shooting the .58 caliber

[cayugad]

Semisane made a post reference his new .58 caliber Green Mountain Barrel with a peep sight. His accuracy was amazing. He was using almost the same load as I shoot. He has a .575 home cast ball while I use a .570 Speer ball. Also he uses a different lube and cuts his patches prior to loading. I use moose milk and cut my patch at the muzzle.

I had the target out at 50 yards. It was hot today, 80 degrees. This north woods person is not real pleased with hot weather and today was no exception. While the sun beat down on me, there was at least a slight breeze. Although this did not stop the sweat from running off my hat, and dripping down my face into my eyes where it burned like liquid fire. I really do not know how people take hot climates.

Anyway, I was determined to shoot this muzzleloader, sweat in my eyes or not. I was using a basic Caldwell shooting rest. My load was 110 grains of Goex 2f, a Speer roundball, pillow tick and moose milk lube. I was also using RWS caps to ignite the rifle.





I was using a very generous six o'clock hold. The first three shots showed me the error of my ways, to I took a little finer bead and #4 was a little better IMO.



I threw a couple of shots, but over all the rifle did OK. I never swabbed between shots. And I can not say it was hard to load, even though I was shooting Goex. I never kept track of the shots. Too hot to walk to the target. I just sat there and had some fun shooting.



The four patches show no sign of damage and are in very good shape. The X was from a different day, but I was grabbing patches off the ground at the time...

That would be a good hunting load IMO.

[Semisane]

You were really stacking them in there Cayugad. Good shooting. Have you tried FFFg in that barrel, or Pyrodex/T7?

I'd like to try .570 balls in mine. But dang it, I hate buying balls when they are so easy and cheap to cast. I don't know why Lee doesn't make a .570 mold. They have .562 and .575, but no .570. That just doesn't make sense to me because they make both .530 and .535 for the .54.

I know all about sweat in the eyes and would love to be able to shoot in eighty degree weather over the next few months. We will be seeing daytime highs around ninety degrees until next September. I have to hit the range by 7 a.m. to shoot for and hour or so before it warms up. You get used to carrying a towel on your shoulder to wipe your face just before taking a sight picture. The other option is to head for the range on rainy/overcast days.

[cayugad]

Well I lucked out and came across a sale on Speer ball. So I purchased four or five (50 count) boxes of them. They work good. I also checked LEE for a .570 and saw they did not make one. I was worried about buying the .575 because of the luck I had with the .54 caliber (as you know). So I never purchased a mold for this caliber. But knowing your rifle will shoot a .575 I am more inclined to purchase a mold and cast some of them to try out.

I never thought of the towel trick. All I have to do is make to September and this heat will be gone.

[Semisane]

But knowing your rifle will shoot a .575 I am more inclined to purchase a mold and cast some of them to try out.

Don't do that yet. I'll send you some from my Lee mold so you can see how they fit your bore.

[cayugad]

Thanks, that would be great...

[falcon]

That is some fine shooting.