A Smokin' Blast -- my 2nd BP shoot.

[wiksmo]

Last week SMO commented this in my thread on building my first pistol loading stand:

Be sure to give us a range report !

Nice stand​

I did get out to shoot my Trapper 50 CAL pistol for the second time last Friday, Aug 23rd. Not a lot of technical stuff in this Range Report. Mostly about having fun, and some thoughts on still learning how to shoot my pistol.
​

The KC region weather was exceptionally pleasant at the Ft. Osage Muzzleloaders range. Mostly cloudy, the temp was "stuck" at 74*, and a mild wind through the trees. Planned some changes in my powder load, and different shooting stance for this range time.

~~~At the loading bench. The new pistol loading stand I built worked perfectly! Couldn't be happier with it.

~~~At the shooting bench. I shot rounds one and two from my homemade bench rest. For round one, the POI was on paper, but very low left outside the target rings. Round two was 3-1/4" off bull, but good elevation. Quit the bench stuff, went to standing, off hand shooting.

~~~Powder down the pipe. My first time shooting I loaded 20gr of Hodgdon Triple Seven FFFG. 20-25gr is Tradition's recommended minimum. This time I increased my powder load to 23gr. Of the eight POIs I placed in the target, 6/8 were almost at identical elevation --- about 2" or less above the bull. Pistol seemed to shoot better all around. I don't know what I'll do next time out --- if more powder load testing is needed or not. Leaning toward 23 gr again next time at the range to see how I and Trapper shoot.

~~~Hands on. My favorite shooting stance is off hand, one hand. Shot differently this time, off hand using both hands. Found a really comfortable position for my non-dominant hand, and the pistol was much steadier while looking down the barrel. My POIs showed improvement. Two hands make a difference, of course. So along with the powder load change, this is one other variable.

~~~RO training and FOML membership vote. Did a mini safety review with the RO again, and got a "P" grade on my second range visit. (Required so I would know and follow their range safety regs). After the shoot, the FOML admin members present gathered at the supply shack, and two of us newbies were approved to be FOML members. I with pistol, the other fellow with rifle. All right! I'll be going to an upcoming large invite shoot in two weeks, and will get my range key and membership card. All right again! This will be a fun fall as I can shoot anytime, any day on my own, if I choose.

A little more on the shooting time. Since most shooters in this group use primarily rifles, I don't actually get scored on my shooting during a formal shoot. At the two shoots I've attended, I have been the solo pistol guy. Maybe as other regional clubs come in for the Sept and Oct larger shoots, I'll get to meet some pistol folk. Of course, some of the fellows "encourage" me that I'll soon be getting a BP rifle!

~~~Cool P-2 target, set at 25 yards. Sent a total of 10 rounds down range, identical to my first shoot. This for me will probably be a constant number of rounds while learning the pistol. Shots #1 and #5 are on paper, but outside of the 5-ring. Just didn't include them in the photo. The other eight 50 CAL holes showed up quite nice, I thought. Numbers represent the order of shots.

It was a great day at the range. Lots of fun shooting this BP pistol. Thanks for looking at my range report and my target below.

wiksmo aka Bob

​

 

[smo]

Great report wiksmo, Thanks for posting!

Congrats on finding a like minded group too shoot with .....
So what kinda’ rifle are you going too be looking for????
Lol

I’ve got a .50 cal percussion Trapper myself, I settled on .30 grns and a .490 roundball.

Those Trapper pistols can be very accurate in the right hands...... unfortunately those aren’t my hands in most cases....

Welcome too the addiction. It sounds like your hooked on bp.

Now about that rifle,...

Good Luck!

 

[wiksmo]

You're right that I really, really like BP shooting. However, rather than admit I'm "hooked" or "addicted" to BP shooting already, I'd loosen that up with more of a slang expression by saying, "I am all over BP shooting." I've found that any addiction to firearms is usually very expensive to maintain. Gotta try to behave myself, and keep my budget intact!

I do have one question for you re. your comment on your Trapper shooting. You said, "I settled on .30 grns." I understand that there are a lot of factors involved other than simply what the powder load is. But just saying that if I come even close to shooting like I did this last range visit, and next time I increase my load from 23gr to 30gr, what changes might I see in my POI results, if any? I'm still trying to get an understanding of the different things to look for in reaching an optimal performance for me when working the pistol. Does that make sense? TIA.

Before a rifle, for me the possible next step would be adding another BP pistol to my gun cabinet. That is still a way down-the-road, but it is fun looking...

for your "welcome" into the BP shooting world. Glad to be here!

wiksmo aka Bob

Great report wiksmo, Thanks for posting!

Congrats on finding a like minded group too shoot with .....
So what kinda’ rifle are you going too be looking for????
Lol

I’ve got a .50 cal percussion Trapper myself, I settled on .30 grns and a .490 roundball.

Those Trapper pistols can be very accurate in the right hands...... unfortunately those aren’t my hands in most cases....

Welcome too the addiction. It sounds like your hooked on bp.

Now about that rifle,...

Good Luck!

 

[BullRunBear]

An excellent write-up. Glad you are having so much fun. For what it's worth, I settled on 30 grains of 3F Goex as most accurate in my percussion Trapper at 25 yards. Also, I have to do a quick swab between every shot to maintain accuracy but don't know if that is typical or just my gun. I just got a flintlock Trapper and I'm curious if the best charge remains the same and if the swabbing is needed. Doesn't matter. It's all fun.

Jeff

 

[smo]

wiksmo , the best advice I can give you is too shoot several different loads in your pistol and see what it likes the best.

When you find that “ sweet spot “ load you’ll know it, you groups will improve dramatically..

Or at least mine did, it seems I started at 20 grns and worked my way up in increments of 5 grns...

I don’t remember exactly how high I went but it was above 30, but 30 grns grouped better than any other load.

This is fffg Goex that I’m shooting and I shot from a bench rest until the sight we’re regulated..

Good Luck, keep us posted on your progress...

 

[wiksmo]

times two!

Jeff, for your comment and "liking" my thread. Both you and SMO have Trappers, and you two homed in on the same amount of 30gr for a powder load. Since I just moved to 23gr, going to 30gr sounds reasonable. And on maintaining accuracy with the Trapper. I noticed that my accuracy seem to maintain, and I didn't do any swabbing between rounds. The only cleaning I did was to one time Q-tip clean the cup where the hammer hits the cap. It was getting pretty clogged, and had to "dig" out several stuck caps. That was a small, fun learning experience, too!

An excellent write-up. Glad you are having so much fun. For what it's worth, I settled on 30 grains of 3F Goex as most accurate in my percussion Trapper at 25 yards. Also, I have to do a quick swab between every shot to maintain accuracy but don't know if that is typical or just my gun. I just got a flintlock Trapper and I'm curious if the best charge remains the same and if the swabbing is needed. Doesn't matter. It's all fun.

Jeff

SMO, Yeah, for your "best advice" -- that is where I'm heading. As I said above to Jeff, the 30gr spot is probably next. It would be sure interesting if my Trapper also liked the same grains load! 3/3...it could happen.

Best part of your note for me was how I will know the "sweet spot" load by seeing the POI groups improve dramatically. Very cool to have that to look for. Will let you know how goes it after the upcoming Sept 8th shoot, as long as I can attend that event.

Getting harder to wait in between range visits!! :*)

wiksmo aka Bob

wiksmo , the best advice I can give you is too shoot several different loads in your pistol and see what it likes the best.

When you find that “ sweet spot “ load you’ll know it, you groups will improve dramatically..

Or at least mine did, it seems I started at 20 grns and worked my way up in increments of 5 grns...

I don’t remember exactly how high I went but it was above 30, but 30 grns grouped better than any other load.

This is fffg Goex that I’m shooting and I shot from a bench rest until the sight we’re regulated..

Good Luck, keep us posted on your progress...