yesterday i went to sight in my flintlock....50 cal TC hawken.......i had a box of 245gr rd nose buffalo ballets....a box of 270gr HP ballets.....i wanted to hunt with the HPs....because they are HPs..and will do more damage...and weigh a little more..but if the rd nosers were more accurate i would hunted with them no problem(deer hunting..close range) yesterdayi was shooting both bullets with 90 and 100grs of 3fg goex BP...but it was drizzling.....then raining.....and a poopy day period......couldnt get a group or a consitance of hits to save my life...i shot styrofoam dinner plates with a perminent markerdot in the center....i can focus on the small black dot on the white background very well...and the plate is roughly the size of a deers vitals...thats why i shoot those..i think i have an eye problem.....sights are blurry and the targets blurry...im going to get that check out soon!...ive been noticing it alot the past few years shooting the open sighted flinter.....so i packed up and went home.....today it was chilly..damp but not raining....so i went back..to sight in the HPs.....i started at 12-15yds....first 3 shots were touching in a clover leaf...no cleaning.....low and right.....went and cleaned the bore good.....moved the sights...first shot right through my 1/2 inch dot.....NICE...put another one basically in the same hole.......cleaned and moved back to about 40yds or so.....BOOM...no hit...BOOM..no hit......i saw holes WAY high....4-5 inches high....(i backed off the powder and was shooting 75grs of 3fg trying to slow it down and get a better twist) so i went to 20...it was 2-3 inches high.....and 4-5 at 40.....now i understand that the bullet archs and has a trajectory....but thats pretty BAD.......is that because its only going about 1500fps?? i got it good enough to put holes in a pop/soda can every shot at 20yds.....and hit the plate every shot at 40-45yds...hitting high still..clean or dirty it shoots the same......my shots should be no farther then 40yds this sat-next sat when hunting....most my rifle shots are 20-30yds.....so i should be ok.......im not happy...but i shouldnt have a problem hitting a deer in the vitals at that range....im finding out that my rifle does not like to shot bullets of any kind at ALL at any speed...why is this?? it should be a 1:48 twist barrel right?? its a TC hawken but i think it may be older..serial number is 33,XXX....its a round ball tack driver....90grs of 2fg goex, .010 lubed patch and a .490 hornady round ball and i could shot clover leafs at 50yds easy....killed a woodchuck(grounghog) at 45yds with that load..even though you guys told me 100000 times that 50cal rd balls are deer slayers i still have a doubt...and wanted a bigger bullet to do the job......just rather have a big hunk of lead hit a deer moving at the slower speeds of a ML then a smaller hunk moving a bit faster......but for the late season i know one thing......im going back to the old faithul load and shooting round balls.....ill let you guys know how the buffalo ballets do saturday i hope.....i dont think i should have a problem making a good hit....if the deer cooperate.......and even though the bullets slowed down some i dont think it will matter....do you guys think that load will perform good? 75grs of 3fg goex and a 50cal 270gr HP buffalo ballet at 20-30yds?? should i have expect and exit and a good blood trail if i make a good vital lung hit??? thanks guys.....im pumped but a little concerned.....i hope it all goes ok.............