Surprising Target Load

Being Good Friday today, I felt like having a better Friday and took the day off. If that wasn't good enough then at 7AM I headed out the door with Jonny Browning and shooting gear.

This is the first opportunity I've had to shoot since polishing the crown a couple of weeks ago and I was ready to get out and make smoke.

After casual shooting and various distances up to 100 yards, i got out the paper and settled down to try printing a decent group.

The first one was slightly erratic but not terrible. The next one however totally surprised me. After three shots I thought to myself "better stop now" The fourth shot opened up the group just a tad and I was slightly unnerved that I would ruin my effort. 5th shot was back in. WHAT A SMILE on my mug!!! :grin: :grin: :grin:

The first load was 65grs of 2ff. The surprising target load was only 50 grs behind a prb. The 12 gauge shot shell fit snugly in the hole.

Had to climb up the hill and ponder things after that. See pic of "fool on the hill". My dodge minivan down the hill in the other pic.

Then headed home to go hiking with the wife and kids. Not a bad Friday....in fact it was a danged GOOD FRIDAY!

Steve

Good shooting

Good scenery!

Most folks use way too much powder. I rarely use over 70 grains for anything. Try 3F if you have some.

Yeah, I think I'd call that target a keeper. Are you going to frame it? :wink:

Many Klatch

Another vote for moderate loadings.

I've found my best round ball loads for my TC Hawken are in the 45-60gr range when shooting for group. Any more and the groups start to open up.

- Virgil

I also shot today. However I will have to shoot a month of good fridays to have a groop like you got!!!

Great work~!

I had some field glasses with me and peeked for a close up on first target every shot. On the second one I shot three times and felt kinda weirded out that there weren't any fliers. So I finished off two more and walked up to it.

Yea, I'm keeping the target and will have to do a repeat tomorrow if the rain holds off just to see if this was a fluke or really good shooting.

I also set up a few "shale" jackrabbits and smacked them in oblivion with offhand shots. My steel plate was 100 yards away and rang like a bell.

This spot is on a bench of the ancient sea shore of Lake Bonneville. The water behind me is Utah Lake with the Wasatch range behind that. Elevation is just under a mile above sea level.

Great day of shooting. It looks like you found a good target load.

The light load is no surprise. My Santa Fe .53 only uses 50 grains at 25 and 50 yards. My .58 shoots best with 60 grains. I goose up the .53 to 75 grains for 100 yards and hunting and the .58 goes up to 85 grains.

As Mark said most people use way more than they need. Usually a good short range target load is a lot less than most people shoot. Of course every rifle is different. I have three .50s that use 45, 50 and 55 grains respectively. All will shoot a ragged hole like you got with the right load.

an old boy told me when I started shooting M.L.ers that the best load was the most accurate one.
if you can shoot a one hole group, why add more powder?
Shot placement is the real key!!
killed my buffalo with 65 grns,.54 flint,122 paces.sure it was luck,but the rnb did the job. thru the neck.
just my two bits worth.

My experiences revealed 2 sweet spots in several guns. Usually a relatively light load and another w/ 50% more powder. The .40 cals (1/66 twist)use 50 gr and 75 gr. Special cut 1/56 twist .50 Douglas uses 60 and 90 gr. Expect the new .54 flinter w/ GM 1/70 twist to work well with 80 and 120 or there 'bouts.

This allows using fixed sights regulated to the higher powder charge @ 100 yard impact. The lighter charges are usually on at 25 and 50.

No argument that a buffalo was taken with the 65 gr load in a .54 but I would be using the 90 gr load in my .50 cal for anything larger than whitetail or for expected shots to 125 yards.

TC

40 Flint said:

My experiences revealed 2 sweet spots in several guns. Usually a relatively light load and another w/ 50% more powder. The .40 cals (1/66 twist)use 50 gr and 75 gr. Special cut 1/56 twist .50 Douglas uses 60 and 90 gr. Expect the new .54 flinter w/ GM 1/70 twist to work well with 80 and 120 or there 'bouts.

This allows using fixed sights regulated to the higher powder charge @ 100 yard impact. The lighter charges are usually on at 25 and 50.
...TC

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This has been my experience also. It is really pronounced in .50+ 1:48 barrels. On these rifles, a 5 grain difference off the sweet spots can open the groups up quite a bit. On slower twist barrels the sweet spots are still there but not quite so pronounced.