I finally too Big W out Saturday and shot a little bit. We don't have our benches installed at our new range yet, so I concentrated at first on some offhand shots at 50 and 100 yds. I had deepened the notch in the rear sight a little the day before and actually had to cut into the sight frame. My first shot hit in the 5-ring so I had to remove the globe sight and lower the post. After that my next four shots were in a horizontal line starting in the 8-ring at 3 o'clock and ending in the 10-ring about 1/2" above the X-ring. My last shot was in the X-ring. Encouraging. I shot a while at 100 yds. offhand as well after raising the charge to 70 grs. I was able to get a few shots in and around the 6" bull although the bull wanted to disappear in the space between the post and bead and the ring of the sight. I finally improvised a bench from a picnic table and steady the gun a bit. It was pretty windy and very cloudy, but the bullets went where I aimed them even though there was a pretty stiff quartering headwind. However, as the light got worse the bull practically disappeared in the front sight. I did manage to get three rounds where I wanted them. One in the 9-ring at 3 o'clock and two in the 10-ring, one at 12 o'clock and one cutting the X-ring at 5 o'clock. You can cover the three with a Silver Dollar. I was happy considering the sight problem. I have a cross blade adjustable for windage on the rear sight and had to remove it. It had been filed deep earlier and caused the front sight and target to blur. The notch filed in the sight frame is very shallow and works quite well after I removed the blade. I think my next step will be to buy or machine a tall narrow front blade and see how that works out. Then later I want to look at getting a tang mounted aperature.
I had planned on punching out some hex base wads but for some reason I didn't remember to do it till I was almost at the range. My mind sometimes takes a while to catch up with the rest of me. I'll take some the next time. The bullets were a tight fit but loaded perfectly. I recovered two that had intact bases and they show that they are upsetting into the rifling very well.
My last two shots were offhand at a RR tie plate hanging out at 110 yds. Somehow, as shaky as I am, I banged them good. Compared to rifled musket hits at that range that I've witnessed, there is a lot more retained energy in the Whitworth slug.
I know that with sights that suit my eyesight, there is a huge potential with this rifle. I'm realistic enough to know what my limits are, but I believe that I can have a good time at short and mid range. I reckon in a few days I'll be heading back out and tryin' her again. The pain in the shoulder disappears pretty quick when you start puttin' them into the X-ring out at 100 or more.
