Well it was warm out today although I did not know it was so windy. But its been days since I have had the opportunity to shoot because of a knee injury. So I was looking out side and saw how much the snow had melted and figured I could walk out there if I was careful..
I started encountering problems all most at once. It was so windy that the target would not stay standing. I should have turned around and went back inside. But I have never been one to take the easy way, so I took the stand apart, shoved the legs in the snow and took the other parts to brace the stand against the wind.
I got back to the bench and ranged the target. Once it read 30 yards, and once it read 32 yards. So I called it 30 yards. The rifle was my new .50 caliber Thompson Center Hawkins. I decided to really push the rifle hard today and see what it would do. So I loaded 100 grains of Triple Seven 2f. I then loaded a felt unlubed wad on top of the powder. And finally used a moosemilk pillow tick patch and a .490 cast roundball.
The last time I shot the rifle it hit a little high and left, and so I moved the sight to the right after my last range session. I was curious where it was going to hit. I fired the first shot and kind of attributed that to the powder charge and clean barrel. So I shot two more and saw it was too far to the right and not quite as high. So I made an adjustment to the left a little. I then swabbed the barrel and shot a bunch of rounds without swabbing.
I then made a final adjustment and turned the rear sight down. I also swabbed between shots. That final hole is supposed to be three shots. I fired three times. I can see definite two marks from the ball, but the third sure snuck into that same hole nice.
The wind was picking up even worse. And blew the braced target over. So I called it a day. It was sure nice to get out in the fresh air and shoot again.
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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."
Nice target Dave. It shows you can have fun without the frills. I took my TC hawken out last Wednesday to give it a try with 70 grs of old Pyrodex Select and 270 Buffalo Maxi Ball-ets. To my surprise all shots were on the target with a 6" group, which for me at 100 yards and open sights is not the norm. But it has encouraged me to go back to the basics leaving the scopes and BH 209 home. I have a GM LRH barrel which I mounted a globe sight and Lyman peep which I want to try next.
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I see more of the UPS man then I do my Wife, since finding this site!!!
Actually the recoil was not all that bad. And it was so nice and warm today I did not have to wear a jacket, just a heavy shirt. So I did not find it bad at all. Although I had to smile, when you'd fire a huge thick gray cloud would hug the ground out front.
With the felt wad, the patches looked perfect, and these cast ball I purchased a while back load fine and seem to shoot real well. Of course this is only 30 yards. But I noticed today the bench rest wheels are thawing out so soon I will be able to move that around too.
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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."
Nice shootin Dave. Those last 3 basically in the same hole is something to smile about. And that 100 gr charge of Triple 7 is pretty stout.
__________________ PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO THE RISING COST IN AMMO PRICES I WILL NO LONGER BE FIRING A WARNING SHOT.
A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have.
I'm not as good as I'm gonna get - but I'm better than I used to be. "Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point."
I got to get some T7 & PRB shooting in today also... I was shooting T7-3f but only 60 grains... am trying to work up a Rondy load -but it sure looks like I should start shooting 100 grains.
That is nice shootig with that new Hawken.... makes you fee good when a purchase pans out that good....
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Keep on Shooting Muzzleloaders they are a Blast
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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.
Semisane.. when I swabbed I accidently grabbed T/C #13 when I was loading my range bag. An identical bottle of that has isopropyl alcohol in it. So I swabbed with that anyway. And the little I did swab, there was not really a hard crud ring like I expected. I think since the powder is being set off with a #11 cap, that helps to keep the crud down. I am not saying there was not "some" crud down there, but it was nothing that could not be managed.
After the damp swab, I then ran two dry patches and even popped a #11 through it to make sure the fire channel was clean. Then I wiped the nipple off, then loaded again. Ignition speed was excellent.
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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."
First of all glad to see your doing better.That is some good shooting 30 yards or not.Them one's that go in the same hole really puzzle the shooter for a while till you know for sure.I think a little gong would work for things like that.Maybe put one off to the side just to shoot and make sure before you have to go check the target.
T/C Hawkins, roundballs, Triple Seven
