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Shooting the mountain pistol

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Joined
Mar 6, 2015
Messages
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Location
Oklahoma
I finally was able to take a few shots today with my newly acquired mountain pistol.
I tacked a 2x2 foot piece of cardboard up on my frame and set up the sticks and chair 20 yards back.
30 grains of 3f and a .490 patched round ball. I aimed at the center and my shot struck the cardboard about 2 inches from the bottom.
Next shot, I aimed a bit higher than center and totally missed.
All the rest of my shots, about 5 in all either hit the bottom of the board or missed.
Don't know if I should go up or down with the powder charge.
 
I'm not sure the powder charge is the problem. Where are the sights regulated? Do you have any idea. If it was me, I'd get it on sand bags or a solid bench and shoot a group at about 10 yards to start just to get an idea how it groups and how high or low it is shooting. I assume it is missing the target on the bottom.

You could move the charge up in 5 grain increments to see if it groups better, but since it seems to hitting low, raise the point of aim and try to see if it is grouping. Once you know where you are, then you can adjust your sights to raise or lower impact point.
 
Thanks Jake, I was thinking to do what your talking about. I have a small table that I shoot off sometimes. I'll drag it down to 10 yards and start from there.
I read a post where someone mentioned that he uses those PA conicals with good results. I have a box and perhaps I'll try them.
 
I would start with the patched round balls to see what accuracy I can get. When I got in the ball park with them, then maybe try the conicals. If you are serious about conicals, I wouldn't make drastic changes to the sights if they aren't adjustable until I had shot both types of projectile.
 
I would start with the patched round balls to see what accuracy I can get. When I got in the ball park with them, then maybe try the conicals. If you are serious about conicals, I wouldn't make drastic changes to the sights if they aren't adjustable until I had shot both types of projectile.
This bears repeating. “I wouldn't make drastic changes to the sights if they aren't adjustable until I had shot both types of projectile.” Find the load first and then regulate the sights. You may be able to use both Bullet and Ball with a slightly different hold.
 
Here is a good tutorial on sight in.
The fire arm is different, but the technique is the same.
Here is the you tube link. Good shooting.
 
Thanks for the video. I'm going through the process of sighting in a used .50 Hawken percussion. Yes, I have adjustible sights but the process is what I need to standardize. I took the rear sight apart and found a rusted spring that was catching, making elevation adhustments unreliable. I just bought a bore light so I can take a look at the barrel. The corrosion of the spring has me wondering about the overall care by the prior owner.
 
If the bore and other parts are good, the previous owner probably did ok with care. It would be easy to overlook taking the sight apart to check it.
 
The sights are pretty much fixed, I mean that they aren't adjustable without tools. I had a rifle years ago that shot about 8 inches low. I filed some of the front sight down and that fixed it. I may have to do the same here but I'm gonna take my time and be sure.
 
I have a CVA Mtn. Pistol bought in Kit form from Deer Creek. They actually call it the American Pistol but they are all new-old stock CVA parts. I lucked out. Put it together and loaded it with the same load I use in my Traditions Kentucky pistol, 25 grains fff and .490 ball. Shot dead center first shot and ever since. Only BP gun I've had that did not need sighting in and filing on the sights.
 
Yeah, I love it. Although my kentucky is more accurate at farther distances. The Mountain pistol with its shorter barrel makes a more hearty boom! And the belt hook is cool too!
 
Spent a good part of Saturday sighting in the mountain pistol. Starting at 10 yards, I found that my shots were hitting the target about 3 inches low and 8 inches to the left. I tapped the rear sight over to the right about an 1/8 of an inch which centered up my next shots pretty well. I then filed off about a 1/16 inch on the front sight which put me pretty much dead on.
I then moved back to 30 yards and spent the rest of my session just getting use to shooting from that distance.
My load was 25 grains of 3f under a .490 round ball with a .15 lubed patch. I did experiment with 30 & 35 grains of powder, with 30 grains being the most accurate I thought.
All in all I think the mountain pistol is a neat gun and fun to shoot.
 

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