110 yard advice needed

[Sunkmanitu Tanka]

Hello all,

I shoot my Frontier Pedersoli .45 cal flintlock nearly weekly on a 50 m (approx. 55 yards) range. I am an average shooter, not a top notch sniper type of guy, but I have a lot of fun with this gun. This gun likes 56 grains of Swiss nr. 2 Black Powder, and I use .20 factory patches with wonder Lube...
In a few weeks I get the opportunity to shoot a match with a distance of 100 m. (approx. 110 yards). I have never shot a BP flintlock on that distance. Also, I have no opportunity to try out this gun on that distance before the match. Allthougth I know that shooting is possibly the only right answer to solve my problem, I would welcome any advice on what I could do to have a minimum of succes... :idunno: I would already be glad to even hit the target "somewhere".... Can you give me any hint???
Thank you in advance!

 

[Dphar]

Hello all,

I shoot my Frontier Pedersoli .45 cal flintlock nearly weekly on a 50 m (approx. 55 yards) range. I am an average shooter, not a top notch sniper type of guy, but I have a lot of fun with this gun. This gun likes 56 grains of Swiss nr. 2 Black Powder, and I use .20 factory patches with wonder Lube...
In a few weeks I get the opportunity to shoot a match with a distance of 100 m. (approx. 110 yards). I have never shot a BP flintlock on that distance. Also, I have no opportunity to try out this gun on that distance before the match. Allthougth I know that shooting is possibly the only right answer to solve my problem, I would welcome any advice on what I could do to have a minimum of succes... :idunno: I would already be glad to even hit the target "somewhere".... Can you give me any hint???
Thank you in advance!

It needs to be sighted about 2" high at 50 meters to be on at 100 I would think. But you may be able to allow for this. If you have a good accurate load you should be OK after the first shot. I would hold about 5" over if sighted "on" at 50m then adjust. But be careful with the loading. Uniform seating pressure on the ball shot to shot. I would wipe between shots. Damp (NOT dripping or very wet just wet enough) patch both sides, dry patch both sides. The SAME each time.
This will generally improve accuracy since bore condition is the same shot to shot.

Good luck.

Dan

 

[paulvallandigham]

Those .45s will do fairly well out at 100 yds, and beyond , as the drop just is not too much. Drop should only be about 2.5 inches at 110 yds. if you are using that load. I am thinking you are getting about 1800 fps. MV. If so, Zeroed at 100 yds, you have 2.2 inches of trajectory at 50 yds.

My suggestion?? Using that 55 yd. range, put a "sighter" sticker about 2 inches high to get used to the sight picture you will have at the longer range. Holding only 2.5" higher on a target out at 100 yds, or further, with open sights is very difficult. I know some men who have marked their front sights to indicate how much sight they need to hold over, using the same sight picture at the longer range that they use at their normal, shorter range shooting. Paint, or a filed or scribed notch or line across the back of the front sight is how they mark the " hold-over".

Without being able to shoot at that distance some place, and get used to how much smaller any target looks at that distance, compared to what you are used to seeing at 55 yds, I don't think you should expect to win the match. Pay your dues, and use the opportunity as a learning experience. just remember to concentrate on that front sight, and the picture you have of it in relation to the fuzzy rear sight. What Happens down range is out of your control. You will have a successful shoot if all your shots group in the same place at the long range target.

Call your shots- all of them. If you call a bad shot, its actually a good shot because you know what you did wrong. Do NOt get upset because a ball misses the target. That is how shooters defeat themselves. If you knew when the gun fired that your sight was off-target, then the " missed" was expected, and you will score well on the next shot that you hold properly on the target and follow through on so that you can call the X hit. :thumbsup:

 

[rabjr]

If you want to use that load, someone I'm sure better than me can do math and see how high at 50 you need to be. Can you shoot at 50 yards before the shoot? I would then try holding the front sight higher in your rear until you get close to the height you need to be. Thats the best I can think of without actually shooting at 10 yards.

We used to do this with our cap lock Renegades all the time and shoot pepsi liter soda bottles at 200 yards. Once you got the range, was easy.

 

[Sunkmanitu Tanka]

Thank you people! As usual sound and speedy advice! I will try out your advice, and come back on this ... I will have fun that 's for sure!

 

[jethro224]

I am an average shooter, not a top notch sniper type of guy, but I have a lot of fun with this gun.

You answered your own question. So quit worrying about it and go shoot and have fun. Aim at the target and shoot. If you're having fun and not worrying about scoring well, you might be surprised how well you shoot.

 

[Walks with fire]

Some people; myself included, prefer to hold up more sight when shooting at longer ranges than their current sight in yardage rather than holding over the target. I much prefer this method because the target says in clear view. Perhaps you can get a few sighter shots in before the match starts.

 

[David W.]

Thank you people! As usual sound and speedy advice! I will try out your advice, and come back on this ... I will have fun that 's for sure!

O-genki dess-ka gozaimasu? How tight is your 50 yard group?

 

[Zonie]

If you don't mind my playing with numbers, your 56 grain powder load may be pushing the ball at around 1800 feet per second muzzle velocity.

Using that number in my computers roundball calculator says that if the gun is currently sighted for 50 yards (it isn't set up in metric values), the ball drop below the point your aiming at, at 100 yards would be about 6 1/2 inches (165 mm).

At 120 yards, the same gun will be shooting about 12 1/2 inches (317.5mm) low.

Splitting the difference says the gun will be hitting about 9 1/2 inches (240mm) low at 110 yards.

Because the further the distance, the faster the ball will drop, if you aim about 10 inches (254mm) high at 100 meters you should be dropping the shots right about at the center of the bullseye.

(Yes, I know, numbers, numbers, numbers, but you can retire the Engineer but he still likes to play with numbers. :rotf: )

 

[longcruise]

Using that number in my computers roundball calculator says that if the gun is currently sighted for 50 yards (it isn't set up in metric values), the ball drop below the point your aiming at, at 100 yards would be about 6 1/2 inches (165 mm

There are, of course, many perils in electronic shooting.

FWIW, I too used the 1800 fps figure and came up with the the rifle hitting dead on at 55 yards, it would have about 5.5" of drop at 110 yards.

Used Point Blank with the following parameters:

MV 1800 fps
BC .0628
Ball weight 132 gr
Sight height .65"
Temp 55 deg (SWAG)
Altitude 4,000' (SWAG)

If (big if ) my figures are right and if our OP can get to a 55 meter range before the match, and if sights can be readily adjusted, then a 55 yard POI about 2.7" above POA should work. No warranty, express or implied :haha: .

 

[CoyoteJoe]

I shoot the same rifle and my solution, to keep it simple, is to sight in with a 6 O'clock hold at 50 yards to shoot center of the bull, which means I'm actually zeroed about 1 1/2" high. At 100 yards I aim just a bit above center of the target to hit center.

 

[Sunkmanitu Tanka]

I actually also am sighted in this way - I will give this a try, evaluate those first two shots and adjust from there ...
Thank you all for your help...

 

[Zonie]

Just for giggles sense our original poster is in Belgium, try adjusting your altitude to something like 800 feet in your computer program and let us know what the drop at 110 yards would be if the gun was sighted in to zero at 55 yards.

I'm not suggesting that either one of us is correct but I think 4000 feet elevation is pretty high.

 

[Trench]

Don't forget about the wind!! What feels like a mild breeze could blow your .45 ball off by 6 to 8 inches at 110 yards.