I do not care how many times I go to the range. I learn or re-enforce some habit every time I go to the range. There is nothing wrong with trying different powders. As long as you know what the rifle likes and have a load worked up. All of that takes time. Don't beat yourself up over it. I do agree that spit never worked for me, but some people have excellent results with a spit patch. Maybe the soda was a bad thing to have. I personally like moose milk lube for my patches, but that is a preference.

Keep trying that sidelock. They are a lot of fun and can really surprise people with the accuracy they can do.