slow lock time just to make sure the ball is on it's way but a fast lock not so much. 

[Scota4570]

Follow through is part of my ritual.  By emphasizing it I fight the flinch.  One tip I got from a distinguished high master shooter was to hold the trigger back between shots in the rapids.  That is part of the follow through.  That really upped my game.  That, with other techniques, has me cleaning the rapids on occasion. 

IT is vital with any ML, or any gun for that matter,  to not flinch.  Most people do, even if they don't realize it.  Notice how they flinch when a miss-fire happens?  Even a blink is a flinch.  When shooting a ML I hold the trigger back and let the recoil do it's thing while I try to freeze in place.   IT may look a little odd but it pays off for me. 

[smylee grouch]

I guess everyone is entitled to their opinions. You can put me in the follow through is important  camp.   

[Hawg]

I put a taller rear sight on mine but hadn't sighted it in yet. I had a target on a cardboard box with a brick in the bottom. I shot it with no follow through and hit a little left of center. My son in law shot it with follow through and destroyed the brick in the bottom of the box. The fat ass in the red T shirt is me.

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/OXAm0Mh.mp4" title="source: imgur.com" />

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/H0SOsaw.mp4" title="source: imgur.com" />

[Pete G.]

When you learn follow thru you will also notice your hand gun score will rise.

[Hawg]

When you learn follow thru you will also notice your hand gun score will rise.

I competed in CAS. That's not likely to happen. I've been a handgun shooter for almost 60 years.

[Scota4570]

Apples and Oranges.  CAS is not an accuracy game. 

[Hawg]

Apples and Oranges.  CAS is not an accuracy game.

No but it is a speed game and you might not believe how easy it is to miss but I'll shut up about it.

[WadePatton]

Follow through has always served me well and was instrumental for me to extend my follow through when I transitioned to flintlocks. It was significantly shorter with moderns (from sporter bench competition) and the difference was immediately apparent when I started shooting FL.

So I usually think "Hold Through" as I increase pressure on the trigger and it works much better that way than it did before I added the handful of nanoseconds involved.

[alacran]

My first rifle was a single shot iron sighted Stevens .22. It had a trigger that was worse than the Red Rider BB gun that I learned to shoot with.
At the time I didn't know any better. I assumed that all triggers were like that.
If you didn't follow through while you were squeezing the trigger, you were not going to hit anything. I shot thousands of rounds through that little rifle, killed a lot of squirrels, and lots of birds that I should not have.
My late friend Jim Flemming let me shoot one of his flintlocks, before I had ever owned one. It was the first time I had shot one. I shot it very well, to my surprise. it was surprising since everyone at the club carried on and on about how difficult it is to shoot a flintlock.
We were shooting offhand the rifle shot a little to the left for me.
A lot of the problems that people have shooting flintlocks is due to the fact that basic marksmanship skills have never been learned.
When I go to our public range, I have only seen one or two people shoot anything offhand. Seldom do I see anyone shooting without a scope.
Not knowing what experience, you have with shooting. My advice would be to find a load that shoots reasonably well at 25 yards. Then practice shooting offhand at 25 yards until your offhand group equals your bench group. Not that hard to do.
More than likely that the trigger on your Woodsrunner is better that the trigger on anything else that you own.
Good luck with your rifle.

[Steeltrap]

I'll toss something else in just to stir up the water.....and let you know you have options.

Here's my Leman with a .54 GM barrel. Shooting a Minie bullet lubed with SPG lube, 100gr FF, 100 yards off a bench of course.

I use this for deer. Very effective. It will give you some pretty stout recoil....let's you know you're alive!!

[alacran]

You have a photo to go with that?