.62 woes

[clint]

I am having a heck of a time getting my smoothbore to shoot a good group at 25 yards. I am using a 600 ball and fairly thick denim patch material and balls fly all over the place. I am shooting 60 grains of 3f. Even with a thick patch material( .20) the ball seems to loose in the bore. slides in real easy. Maybe I should try to find a little bit thicker material and back of my charge. What do ya think?

 

I am surprised you have a somewhat loose fit with that combo. The numbers don't add up except for a very tight fit, some .020" over bore dia. I suggest that your patch material, when wet, is much thinner than it measures when dry. By all means find a thicker patch. Either that or your bore isn't a .62, or the balls are undersize. Most guys up here use .595 balls with a .020" patch that measures about .018 when wet. Regardless, you do need a slightly thicker patch or larger ball.
: One thing you could do it to aquire some .610 balls and try them with the patch you are now using.
: Either way, you do need a snug fit for the best accuracy. A smoothbore at 25yds., accuracy wise, is difficult to tell from a rifled bore when you hit the correct combo. Even with loose paper patches, it should still hold a 3" group, twice the size it should shoot with the ultimate combinaton.
: This brings up sighting. Are you able to sight right down the barrel, across the front bead or blade? Having to hold your head up, shotgun style, is not productive to shooting small groups. Some guys, my Brother included, will slightly bend the barrel to get it shooting straight in line with the hump at the beech being the rear sight.
: Much of smoothbore accurate shooting comes from lots of practise. A proper ball/patch combo helps immensely. If it's loose, it's too loose. Try something thicker or slightly larger balls.
Daryl

 

[Rebel]

I have gotten good accuracy with my .62 smoothbore with no patch. I use a thick over powder wad over the powder, then i start a half a fiber cushion wad down the bore about 1/2". Then place the ball, sprue up on the fiber wad, and place an overshot card wad on top and shove the ball and both wads down at once. You will have an easier time seating the ball and wads if there is a small( I drilled 1/16" holes) in the overpowder wad. This lets the air escape instead of creating a pumping effect that can push the ball and wads back off the powder, which you don't want to happen. It's worth a try. Easier to load than a patched ball too. Take care, and Watch yer backtrail.

 

[tg]

You might try some different loads, ball/patch combos while useing a temp rear sight held on by the tang bolt using a rest,this will eliminate any random factors, 60gr is not a stout load of 3f unless the breech is very thin, more powder may help the group, my smoothies shoot pretty tight with a loose combo or shot column type loading as Rebel described.

 

What kind of barrel? As in who made it? Mine is the Green Mountain drop in replacement for the T/C Renegade and the .600 ball with a .015 patch is impossible to start without a hammer! :curse:

 

Have you miked everything out? With the componant combination you should not have sloppy fit. It sounds like the balls are undersized or the bore oversized, possibly not marked properly. It happens.

 

HEY GUYS! i asked this on tmy other .62 thread but no body saw the question or no body answered or I missed the answer or....anyway. Is the .62 a NINETEEN gauge or a TWENTY gauge? Should I get 19 gauge or 20 gauge wads? ::

 

[Rebel]

cal./.20ga. was made by North Star West. It actually mic's out to .618, but it takes standard .20 ga wads ok. I guess you would have to try some .20 ga wads and see. If you want to e-mail me your snail mail addy, i will send you some to try out. Take care, and Watch yer backtrail.

 

[Rocky Johnson]

20 ga. wads are a nice fit in my .62 but i can,t get a .600 ball an .15 patch down. There sure is a lot of difference in barrels.?? Rocky /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[musketman]

You could always try a double patch...

A .020 denim patch and a thinner .010 linen patch, (between the denim patch and the .600 round ball) this will take up the extra space...

I don't feel the ball will slip out if the combo is tight...

 

Maxiball- go the the track site and check the dia.. of their wads. In the catolog they list the dia. of all fo the wads.
; A TRUE .20 bore is .615", not .618 or .620.
: Track will have wads that will fit as they have 14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21, etc.
Daryl

 

[cayugad]

Maxiball whether this is any help or not... When I bought my GMB .62 caliber smoothie from Track of the Wolf a short time ago, I told them to send me some #4 shot and what ever else I needed to shoot it. Well they sent me 20 GA Nitro cards, Fiber Wads, and over the shot cards all made by Circle Fly Wads. I only shot the shotgun aspect 8 times so far, then realize that instead of #4 shot they sent me #4 Buck and decided I did not want to turkey hunt with that. But anyway they sent me 20 GA and it is a tight fit, but it sure shot nice. They also send me the .600 ball and told me to use my cotton pillow tick patch and some mink oil as a lube. Your right about it being hard to get the ball started, but once you do it goes down pretty good I think.

 

[tg]

If you mike your bore you can determine the true gauge, many makers of barrels differ a bit, which is natural for early 19th and 18th guns as the system of making the bore size the same as the diameter of the ball balls per lb was not standardized untill the mid 19th century, untill then most guns were made with a bore quite a bit larger than the ball of the per lb rating of the gun,current makers have tried to mix the old and the new calling most guns in the .62 cal range a 20 gauge.

 

[clint]

Thanks for the advice everybody. I think my bore is a little large. I tried a .610 ball and and .15 patch and it was much better. I could still load without a short starter and I got a 3 inch group at 25 yards right off. I think if a play with it I can cut it down a little. How much powder do you guys shoot?

 

[Rebel]

My .62 seems to do the best with 70grs of 3f Goex.

 

2 to 3 drams or 2F or 3F should be about right.
Daryl

 

[musketman]

2 to 3 drams or 2F or 3F should be about right.
Daryl

1 drams = 27.34375 grains