My Little Powder Pig

Friday evening I had a short sweaty session with my little .32 caliber Pedersoli Frontier flinter.



This is the only small caliber muzzle loader I've ever owned. So when I first got it last September I spent some time on various forums looking for posts on the .32 caliber. Just about every one I found talked about loads with 20 or 25 grains of powder, with a few as low as 15 grains and as high as 30 grains.

I've had only three previous range sessions with the gun, trying powder charges of 20 and 25 grains with different patch thicknesses. While it did pretty well, it never shot quite the way I thought it should.

Just for the heck of it, I started the Friday session with 35 grains of GOEX FFFg - a real magnum load for the .32.

Here's the first target with the stiff load, shot from the bench.



Wow. Those four shots stacked together are the best I've done with this gun so far.

Let's try five more shots and really pay attention to sight picture and shooting technique. Here's the next target.



Hoo-Ha! That's what I call "head of squirrel".

Shooting wasn't much fun because of the heat. I had a towel over my shoulder and had to wipe the sweat from my face and eyes before each shot. The humidity was so bad the pan fouling turned to soup within two minutes after the shot, and if I didn't wipe the flint and frizzen before the next shot it would not spark at all.

But I was determined to try one group at 50 yards before quitting. Here's that target.



Oh well - maybe I should have tried 40 yards instead.

I'm not sure I like shooting this mini-caliber as much as I do my .54's and .58. But maybe the weather had an influence. Anyway, I guess I'll keep this little powder pig for now.

Sweet. I would call that 50 yard flyer, sweat in the eye, or a hollow spot in the ball.

VERY nice. Sitting bunnies and digging squirrels will eat better after a .32 instead of a .58!

Too much dirt and sticks in the stew after gathering the remains from the edges of a crater.

I had a little .32 Dixie TN Mt. rifle in the early 80's that I wish I had back. I'm a little better at it now and could probably best the 50% ignition rate I used to get.

Well Rifleman, I'd sure like to call two of those shots shooter error fliers. :grin: They very well may be. I would have liked to try again but it was just too darn hot and by the time I finished that third target I wasn't having any fun at all.

As I said, I'm a small bore novice and don't really know what's reasonable at that range.

Can any of you small bore shooters shed lightrealisticstic expectations at 50 yards?

Semisane said:

Can any of you small bore shooters shed lightrealisticstic expectations at 50 yards?

Click to expand...

A couple of things are worth gnawing on while you wait for the weather to cool.

Even before my eyes turned old on me, that kind of bull didn't lend itself to precision bench shooting. It might be dandy for 6 o'clock holds and offhand shooting, but there are better ones around for benching. That alone could cut your groups in half.

The other thing I find with small bores is the effect of (or need for) consistent seating pressure. If I'm not real consistent in how much pressure I put on the ball when it seats home on the powder, group size really expands at longer ranges. I don't see the variation so much at 25 yards, but a good grouper up close can turn into a scattergun at 50 and further if you overlook seating pressure as an important variable.

I only bring it up because that group came at the end of a long stretch in the heat you so ably describe. Put me in your shoes, and at that point in the day the only thing I'd be thinking about is air conditioning.

Good point BrownBear. I was real careful with loading technique on that second target. But was definitely losing concentration on the last one.

Actually, I kind of like that 3" bull for target shooting. I used a 6 o'clock hold for all three targets. The gun has a peep sight on its rear end. What target format do you recommend?

For best precision with open sights (including peeps), I like a diamond such as the commercial versions at the top of this page. It's just easier for me to be more consistent with that fine a point for my front sight. Of course, I just use a sticky note slapped onto a white paper rather than buying, or in this case, downloading and printing.

BTW- My Frontier happens to be a 50 rather than a 32, but it seems especially sensitive to seating pressure. I'm currently working the kinks out of a 30 cal flinter, and my mind is telling me I'd like a 32 Frontier a whole lot, too. How is yours for offhand shooting balance?

Different strokes for different folks I guess. :wink:

A few months ago I made up the target below to try with my peep sighted .58 Hawken, and found I didn't like it as well as the three-inch dot.



Here's the aftermarket peep sight on my frontier. I don't know who made it because it was already on the gun when I bought it. But I really like it.



Offhand shooting balance is fine. It hangs really nice but isn't too heavy. However, I could use another inch in the length of pull.

Whether offhand or from the bench I have to hold it very firmly because the L&R "large Ketland" lock has a tendency to torque the little gun upon cock fall.

The gun was percussion when I got it, with a drum and nipple setup. I got the L&R flint lock from Track of The Wolf. It's listed as a replacement for Pedersolis and fit well with just a little internal wood removal in one or two areas behind screw heads. It was a simple matter to replace the drum and nipple with a touch hole liner and I can switch it back to percussion with ease. I don't have the torque problem in caplock mode.

Semisane said:

Well Rifleman, I'd sure like to call two of those shots shooter error fliers. :grin: They very well may be. I would have liked to try again but it was just too darn hot and by the time I finished that third target I wasn't having any fun at all.

As I said, I'm a small bore novice and don't really know what's reasonable at that range.

Can any of you small bore shooters shed lightrealisticstic expectations at 50 yards?

Click to expand...

I can't. But I recall an article in Muzzle Blasts about a year ago about a long time champion at Friendship who uses only .40 cal. rifles. Can't be all bad. However, I'm sure they are finicky in windy conditions.

I had a .40 many years ago Rifleman. Believe me, there's a BIG difference between a .32 and a 40.

If it's reasonable to expect groups of 1" or less at something like 50 yards, I'll be a happy camper. I just don't know how far out other can get consistent one-inch groups with the .32.

If there's little or no wind to deal with, these little .32s and .36s do very well at 50 yards and beyond.

Fellas, In my 40 years of gunsmithing, I have shot tens of thousands of rounds sighting in guns. I always reached a point where I started shooting looser groups, when that happens stop rest awhile or shoot another day. shooter fatigue is a major factor in sighting in. When you are going for best auccracy shot several shorter sessions rather than a extended single session. That will work out better and give you the best results. Yep you can overdo shooting when auccracy is the name of the game yours hounddog

Good point hounddog.

Looks pretty good. You didn't say what size ball you were using. Going to a .005 larger ball might let you get good groups with a lighter load.

That's some might fine shoottin!! :hatsoff:

With just 3 trips to the range with that rifle thats not bad. I usally don't get real seriuos about sighting in a new m/l gunne until I have put a 100 rds thru it. By then I have worked all the bugs out of it. Shooting it with different combo's until I have steady groups no matter the point of aim when your getting a cloverleaf every time off the bench then and only then do I really start fine tuning the sights. I don't have a lot of money so when I spend those hard earned bucks. I teand to keep my guns. I bought my first custom made longrifle 27 yrs ago and shot it last Sunday and placed in 2 matches . My centermark tulle I have had for 25 yrs. just my 02 but what do I know

That peep sight looks to be home urr I mean "custom made" and I like it, simple and effective.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

With that second target, I'd frame it and sleep with it under my pillow. :thumbsup:

...WOW !!... yer not kidding... heck, if that was mine, I'd frame it and hang it!... :bow: :thumbsup: :hatsoff: