Here are three 5-shot groups out of my LYMAN Mustang.
Bullet is 250 grain Lee REAL over a fiber wad with Pyrodex powder.
Target 1 is 80 grains powder/1375 fps average, Target 2 is 90 grains/1420 fps average, Target 3 is 100 grains/1510 fps average.
CCI 209 primers. Distance 50 yards.
Each group has one flyer that I KNOW is not a result of loading or shootingtechnique. WHY?
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My wife says I'm totally nuts, but I think I'm Semisane.
Things I've Learned: (1) It's not possible to please everyone, but quite easy to piss everyone off. (2) If you love animals as I do, then you're not a vegetarian. (3) There's no need to act stupid, even if you're very good at it. (4) If you eat right and exercise, don't smoke or drink, you're going to die anyway.
Did you swab after every shot? What # shot was the flyer? If its #3 on up, i wouldnt even worry about it for hunting. I get a couple flyers an open my groups because i prefer not to swab. Im rather lazy
Swabbed after each shot with both sides of a fairly damp patch of Butch's Black Powder Bore Shine, followed by both sides of a dry patch.
Flyer on target 1 was shot #3, on targets 2 & 3 it was shot #2.
Really not a problem for hunting - all shots are "minute of lung". I just like shooting tight groups on paper and keep on trying to findthe magic formula.
__________________
My wife says I'm totally nuts, but I think I'm Semisane.
Things I've Learned: (1) It's not possible to please everyone, but quite easy to piss everyone off. (2) If you love animals as I do, then you're not a vegetarian. (3) There's no need to act stupid, even if you're very good at it. (4) If you eat right and exercise, don't smoke or drink, you're going to die anyway.
Don't know that it's your problem, but try making a shot and let the barrel cool down before firing the next shot. Do this for a series of 5 shots and see if it helps. When everything else remains constant but your bullet impact shifts it may mean your barrel is heating to a point that affects your shot placement.
Just a thought. Good luck.
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I had the same in 2 different inline when I was shooting inline.
I find one gun to clover leaf 3 shots and then throw a flyer or 2 ,problem was resolved by swiching bullets.
next m/l always like you said maybe 2 together then a spread of 2" at the 100 yard target.I find this with just about any bullet and powder I used in this gun.I always new there was no prblem shooting deer with but a tack driver it never was.
The above gun mention was a 54 cal. t/c thunderhawk,one day while looking at some used m/l in the gun shop,there was a 50 cl. thunder hawk there price was $60.00 bucks as is ,seem it was not shot that much still had blueing in the bore,hey what the heck bought it.
I got home and switch the set up on the 54 to the 50cal. and to my surprise this gun will tack drive bullets at the 100 yd target,it tells me the barrel on the 54 cal.could of been the problem
Why REAL concials produce aflier ... who knows. It happens to me as well. It could be the lube, the way the conical was casted, the wad, the loading pressure uses, they way they engaged the rifling, just about anything. All you can do is try and be consistant and keep everything the same. That is one reason I do not trust them past 100 yards when hunting.
I have a friend and all he hunts with are the 300 gr REAL (that I cast)out of his .54 hawkins. He has never had a deer walk away after being shot. But his problem is, he (like me) does not trust them past 100 yards. I have shot hundreds, maybe even a thousand REAL conicals. I make them for both the .50 & .54 caliber in both weights. Just as you describe, I will have a very good group going, and all of a sudden for no reason, I get a flier.
Try and stay consistant and see if it solves itself. The Lyman you have looks like it does a good job with them.
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, a total wreck, screaming Yahoo, with a big smile on your face."
Since the first group is also you best, I'd go down to 70-75 grains, just to see what happenes...
Also...I have seen guns that really needed more cleaning than you are doing...And one that I had to not only clean with 3 damp patches, but then oil the barrel and run a dry patch after the oiling...
One thing about muzzleloaders, you are handloading each shot, everyone thinks about being consistant in the loading process....But the barrel also has to be conditioned between each shot as well...
My Lyman Mustang didn't like the REAL conicals at all. I tried 325 grain REALs in it and had a terrible group at 50 yards. So far the best groups have been with T/C 250 grain shockwave sabots & 100 grains of Pyrodex RS, but I'm still trying to find something to turn it into a tack-driver.
Hey WABI, first time I shot REALs from the Mustang I couldn't get any better than 5 or6 inch groups at 50 yards with 70, 80 and 90 grains Pyrodex.
Last session I used a 1/16"wad under the bullet with much better results. If you exclude the flyer on each of the above targets the groups are 1 1/2 inches. Even with the flyers they are 3 inches.
I have a pack of 1000 Circle Fly Vegtable Fiber wads from Track of the Wolf. Shoot me a PM with a mailing address and I'll send you a couple of dozen to try.
__________________
My wife says I'm totally nuts, but I think I'm Semisane.
Things I've Learned: (1) It's not possible to please everyone, but quite easy to piss everyone off. (2) If you love animals as I do, then you're not a vegetarian. (3) There's no need to act stupid, even if you're very good at it. (4) If you eat right and exercise, don't smoke or drink, you're going to die anyway.
Dang Flyers! Why? Why? Why?
Don't know that it's your problem, but try making a shot and let the barrel cool down before firing the next shot. Do this for a series of 5 shots and see if it helps. When everything else remains constant but your bullet impact shifts it may mean your barrel is heating to a point that affects your shot placement.
