Since FG has had so much fun testing JSG 3f and I have two jugs of it (for shooting black powder revolver) I decided to test the powder in a Knight Wolverine.
The rifle is a .50 caliber Knight LK 93 Wolverine with a stainless steel barrel and a 1x32mm Traditions ($50.00) scope on it with Tradition steel mounts. I know this rifle likes 90 grains of Pyrodex RS and a .430 .44 caliber Hornady XTP with a green harvester crushed rib sabot. I was using RWS 1075 caps.
As always I prepared the rifle by cleaning the bore with alcohol. I then dry patched it to remove any oil. I also popped a couple caps through the breech plug.
I loaded 90 grains of JSG and the Harvester XTP mentioned. The first shot was a dead bull. I was impressed. The rifle seemed to have a good stiff recoil with that load. Since I read that you do not have to swab with JSG I did not. The more I shot, I felt that might not be such good advise. The bullet and sabot at the muzzle was extremely difficult to start into the barrel. But the accuracy was pretty good actually. #2 for some reason jumped to the side, but 3-5 were real good. Then for some reason #6 just took off.
The strange part was I really felt good about all the shots. I was using extreme pressure when seating the sabot on the charge (like told to do) but there was some definite issues going on in the bore when I was loading. I could feel fouling but not see it. As most of you can understand, when the sabot went down the bore, it did not feel right. Not like when I swab the bore.
But I blamed #6 on myself and decided to test it against the regular powder I use which is Pyrodex.
So I took Windex and cleaned the bore of the rifle. Almost immediately I noticed a very dirty patch come out of that rifle. Not at all what I expected from JSG. I kept swabbing and finally the dirty patches stopped. I even took the bolt and breech plug out of the back of the rifle and visually checked to make sure the rifle was clean.
I then dried the rifle well, popped a cap and loaded with 90 grains of Pyrodex RS.
Shot number 1 was right where it should be for a 50 yard target. To be fair to JSG I did not swab the bore and fired two more shots. I could have loaded a fourth but to be honest, the rifle was very fouled and I knew it. So I swabbed and shot two more which were right in there with the group. But the batteries on the camera decided to die then and there, so all I can show is the first three shot.
Then I decided to call it a day. When I took the rifle apart to clean, the trigger fell apart in the rifle. I located a spring, small pin and side plate in the floor (just lucky I clean them on a carpet area) but I have figure out where they go and how to get them there. Maybe I will send the trigger out to Knight. Test their new customer service.
My overall impression of JSG in a rifle... it works good. Is way to expensive for shooting in a rifle. And I will keep it for the revolver.
comparison testing of JSG 3f in Wolverine
