Actually, a synopsis of aseveral range sessions...
Got this in a trade, previous owner said it was shot less than 50 times. It's in near-perfect condition inside & out. If put back in the packaging it could pass for NIB. Came with factory nipple, Hot Shot nipple new in package, and a MagSpark 209 adapter nipple. Opted to use the Hot Shot as I'd prefer to use #11 caps instead of shotgun primers. Always thought scrubbing the primer residue off was the worst part of cleaning the inline I used to have.
All shooting was done using Remington #11 caps (only ones stocked locally), Goex fffg powder, & Hornady .530 roundballs. Patch thickness, type of lube, & powder charge were the variables.
60, 70, & 80 grain charges produced poor accuracy regardless of patch thickness (0.010-0.018") or lube (bore butter, deer tallow, crisco, olive oil). Nothing better than 3" to 3-1/2" groups at 50 yards. I badly wanted this rifle to handle roundballs well, and was getting worried that I might have no choice but to find some .54 conicals... big time overkill for kentucky whitetails. Well, lo & behold, with 90 grains & .018" pillow ticking, everything changed. This combo performed well with all lubes, though the best groups by a slim margin were with bore butter. First 5-shot group with this combo was <2" center to center. Shot another 5-shot group to test repeatability, this one <1-3/4" center to center.
Surprising to me for a couple reasons. First, with a 26" barrel (~2" of which is QLA), I kinda figured anything over 80 grains fffg would likely be a waste of powder. Second, the .018" patches looked fairly rough. Not completely blown by any means, but on the ragged edge. But I used the same strategy I use with my wife: don't argue with results, just give her what she wants & everybody's happy! If she wants 90 grains fffg, she'll get 90 grains fffg.
A few things I'm considering for the next session:
1- Try using felt over-powder wads or cornmeal filler. Patch/ball combo is fairly tight with the .018" ticking, so I'd rather not try thicker patching. On the other hand, protecting the patches a bit surely couldn't hurt since they're getting fairly beat up- might tighten up groups even more. I think this rifle/load is a prime candidate for wad or filler.
2- Using wads/filler, increase charge in 5-grain increments until things open up. I don't expect that it'll get any better from increased charge, but I thought 90 grains was a shot in the dark as well. Again... if she wants 105 grains fffg, she'll get 105 grains fffg!
No misfires or hangfires at all, everything was instant. And what a sweet trigger, 2 lbs 1 oz, zero creep/grit. That surprised me as well. A buddy of mine has a .50 New Englander that almost requires a two-hand pull. I suspect there's something going onin his lock, bridle screws too tight, etc., or it just needs to be cleaned & lubed. We're gonna check it out tonight. His rifle is a good shooter with prb as well, but he hates that trigger, and I don't blame him.
My .54 caliber New Englander shoots .530 ball, .018 patch, moose milk lube, and 100 grains of Goex 2f powder. If I load it lighter is opens the group. Load 100 grains and it will shoot a 2" at 50 yards most all day. For some reason if I shoot long enough I will get a flier. But I really write that off to shooters error.
It also shoots Great Plains Conicals real well. No such thing as over kill on an animal. I want them down in the dirt, right where they stood...
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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."
Good report HeadHunter, and good shooting with iron sights. .54 ball shooting sure is addictive - simple.fun, and cheap.
My .50 New Englander has a great trigger also. Just a tad bit of creep but really light and crisp at the break. The funny thing is I've never shot balls out of it, only Great Plains conicals and REALs.
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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.
I'm satisfied with that load as-is for hunting, but can't resist the urge to tinker a bit more. Truth is, that's probably close to the best I can do with my "corrected" eyes & the stock sights. Don't get me wrong, I love the TC sights for hunting, but they're clearly not the best for benchrestin'. And who knows, maybe I'll stuff some wads in there & get the elusive ragged hole.
cayugad, that's good to hear that a similar load produces the same results for you, helps me believe it was no fluke. I figure 90 grains fffg is about equal to 100 grains ffg, and my patches are the same thickness.
Semi, you are speaking my language man- cheap! I've nothing at all against conicals, just seems that a .54 roundball ought to take care of just about anything I'm liable to run up against in the Kentucky woods. And I can mold twice as many from a pound of lead. Well, once the .530 mold gets here... got the .490 & a Lee melter, .530 is on the way.
Gonna try some more lubes too, bore butter works great in both my guns but would rather use something home-brewed. Who knows how much longer TC will be a player in the traditional game.
Hey thumper, those GP are some mean looking bullets. I remember seeing some other range reports telling of good accuracy with them from different guns. I think Hornady tends to make some good stuff!
Seeing a trend here of New Englanders liking 90+ grain charges, guess I was way wrong in thinking they'd do better with lighter charges.
Looks like we might have a spot of decent weather this weekend, sounds like an opportunity to do some load fine tuning. Gotta pick up some cornmeal, no shops anywhere close carry the over-powder wads. Might check out the craft stores & see if they have any wool felt.
A lot of people shoot less than what the gun shoots best with, no doubt the are exceptions to every rule of thumb but the velocity produced in combination with the twist should control that and according to that 90 to 110 gr should be ideal. Some people choose to shoot less because recoil scares them. Lee
.54 New Englander range report
