Shooting my Kibler Southern Mountain Rifle

[hanshi]

Those patches look pretty good but being a fan of tight loads, I, too, recommend a heavier patch. My favorite for most of my rifles is unbleached canvas that compresses to .023"-.024". I like the canvas better than but denim is very hard to improve on.

 

[Hatchet-Jack]

Those patches look pretty good but being a fan of tight loads, I, too, recommend a heavier patch. My favorite for most of my rifles is unbleached canvas that compresses to .023"-.024". I like the canvas better than but denim is very hard to improve on.

Thanks I'm looking forward to getting back out there to try some heavier patches.

 

[Hatchet-Jack]

I got some shooting in yesterday. I started with some denim patches that are .022. I shot groups using 3F 50, 55, 60, 65 grains. 55 grains was my best group but it still was not great.
Next I tried some Canvas that is .018 thick. I shot the same loads and again 55 grains was the best but still a 3" group at 25 yards. I thought I wonder what 45 grains will do? I'm glad I tried it. I shot a really tight group at 25 yards then another tight group at 50 yards.

I took a little off the front sight and brought the elevation up. These are the three shots I made taking a little off the front sight each time until I hit the bulls eye.

 

[hanshi]

I think you may have found a good load for at least 50 yards. A little light for hunting but keep going with the experimenting.

 

[ord sgt]

What is the depth of the rifling? And the rate of twist?

 

[Hatchet-Jack]

I think you may have found a good load for at least 50 yards. A little light for hunting but keep going with the experimenting.

I agree. I just ordered some .445 RBs. I'm going to try those out.

 

[Hatchet-Jack]

What is the depth of the rifling? And the rate of twist?

It's a Green Mountain barrel. 1/70 twist. No idea on the depth.

 

[Winchester97]

I agree. I just ordered some .445 RBs. I'm going to try those out.

Nice! That is looking pretty good, but Keep trying different things, even the same patch material with different lube will deliver different results. All it takes is that one component to bring it all together. With my .36 Kibler, I was getting so-so accuracy, until I tried olive oil for patch lube, then I got one hole groups at 25yd. Same patch material, different lube, completely different results.

 

[Hatchet-Jack]

Nice! That is looking pretty good, but Keep trying different things, even the same patch material with different lube will deliver different results. All it takes is that one component to bring it all together. With my .36 Kibler, I was getting so-so accuracy, until I tried olive oil for patch lube, then I got one hole groups at 25yd. Same patch material, different lube, completely different results.

Thanks I was pretty excited when I finally got a tighter group. Yes I'll keep experimenting. This was Murphy's Oil Soap and water. I've got several other lubes Bear Grease, Track of the wolf mink oil and moose milk I plan to try as well.

 

[oldwood]

Sweet spot for my flint , .45 target , and iron buster was 62 gr. fffg. No grease , thin lube. .012 patch........Over 75 yds. ,wind could effect the shot at 100 yds. , and at 200 yds. , shooting iron in wind could cause a floater.

 

[Hatchet-Jack]

Sweet spot for my flint , .45 target , and iron buster was 62 gr. fffg. No grease , thin lube. .012 patch........Over 75 yds. ,wind could effect the shot at 100 yds. , and at 200 yds. , shooting iron in wind could cause a floater.

What size RB?

 

[oldwood]

Hatchet.......Think it was .440. Got rid of the rifle because the ball was too light to knock the cub bear over at 200 yds. Oddly , a .50 cal would buck the wind , and hit hard enough to put the iron cub over reliably. The .50 I had at the time , tried and true , was 9Lb. . Too heavy for an old man to shoot all day. That Rifle was a Getz barreled 44 in. .50 ,w/ tapered and flared "C" wt. profile. Started out at .490 ball , 80 gr. fffg sweet spot , .012 patch w/sheep tallow. (Dixie old zip). After several years the bore slicked up. Put a new 1/16" T/H liner in the barrel , and went to .495 ball , still 80 gr. fffg , and.007 thick patch , same lube. Tack driver Made the iron sing...............oldwood

 

[ord sgt]

It's a Green Mountain barrel. 1/70 twist. No idea on the depth.

Green Mountain barrels usually have a groove depth of 0.012".

 

[hanshi]

Also, Hatchet-Jack, since the twist is 1-70", just a tad slow in the .45, You might get better results with heavier powder charges. My primary .45 is 1-56" and has only been fed loads of 60 grns up to 80 grns. Virtually all my hunting was done with the 80 grain load and that load would really shoot! It would also drop a deer big time. The 60-65 grain load was certainly deer worthy and shot well so was great in target and plinking sessions. Chronographed in my old .45 underhammer 60 grains and a .440" (gain twist but closer to a .44 than .45) prb gave over 1700 fps. That's the load I used on deer and bobcats.

 

[Big Bubba]

This is my best group at 25 yards. 5 shots with .440 ball, .021 canvas patch and 60 grains of 3fg. I've shot close to 200 rounds through mine now and tried a lot of different combinations. The groups got tighter along the way, which a lot of that could be just me getting use to it, but it could also just be the barrel getting broke in.

Keep shooting!

 

[Hatchet-Jack]

Green Mountain barrels usually have a groove depth of 0.012".

Thanks Ord Sgt good to know. I'll have to put the calipers to it to see if it'

This is my best group at 25 yards. 5 shots with .440 ball, .021 canvas patch and 60 grains of 3fg. I've shot close to 200 rounds through mine now and tried a lot of different combinations. The groups got tighter along the way, which a lot of that could be just me getting use to it, but it could also just be the barrel getting broke in.

Keep shooting!


View attachment 77857

Is that off hand or bench? Nice group.

 

[Big Bubba]

Thanks Ord Sgt good to know. I'll have to put the calipers to it to see if it'

Is that off hand or bench? Nice group.

Thanks, I was quite happy with it. It was off the bench. I would be lucky to hit the target off hand.

 

[Hatchet-Jack]

I think I found the sweet spot. .445 RB, 70g 3F, drill cloth .022 and Murphy's oil soap and water lube.

3 shots 50 yards

3 shots 25 yards

I worked on removing some off of the front sight and brought up the elevation and move the rear a little to the right and put one on the bullseye at 25 yards and called it a day.

 

[Big Bubba]

I think I found the sweet spot. .445 RB, 70g 3F, drill cloth .022 and Murphy's oil soap and water lube.

3 shots 50 yards
View attachment 78540

3 shots 25 yards
View attachment 78541

I worked on removing some off of the front sight and brought up the elevation and move the rear a little to the right and put one on the bullseye at 25 yards and called it a day.

Very nice! Haven't tried mine at 50 yards yet, but will have to keep that load in mine. I did notice with the higher charges it seemed to shoot lower.

 

[Winchester97]

Thats it right there. Looks great, now just shoot the heck out of it.