Load development today

[1BadDart]

I've been working with my .40 Virginia build and was having issues with holes in the patches, a thicker patch cured that. Since the load I was shooting, 45gr of FFF was worked up with the thin patch. Today I set the bench up and went through load testing again. The rifle was built to shoot offhand, but all testing was done from a bench with a front rest and rear bag. I started with 40 grains and worked up to 60, 55 was the best. I'm on my last tin of Remington caps, after that it'll be CCI's. I didn't think about it until I was halfway through, so I finished the tests, then went back to the best charge and shot the CCI's. I may do a little more testing around 55 grains just to see what it does.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

That’s a target that I use with air-rifle…those are pretty small targets. Color me impressed…

 

[1BadDart]

Thanks Rock Home, we use that target for 50 yard rimfire benchrest. I save them from practice and shoot them with the ML

 

[hanshi]

Patches that have holes after firing usually acquire those holes during the loading process. Those patches are too thin to begin with. Smooth that rifle crown with your thumb and sandpaper, it can be done in half an hour easily. Use the thickest patch (experiment), well lubed, that you can safely seat with the wood ramrod. Mattress ticking usually runs a little thicker than pillow ticking at around .018". You shouldn't be able to feel the rifling lands with your thumb when you turn the tip back and forth in the muzzle if the smoothing was done properly. Do a good job and you might be surprised at the thickness of the patches you can seat the ball in.

 

[1BadDart]

Patches that have holes after firing usually acquire those holes during the loading process. Those patches are too thin to begin with. Smooth that rifle crown with your thumb and sandpaper, it can be done in half an hour easily. Use the thickest patch (experiment), well lubed, that you can safely seat with the wood ramrod. Mattress ticking usually runs a little thicker than pillow ticking at around .018". You shouldn't be able to feel the rifling lands with your thumb when you turn the tip back and forth in the muzzle if the smoothing was done properly. Do a good job and you might be surprised at the thickness of the patches you can seat the ball in.

When I was chasing the hole problem, I loaded and pulled several balls, some intentionally, some not, LOL. None of the patches on the pulled balls had holes. I bought a conical stone and cut the muzzle, then sanded with 180, 220 and finally 320 grit sandpaper, still had holes after firing.

The patching material was .016" pillow ticking with a .395" ball. I have some .400" balls, so I tried them with the same patch material. Six shots no holes, I went back to the .395" ball, holes again, .400" balls again, no holes. I bought some heavier tight weave cotton, about .019" after washing, no holes with the .395" ball. Today I picked up some cotton duck material that is .021" before washing. It's in the washing machine now and it'll be late next week before I can shoot any of it.