Proper cal for Silhouette Target Shooting

[terrydull]

Hello! I'm new to ML and I'm looking to start Silhouette Target shooting with the goal of competing at Friendship one day.

I'm very confused about the sport (not sure of the rules) and I'd like to get a percussion cap rifle in a cal that would be appropriate ... I don't want to destroy the targets ... just knock them down.

I really like the looks and barrel specs of a Lyman Great Plains rifle as well as some of the longer barrel Pedersoli Hawkens. However, these usually come in .50/.54 cal. To me, these cal's seem too large for Silhouette Target shooting, but I don't know.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Terry

 

[M. De Land]

I always use my .54 for Silhouette matches. The heavy targets at 200 need the bigger ball weights to knock them over reliably.

 

[nwtradegun]

54 cal and get a 1 in 66 twist for round balls.

 

[Tom Compton]

Yep.

 

[Zonie]

Welcome to the Forum.

If you have Adobe reader on your computer, follow this link to the NMLRA rule book.
http://nmlra.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Rules-Regulations.pdf

(If you don't have Adobe Reader, get it. It's free).

On page 11 you will find section 5700 which gives the rules for Silhouette Target shooting.

Notice the Buffalo (22" X 15" X 1/4") is at 150 yards, the Turkey (18" X 21" X 1 /4") is at 175 yards and the Bear (13" X 35" X 1/4") is at 200 yards.

The shots must be made using a roundball and although the rules say, "Targets are designed to fall with a medium to light load for a hunting rifle. All targets can be easily toppled with a .45 caliber round ball and 60 grain charge.", a hot powder load with a .45 caliber (.440 diameter) roundball traveling at 1900 fps (muzzle velocity with a 90 grain 3Fg powder load) will be down to about 716 fps with 146 ft/lbs of energy left at 200 yards.

A .54 caliber ball with the same powder load will have a muzzle velocity of around 1640 fps. The ball will be traveling at about 753 fps with 283 ft/lbs of energy left at 200 yards.

 

[terrydull]

Great Link! Thanks.

I'm going to Friendship next weekend as a spectator and to take it all in. I appreciate all the input.

Looks like that beautiful Plains Rifle might just work :bow:

 

[fleener]

Terry

I am assuming you are talking about the larger sil. not the smaller ones. The smaller ones are limited to .40 or under.

I always use a .54 cal for the larger sil. My current load is 65 and 75 grains of 2F swiss for this game. I don't shoot it but once or twice a year anymore.

You will find me on the long rage shooting. We are the guys that are too lazy to shoot standing up, and are shooting prone.

I will be there next Friday through Wednesday. Stop by and look me up to say hi.

Art Fleener

 

[kaintuck]

Wonder if you could use a "wall gun" on them? :shocked2: :grin: :hmm:

Tomtom

 

[Rifleman1776]

Welcome to the Forum.

If you have Adobe reader on your computer, follow this link to the NMLRA rule book.
http://nmlra.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Rules-Regulations.pdf

(If you don't have Adobe Reader, get it. It's free).

On page 11 you will find section 5700 which gives the rules for Silhouette Target shooting.

Notice the Buffalo (22" X 15" X 1/4") is at 150 yards, the Turkey (18" X 21" X 1 /4") is at 175 yards and the Bear (13" X 35" X 1/4") is at 200 yards.

The shots must be made using a roundball and although the rules say, "Targets are designed to fall with a medium to light load for a hunting rifle. All targets can be easily toppled with a .45 caliber round ball and 60 grain charge.", a hot powder load with a .45 caliber (.440 diameter) roundball traveling at 1900 fps (muzzle velocity with a 90 grain 3Fg powder load) will be down to about 716 fps with 146 ft/lbs of energy left at 200 yards.

A .54 caliber ball with the same powder load will have a muzzle velocity of around 1640 fps. The ball will be traveling at about 753 fps with 283 ft/lbs of energy left at 200 yards.

As one who used to manufacture and sell steel silhouette targets, I am amazed that these are only 1/4" thick. I know steels have improved and these are at longer ranges but I have put golf ball sized dents in 1/2" T1A steel with round balls. Those must work but I'm still amazed.

 

[Leatherbark]

Shot that silhouette several times. I use a .50 Tip Curtis Virginia flint rifle. I've seen my buddies flint .45 not knock over the 200 yard bears with a low hit. But he only uses 70 grains of powder.

The last time I shot it I got a standing ovation from the crowd for hitting all four 175 yard Turkeys. Several old timers said they never seen in all their years at Friendship someone clean all the 175 yard Turkeys. For what it worth I only shot a 12 or so total out of 20 and missed all the 200 yard bears but still got a bronze medal.

The wind and the lighting will wreak havoc on your sight shooting compared with the lighting where you shoot now. The last two times I shot at Friendship I had to knock my sight over as my gun was shooting to the left 4 inches or so from where it shoots in WV. LOL. Old timers said it was the way the sun and shading is there.
The targets the last time I was there were pretty banged up and concave from the constant beating.


I'll be going back in the fall to try her again.

Your Great Plains Rifle will be fine.

Bob

 

[terrydull]

Thanks Art, I will. I'll be there on Sat and/or Sunday. Friendship is only about an hour 1/2 drive from my house.

Thanks,
Terry

 

[Jim C]

I can only wish there were more people in my area interested in traditional muzzle loaders. Our gun club holds NRA sanctioned BPCR silhouette matches, but nothing for traditional muzzle loaders.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I can only wish there were more people in my area interested in traditional muzzle loaders. Our gun club holds NRA sanctioned BPCR silhouette matches, but nothing for traditional muzzle loaders.

Start an ml club. There may be more traditional ml'ers in your area than you are aware of.

 

[Jim C]

I'm going to look into it at the gun club. I know there are some there because I see their spent patches on the ranges all the time but I never run into them personally and I am usually there at least once a week, most of the time twice a week.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I used to shoot the long range steel silhouette targets. I used my 45 caliber Hawken replica rifle to regularly knock the targets over, even the 200 yard bears. Now the club I shot with used the 1/4 inch thick steel targets. When these targets are set on the stand at the point that they are about to topple over, the 45 with a modest load will knock them down. It can be rather frustrating to hear the target ring when hit and not topple over. There is a center spot on the bears that seems to just ring and not move much.

Yes the 1/4 inch thick targets get dished out pretty good. Part of our range gear was a large sledge hammer to more or less get them flat.

My load for 200 yards was 90 grains of 3f, 0.017 linen patch and a 0.445 round ball. I liked the load for the flat shooting. Even then I used a sight picture of seeing the full blade in the notch of the rear sight and holding the top of the blade on the ear of the bear that would compensate for the direction of the wind. The only time I didn't get the bears knocked over was when the target was set too far forward of the topple point. I have also seen a 54 caliber spin a ground hog target and leave it on the stand. That can happen with turkeys too.

 

[Baja_Traveler]

My eyes have a serious problem with notched rear sights - just can't focus on them very well, so every rifle I own has peep sights. Do they allow soule tang peep sights for these matches? Not that we have any real muzzleloader silhouette matches around here, but I'd like to shoot in one some day.
I'm building a 50 cal hawken target rifle with an MVA tang sight. The local matches we have are not true silhouette matches (just a pig at 75 yards, and a ram at 150), my rifle will be allowed under an "Unlimited" classification by local rules, but if I travel...

 

[fleener]

you can go to the website and look at the regs. I think that it is open rear sights only.

Fleener

 

[Billnpatti]

Friendship is only about an hour 1/2 drive from my house.

Thanks,
Terry

You lucky duck!! :bow: I used to live in Seymour, IN. That is about a 45 minute drive to Friendship. I used to shoot in many matches at Friendship when we lived in Seymour. I also shot with my club, The Fish Creek Long Rifles, in North Vernon, IN. Those were good days. :hatsoff: