By request, Loooong range shoot...

[jethro224]

400 yards! :shocked2:
If ya got the gumption, post a 2' X 6' target at 400 yards. Fire 20 shots from your traditional sidelock muzzleloader at said target. Any shooting position you prefer. Take a picture of the target. Send me a PT by [strike]October[/strike] December 31st and let me know how many times you hit the target out of your 20 shots. Send me the picture either by PT, e-mail, or text.
I will keep track of the scores and post them after October 31.


In the event you do not have a 400 yard range available, or if you just want to shoot some more :grin: , I am adding a 200 yard category to this shoot.
Post a 1' X 3' target at 200 yards and shoot it. Same rules as the 400 yard shoot.

Be sure and let me know if your target is 400 or 200 yards.

 

[Adui]

You got to be kidding! I cant even see out to 400 yards anymore! Im not going to try this one..

 

[Lonegun1894]

The range I have access to only goes out to 200yds. Any way we can use scaled down targets for some of us whose ranges just don't go out to 400? I know the drop won't be the same (obviously), but this sounds like a fun one. I bet most of us just embarrass ourselves, but this could be fun.

 

[tiger13]

Can we use a rest?

 

[jethro224]

Can we use a rest?

Yes. But you don't have to.

 

[jethro224]

The range I have access to only goes out to 200yds. Any way we can use scaled down targets for some of us whose ranges just don't go out to 400? I know the drop won't be the same (obviously), but this sounds like a fun one. I bet most of us just embarrass ourselves, but this could be fun.

I considered this... It won't compare at all to the 400 yard shoot due to drop and wind. But I realize that 400 yard ranges are hard to come by. We can do a separate category for 200 yards.
I'll edit the original post and add a 200 yard category. :thumbsup:

 

[jethro224]

You got to be kidding! I cant even see out to 400 yards anymore! Im not going to try this one..

Can you see 200 yards? ...I can see that far but don't know if I can shoot that far. :haha:

There's always the 25 yard 5-shot contest too. :thumbsup:

 

[MDK_WV]

Whooo! Hooo! Jethro has a good one going with a 400 yard shoot. :thumbsup: I can smell the powder burning now! I have never attempted to shoot at anything with my muzzleloaders that far away and I am not sure I can even see that far, but I will get the spotting scope out for this shoot. This should be fun. I will have to see what I can make to hold my target since it is too warm and there is no snow available to make a snow man. :hmm:

 

[Lonegun1894]

Thank you. Count me in. I will shoot at 200yds, and try and ask around and see if I can find a 400yd area, but if I do, it will be some farmers or ranchers field instead of an official range. As long as it's safe and the full 400yds, I will try that too, but the 200yd is a definite. Thank you.

 

[jethro224]

One more thing I forgot to add to the original post. You can also mail me a regular picture if you are not digitalized yet.

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

I am visiting a range in Ohio this month that may have a set up for a long shot. I have shot 200 yards with a rest and some plinking at 300 but I have never shot at 400 yards. If this don't make you Humble nothing will. The great big French target we used to shoot at on the international team would be great. Of course we were shooting 1816 muskets at 50 meters.

 

[Deadeye]

This , probably, has something to do with that thread that been going on for awhile on the forum about shooting 400 yds.
I calculated where I needed to hold my sights, picked out a (about 2'X2' rock) lazered at 407 yds. shot offhand except leaning my back against my truck and found that it wasn't nearly as hard
as most folks think. Another forum member has also been doing some 400 yd. tests. I have available a 1000 yd. range near my house so if the weather and the time ever come together I'll give it a try. Actually I was planning to do it anyway just for fun, hopefully this month cause next month is ML Deer season and after that snowtime. Deadeye

 

[newtewsmoke]

anyone who wants to/able to, are welcome to come to my place and shoot this one. 400 yd layout will be no problem, as far as room goes. Hope i can make time to try this one myself. Scott

 

[flaming canvas]

In Firearms, Traps and Tools, Judge Ernest Resley and John Barsotti reported 9 inch groups at 200 yards from one of the judge's heavy 54 caliber barrels using 187 grains of FFg.
The last gun I built was an ugly thing built around one of these barrels, so I guess I will have to give it a try. These are actually 56 caliber. I use a 553 ball with heavy canvas patch. Haven't used anything like that kind of powder charge yet.

The rifle did me proud at Ft. Davis last spring. Some of the folks down there remember the Judge. I couple of them were pall bearers at his funeral. Kind of tickled them to see the gun.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Jethro, doc still won't let me shoot.

 

[jethro224]

There's still plenty of time. Get healed up!

 

[Many Klatch]

I'm making up 400 yard and 200 yard targets. Lazarus and I will be heading down to Friendship tomorrow to try to shoot this match. Should be interesting.

Many Klatch

 

[jethro224]

:thumbsup:
I'm bettin' you'll put some holes in 'em.

 

[Many Klatch]

JJ and I both shot the 400 yard target today. He got one hit with his .50 and I got 3 with my .54. We were really surprised at how much better the .54 bucked the wind than the .50. We will provide a better description and photos tomorrow. Gotta clean a really dirty gun.

After shooting this with 3 hits out of 20 shots: I now think that I could consistently hit this target 5 or 6 out of 20 shots. Now that I know how my gun actually shoots at 400 yards instead of guessing.

BTW, neither of us cleaned between the 20 shots or used priming horns. All loading was out of the bag.

Many Klatch

 

[Many Klatch]

Well here is the result of our attempt at the 400 yard target yesterday. Lazarus got one hit with his .50 flinter and I got 3 hits with my .54. The target is 6 foot tall and 2 foot wide. The center ring is in the center of the target. The black rings are 12" apart. Our misses at the worst were only about 3 or 4 feet one way or the other at least the ones that kicked up dust. We had no idea where about 60% of the shots hit.

Lazarus shot first so I got the benefit of his sighting in process. But here are a few of the things that we learned.

1) We used our standard load. We figured that since we were going to lob the ball in anyway we might as well use a load that we were familiar with.

2) A .54 really does have a MUCH better ability at bucking the wind than a .50. Lazarus was having to hold about 4 feet to the left of the target while I was able to hold dead on for windage.

3) We used a bench rest because there happened to be one handy. We loaded from the pouch in our usual way. Lazarus uses Hoppes for his patch lube and I use spit. We both used about 75 grains of 3F.

4) Now that we have done this one time we both think that we could probably get a hit 5 to 6 times out of 20.

5) If you are trying this with a backstop that doesn't show spurts of dust if you hit off the target then you will probably be very frustrated. That was the only way that we were able to walk the shots onto the target.

6) The .50 rifle seemed to have a 6' wide cone of shot fall around the target. The .54 seemed to have about a 3' cone.

Many Klatch and Lazarus