First off I'm a newbie to rifles/sighting in and I'm new to muzzleloading and I have T/C Triumph bone collector with BDC 250 omega scope. I cannot seem to get good groupings in my target. I set up a table at 100 yards with sandbags to so I dont shake and get a stable shot. i'll be able to hit one bullseye and the next two shot will be 3 to the right and 5 inches up high. then I play with elevation and windage and it screws me up. i've used almost 150 bullets and I cant figure it out. I''ve been trying different powders - triple 7, pyrodex in pellets form, I didnt like these because it was pain in the butt cleaning these. So I tried blackhorn 209 and I love this powder because cleaner and I could shoot more between cleaning. Im using T/C Shockwave .50 cal/250 gauge with 100 grain of powder. Im pretty sure my scope is straight and its not loose. Any advice? thank you
First thing I would do is pull the scope. Move the target in to 25 yards and shoot the same load with open sights. This will tell you a couple things. At that distance you should be shooting a very tight group. Even with open sights. If you are, then move the target back to 50 yards and shoot with the open sights again.
What your looking for is the tightness of the group. If it is not tight, it tells you that your powder charge might be off. Your swabbing between shots is not doing it's job. Your sabot needs to be changed out, or the manner you address the rife is bad. Also if you have a friend, or even someone at say a public range that appears to be a good shot, have them take three shots at 25 yards. Examine their group.
If the group is tight, check the base of the scope mount. Make sure it is tight and properly installed. Next check the rings on the scope. Make sure they are not too tight, no burrs inside the rings where they touch the scope, or not even in their tightening. A simple thing to try is change the front mount out for the back mount. Why this sometimes fixes the problem I have no idea, but believe me, I have done this, and it worked.
Next put the scope back on. Again, pay attention to how the scope sits on the rifle, how it lines up to the barrel, and how tight the scope mounts are. If you are not experienced with mounting scopes, the amount a gun smith will charge you for doing it correctly will save you more then that in the bullets you waste at a target.
With the scope back on, try the rifle at 25, 50, 75, and finally a 100 yards. Fliers do happen. But mostly they are caused by the way the rifle is addressed, shooters expecting recoil, shooters changing position at the bench, poor swabbing, or shooter fatigue.
Also take your time when you shoot. Nothing says you have to shoot and then load as fast as you can. Never pull that trigger until you are positive that all the things you want addressed before the shot, are there. The main thing I watch when I shoot is how I address the rifle and the bench. I find that if I start crawling around on the the bench or moving the rifle position, I get fliers.
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You say the first shot hits the bullseye. If you were to shoot 1 time from a clean rifle supposedly hitting the bullseye, then break the rifle down and do a full clean, when you load back up now in a clean rifle would you hit the bullseye again? My point is, if the first shot every time is consistent from a clean rifle, then the scope and gun are working. We then have to look at what you are doing between shots, cleaning, loading, etc....
I would hesitate to make windage and elevations adjustments after 1 flier. In example: if I get excited and push the ramrod harder then previous loads, I will get a higher point of impact (POI). Most MZ's need to have everything (cleaniless, powder, bullet weight, ramrod pressure, aiming point, shooter consistency, etc...) to be extremely accurate when shooting for groups.
My advice is also to start with the target at 25 yards. Fire one time, then do a full break down and clean. Let the rifle cool and then load up the EXACT same way with no adjustments and fire again. Do this time consuming process 5 times. Is your grouping consistent? I don't care where the bullets hit on the target, but are the all together in a tight group? If yes, then it is probably not the gun, scope or most likely the load. Then we have to look at the "in-between routine" and shooter consistency. As stated, this is a time consuming process, but is usually a good place to start. Saved me when I got into muzzleloading. Report back and keep us informed.
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I don't know how far the worst case may be. But I can tell you that consistent seating pressure can turn a four or five inch 100 yard group into a two inch 100 yard group.
About a year ago I used a bushing collar from the hardware store with a nylon washer glued to it to make a stop collar for the rod I use to seat balls in my .54 Great Plains and Renegade.
It looks like this.
In my first load of a range session, I loosen the collar then seat the ball until I just feel it touch the powder. Then I move the collar until it's about 1/8" above the face of the muzzle, and tighten the set screw. Then I seat the load the rest of the way until the collar hits the muzzle. Every shot after that will be seated with the same amount of pressure because the collar will stop you from applying more than you did the first time. Of course, if you change powder charge or projectile you have to readjust the collar.
Using a stop collar improved my groups so much with those two 54s that I now use a stop collar for every gun I shoot, even when I'm just plinking.
.
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Sounds like when my brother in law was shooting his wolf. A few great shots and then 5 to 6" high and to the left. We thought it was the Nikon scope. So the next week i took my lead sled out there, he took a shot and hit exactly up in the left high corner of the target. Same area where i had been grouping. He made some adjustments, put 3 shots under 1 1/4" with that Wolf.
You may be flinching and thats whats causing it to "throw" your shots or even jerking the trigger.
Invest in a good quality rest. And by quality, i dont exactly mean An arm and leg price tag. Sturdy built and one that fits your rifle will do fine.
i was gonna do some smoke poling last year but couldnt get good consistent groups, so i didnt go. im onna try this
Quote:
Originally Posted by Semisane
I don't know how far the worst case may be. But I can tell you that consistent seating pressure can turn a four or five inch 100 yard group into a two inch 100 yard group.
About a year ago I used a bushing collar from the hardware store with a nylon washer glued to it to make a stop collar for the rod I use to seat balls in my .54 Great Plains and Renegade.
It looks like this.
In my first load of a range session, I loosen the collar then seat the ball until I just feel it touch the powder. Then I move the collar until it's about 1/8" above the face of the muzzle, and tighten the set screw. Then I seat the load the rest of the way until the collar hits the muzzle. Every shot after that will be seated with the same amount of pressure because the collar will stop you from applying more than you did the first time. Of course, if you change powder charge or projectile you have to readjust the collar.
Using a stop collar improved my groups so much with those two 54s that I now use a stop collar for every gun I shoot, even when I'm just plinking.
.
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