A thin little wad can make the difference...
Feb 1, 2020 9:50:35 GMT -7
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Keith and paranger like this
Post by brokennock on Feb 1, 2020 9:50:35 GMT -7
Not sure if this goes here or in the gun section, not much about actually shooting there.
Anyway, posted this elsewhere 1st for ease of picture posting, copying and pasting it to here, may have to add the pictures later when I can get to my laptop. Sorry it is long winded...
I've been wanting to shoot a trail walk at a club on the other side of the state, for a couple years.... There have been a few things that have kept me from getting to one. Amongst those things is the club having a 65 grain powder charge limit. Both of my smoothbores like about 85 grains 3f. This is my hunting load, which I already don't get to shoot often enough anymore, so I am reluctant to change it, and with already limited shooting time, did not really want to work up a second load from scratch. (Time, or lack thereof being another huge factor keeping me from the walk)
I had to go to the range today to shoot the load left in the gun from deer season. The best grouping load I had worked up out to 50 yards, with this particular gun, was 85 grains 3f, thin card wad, lubes felt wad, .610 round ball, thin card to hold it in, which shot groups at 50 yards that I can cover with my palm (I wear small to medium gloves), and printed about 4" high after much "shoot and file, shoot and file" work to lower p.o.i. At the start of the season I took a few more file strokes off the read sight, loaded and,,,, didn't really get to hunt much. Today, placed a target at 25 yards, pulled the toothpick from the touchhole, wiped the pan with an alcohol swabs, primed with 3f, shot, and,,,, perfect windage with the ball hitting right at the tip of the front sight for height. Finally.
I had been thinking about how to get a decent, if not perfect, shooting load, using much less powder than usual. Also, a simplified loading process, and a load that doesn't use up my good hunting components, just to have some fun shooting, would be good. Thought maybe a patched (for simplicity), lighter ball, lubed with something slicker than I normally use (for more velocity with the lower charge), might work good. I played with some patch thicknesses and ball sizes I had on hand. The best p.r.b. load I had gotten previous to the wad load was with .595 balls. They seem to fit well with a .010 patch, so thought I'd try it.
For slicker lube, I decided to try,,,, Gunzilla, I already use it as a lock oil as it doesn't seem to freeze and is quite slick it also cleans pretty well. Totally outside my usual pc/hc nature, but, pc/hc wasn't the point of this excersize. I pre soaked (not really soaked but, once the Gunzilla had wicked through the length of material, the patching just felt slightly oily, not wet) a strip of .010 patching strip from Track of The Wolf yesterday. After I shot my hunting load, I loaded my 65 grain maximum allowed charge, .595 ball with patch cut at the muzzle, and, bullseye. Must be a freak shot, let's try again. Loaded again the same, little crusty going down the tube, don't like that, my wad load doesn't crust up, well, let's see, boom, bullseye. Hmmmm. Accuracy has potential, but, this crustyness won't do. Let's add an overshot card over the powder. I swabbed (something I also never do), loaded, shot, bullseye. Loaded, no crustyness nice and smooth, boom, clang, hit the 6" plate just past the 25 yard target board. Once I added the card, I was able to load each shot like it was the 1st. I put 4 in the black and 3 more on the plate. Didn't have a chance to try 50 yards.
Here is the target,
Anyway, posted this elsewhere 1st for ease of picture posting, copying and pasting it to here, may have to add the pictures later when I can get to my laptop. Sorry it is long winded...
I've been wanting to shoot a trail walk at a club on the other side of the state, for a couple years.... There have been a few things that have kept me from getting to one. Amongst those things is the club having a 65 grain powder charge limit. Both of my smoothbores like about 85 grains 3f. This is my hunting load, which I already don't get to shoot often enough anymore, so I am reluctant to change it, and with already limited shooting time, did not really want to work up a second load from scratch. (Time, or lack thereof being another huge factor keeping me from the walk)
I had to go to the range today to shoot the load left in the gun from deer season. The best grouping load I had worked up out to 50 yards, with this particular gun, was 85 grains 3f, thin card wad, lubes felt wad, .610 round ball, thin card to hold it in, which shot groups at 50 yards that I can cover with my palm (I wear small to medium gloves), and printed about 4" high after much "shoot and file, shoot and file" work to lower p.o.i. At the start of the season I took a few more file strokes off the read sight, loaded and,,,, didn't really get to hunt much. Today, placed a target at 25 yards, pulled the toothpick from the touchhole, wiped the pan with an alcohol swabs, primed with 3f, shot, and,,,, perfect windage with the ball hitting right at the tip of the front sight for height. Finally.
I had been thinking about how to get a decent, if not perfect, shooting load, using much less powder than usual. Also, a simplified loading process, and a load that doesn't use up my good hunting components, just to have some fun shooting, would be good. Thought maybe a patched (for simplicity), lighter ball, lubed with something slicker than I normally use (for more velocity with the lower charge), might work good. I played with some patch thicknesses and ball sizes I had on hand. The best p.r.b. load I had gotten previous to the wad load was with .595 balls. They seem to fit well with a .010 patch, so thought I'd try it.
For slicker lube, I decided to try,,,, Gunzilla, I already use it as a lock oil as it doesn't seem to freeze and is quite slick it also cleans pretty well. Totally outside my usual pc/hc nature, but, pc/hc wasn't the point of this excersize. I pre soaked (not really soaked but, once the Gunzilla had wicked through the length of material, the patching just felt slightly oily, not wet) a strip of .010 patching strip from Track of The Wolf yesterday. After I shot my hunting load, I loaded my 65 grain maximum allowed charge, .595 ball with patch cut at the muzzle, and, bullseye. Must be a freak shot, let's try again. Loaded again the same, little crusty going down the tube, don't like that, my wad load doesn't crust up, well, let's see, boom, bullseye. Hmmmm. Accuracy has potential, but, this crustyness won't do. Let's add an overshot card over the powder. I swabbed (something I also never do), loaded, shot, bullseye. Loaded, no crustyness nice and smooth, boom, clang, hit the 6" plate just past the 25 yard target board. Once I added the card, I was able to load each shot like it was the 1st. I put 4 in the black and 3 more on the plate. Didn't have a chance to try 50 yards.
Here is the target,
