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Boresighting a muzzleloader??

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Boresighting a muzzleloader??

Old 08-11-2004, 06:09 AM
  #1  
Fork Horn
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Location: Minneapolis
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Default Boresighting a muzzleloader??

I was just about ready to buy a boresighting lazer when I began wondering if it makes sense to boresight a muzzleloader. I have a Pedersoli replica of a Kentucky long rifle, percussion. In order to be as faithful as possible, Pedersoli made the rear sight fixed for elevation and you file the front sight. My thought was to get it showing a bit high, then start shooting. I began to become concerned about this as I thought about all the variations in powder load, pellets, etc.

So what do you all think?

Bruce

Oops! I'm wrong, it'll show low and as I file it'll raise up. Just the opposite as adjusting the rear sight, like I've been used to! I THINK! At any rate, I have an e-mail from Pedersoli about which way it starts.
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Old 08-11-2004, 10:00 AM
  #2  
Nontypical Buck
 
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Default RE: Boresighting a muzzleloader??

The higher your front sight, the lower you'll shoot. Start with a high front sight and file to bring POI up.

It would be best to settle on a bullet and charge that meets your accuracy and trajectory requirements before fine tuning the front sight too much. Don't worry about "sighting-in", only group size in working up a load.

After that you can alos vary POI by changing the charge, but that is dicey, and of course for hunting you'd have to know the range of the shot ahead of time. Doesn't usually happen that way.

Then it comes down to good old KY windage and holdover/under.
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Old 08-11-2004, 10:19 AM
  #3  
Dominant Buck
 
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Default RE: Boresighting a muzzleloader??

The mistake a lot of people with fixed sight rifles make is they start to file them down before they have their best load. The important thing is to get that rifle to shoot consistantly in the same spot with the tightest group and best load possible.

If your Pedersoli replica of a Kentucky has a 1-66 twist then you might want to consider it a roundball rifles and work accordingly. Find a good patch and ball combinaton. You can change point of aim by tweeking powder charges but in a good rifle not that much will change.

If your Kentucky has a 1-48 twist it will shoot both roundball and conicals, even sabots in some cases. I would still sight it in with the round ball since that fits the style of the rifle and a roundball is under rated in my opinion.

After you can shoot consistant groups with the rifle then start changing the sights.
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Old 08-12-2004, 05:43 AM
  #4  
Fork Horn
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Default RE: Boresighting a muzzleloader??

Thanks for the input guys. Glad I asked the question, saved me some money.

Bruce
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Old 08-16-2004, 05:52 AM
  #5  
Fork Horn
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Default RE: Boresighting a muzzleloader??

Shot my ML for the first time this weekend and WOW, is that puppy a straight shooter! I started with 80 grains of powder and a 295 grain Powerbelt (1:48 twist) and was consistantly holding a 2" to 3" pattern at about 65 yards; so I stayed there. Did some filing of the sights, but didn't want to go too far until I could get somewhere that I could shoot at 100 yards. Not too bad for my old eyes.

They say the only dumb question is the one you don't ask, so here goes. I want to try some patched balls, but the only patches I see in the black powder area of the Gander Mountain store are square cleaning patches. Are these the right patches to use? Do I trim them to round? The person I asked didn't seem to know much about black powder.

Bruce
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Old 08-16-2004, 06:43 AM
  #6  
Typical Buck
 
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Default RE: Boresighting a muzzleloader??

Traditions sells Wonder lube patches # A1240 $5.99 per hundred. They are prelubed ball patches. Bass Pro / Redhead carries them.
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Old 08-16-2004, 07:28 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2003
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Default RE: Boresighting a muzzleloader??

Bruce,

No, you probably don't want to use those. Those are for cleaning.

The ones I have used are round and yellow. Gander usually has them but might have run out. you could take the cleaning patches, cut a smaller circle, and prelube them with bore butter, which I believe the round yelllow ones are lubed with anyway.

Try another hunting shop. My local hardware store sells them, as well as the powerbelts, and round balls. Usually you can get 100 round balls for about $8. I use to shout round balls before I found the pleasure of shooting powerbelts.

Tom
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Old 08-20-2004, 12:48 PM
  #8  
Giant Nontypical
 
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Default RE: Boresighting a muzzleloader??

Don't do ANY filing of a fixred sight based on a boresighter! ONLY file for actual shootiung, with the load you are going to use from now on! Filing DOWN the front sight raises the point of impact on the target, filing DOWN the rear sight lowers it!! If it is shooting too high to begin with, the best way to lower the point of impact is to install a higher front sight blade, and then file that down, if it becomes necessary. I avoiud filing rear sights, if possible.

As mentioned above, get pre-lubed Wonder patches. Get some of the 0.010" thickness and some of the 0.015" thickness, and use the ones that fit best with the size ball you buy. You want them tight-fitting enough that it takes some force to start the patched ball into the muzzle (use a short starter), but not so tight that the ball cuts the patch when you start them into the bore. Examine some fired patches. They should have a good print of the ball and rifling markes, but no holes.
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Old 08-20-2004, 02:40 PM
  #9  
Dominant Buck
 
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Default RE: Boresighting a muzzleloader??

careful with that sight filing Bruce. What shoots right with one type of projectile like a powerbelt might be totally different with round ball. Make sure you get the groups nice and tight. And decide on what you want to shoot.

You probably want some .490 roundball for you .50 caliber and they sell pre-lubed patches. Some of the major brands are Ox-Yoke, Thompson Center, Knight, there are many brands out there and I am sure Gander Mountain carries them.

You can also do it the old fashon way (and I think still the best). Get a yard of 100% cotton pillow tick material (I use the blue stripe) at Wal Mart and a tube of bore butter. You wash the cloth first. Then tear it into 2 inch strips. Smear some bore butter into the material and seat the ball just under the muzzle of the barrel. Then take a scissors and trim off the extra material. Then finish seating the ball like normal. You always get a perfect centered patch that way.

The spent patch will tell you a lot about how the rifle is acting.... look for a few patches as you shoot and check them. Glad to hear the rifle shoots so well already...
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Old 08-20-2004, 05:35 PM
  #10  
 
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Default RE: Boresighting a muzzleloader??

WWDD ??

(What Would Daniel Do)


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