Seems The Zouave Can Shoot - Wish I Could

[Semisane]

I had the (new to me) 43 year old Zoli Zouave out for its first range session Friday.

A couple of months agoI bought two pounds of Jim Shockey's GoldFFG loose powderbecause it was on sale real cheap. I opened a can when I got it home and it didlook like aquarium gravel as has been reported on some forums. It's been sitting in my closet ever since because I didn't have much hope for it.

Anyway, I figured I'd give it a try in the Zouave. So I loaded a bunch of powder tubes with 70 grains from a volume measure. I shot it under the 278 grain Hornady .570 ball with Wal-Mart pillow ticking patches and CCI Musket caps.

I didn't shoot over the chronograph (a little worried about the chrono), but that load had very little recoil.

Got a one and a half inchfive-shot group @ 25 yards. Center of group wassix and one-half inches above point of aim and one inchleft.

Got a six and a half inchfive-shot group @ 50 yards. Center of group was 12" above point of aim and 1" left. Group was a vertical string one and a half inches wide.

Got a four inchthree-shot group @ 100 yards. Group was an equilateral triangle. Aim point was an 8" round black "Shoot-N-C" target. The center of the group was about 4" above the horizontal center line of the target and about 8" to the left of target center.

This thing could really shoot if it had better sights, or I had better eyes. My bi-focal eyes just do not work with those military iron sights.

The JSGmade a lot of smoke, but was absolutely the cleanest burning powder I have ever used. Shot #1 was with a clean, dry barrel and I wiped with one dry patch between shots. Number 2 through 5 loaded just as easily as load #1. I will definitely be trying it again with stiffer charges to see if the accuracy holds up at higher velocities.

Here's the 25 yard target.

[Semisane]

Here's the 50 yard target.

[cayugad]

I know all about sights... that's one reason I am kind of moving towards 1X scopes on my rifles. They are no optic advantage but they are an aiming advantage, and my targets are showing that. Like you, I have bifocals, and to focus on the rear sight, and then the target, and hold all that together... well the scope seems to work better because I can look past the cross hairs while still keeping them in focus...

That Shockey Gold is an intersting power, but I shot enough of the APP that I think I will watch others shoot it instead of me...

Keep shooting ... how do you like that big hole a .58 makes?

[wabi]

The advantage of fiber optic sights - you put the big red fuzzyblob between the two big green fuzzierblobs and point it at the target.

[Underclocked]

Those bright fiber optics dance in front of my face - I can't use them AT ALL. The best irons for me are a simple U-notch rear with an ivory/white ball up front. But I would be dern lucky to shoot nearly as well as Semisane did with any sort of iron sights. Just can't get things together past 25 yards and I'm shootingbased upondistant memories even at that distance.

That old Zouave seems to like your load combo, Semi, and I think you could do just fine with better sights. The 50 yard group is mostly spread vertically indicating to me that you are climbing up and down on the front site - but not a lot.

[Semisane]

I like those .58 holes real well Cayugad. Haven't shot PRBs in quite a while. Forgot how much fun it is.

WABI, you're right. Fiber optic sights would be better - but they're still blobs to me. I agree with Underclocked, they dance in front of my face. I'm better off with a V-notch and white bead.

Actually, Cayugad's approach is pretty appealing. A low power scope on this gun would sure be fun.

So I'm faced with a dilemma. Do I;

1. Keep the gun in its original configuration, in which case I probably wouldn't shoot it much. However, it would hold its value better and I could probably get a quick sale on the North-South Skirmish Association bulletin board. If I sold it Icould buy another fun shooter (a rock lock?) and get the Zouave to someone who's interested inits historical significance.

2. Modify it with decent iron sights - somewhat lessening its resale value but making it more usable to me.

3. Mount a totally out of character low power scope and have fun with it.

What would you do?

[frontier gander]

send 'er to me. I'll get that thing shootin 3/4" groups @ 100

[cayugad]

That Frontier Gander.. always ready to help out.. You just got to admire a person like that.

[Semisane]

What A Guy!!! Sorry, it's not in the mail. If I had 23 year old eyes I could probably get it to shoot real well at 100 also. Anyway - what would you do? (other than send it to Gander).

[frontier gander]

I'd probably just send it to Gander, let him show all you old fellers what that .58 could do.

I'd probably try a new powder like pyrodex and a .015 patch. Start out with 80 grains and work your way up.

Now darn you, You put me in the mood for shooting my .54 flintlock!