ORIGINAL: Mastevt
Well I stopped by Bass Pro the other day, and got to talking with the guy there in the ML section. Told him my woes with my grouping. He thought my barrel may not be seasoned, so he sold me some deep cleaning stuff from TC, and some bore butter from them also. Anybody ever hear of this stuff? Suppose to make your barrel seasoned, whatever that means. Anyways I'm gonna give it a try. I deeped cleaned it already and the stuff is in the barrel now. Says you can also use it to lube your sabot's. Anybody here do that? I also picked up some Pyrodex RS/ FFG, Barnes SBT's in 245 grn., T/C XTP's in 240 grn., and some Hornaday SST's in 250 grn., also have on order some Maxiball, and Maxihunter. I've never shot loose powder before, so this will be a new experience. Any suggestions on powder charge? and what not to load too. I don't want to overcharge with powder. It is a CVA, hunterbolt magnum. I removed the scope and reinstalled the rear sight as suggested from F.Gander, and NC Hawkeye. Hope to get out next week after doing some improvements on the stock.
Sabots in your gun you should not use the bore butter. Conicals or patch round ball then use it, that is the prevailing wisdom. I use a small amount of bore butter to swab between shots in the field with my sabot guns, because I have found that my usual practice of swabing between shots at the range with a 50/50 mix of alcohol and windshield washer fluid drys out very quickly, so I am in effect swabbing with a dry patch. So I swab with bore butter, because it does NOT dry out easily, a very small amount worked into the patch, basically just tuning it yellow. I then follow up with a dry patch. So when hunting, 1 bb patch, turn over run down again, then followed by a dry patch gets most of the crud in the barrel of my Omega and Knight Disc.As for accuracy, both these guns shoot about 2" at 100 yards. I you really want to shoot a power that does NOT leave a lot of burnt fouling then shoot Jim Shockey Gold or American Poineer Powder or the new Black Horn. However be warned that JSG/APP is NOT as powerful as 777 and also not as consistent, therefore affecting accuracy. At 100 yards, this is NOT a big deal unless your shooting for 1.5" and 1" groups, then stay with 777 since it is the most consistent powder. Hope that helps you, you have a good selection of bullets to try. Sabot also makes a huge difference, and I believe I said for your earlier to buy the following sabots and keep them around:
mmp12, mmp24, mmp 3petal ez, mmp short black
Harvester Crushed rib, Harvester black sabot
If you need links on where to buy these I can provide that. Best wishes on your quest. I can tell your determined to get to the bottom of this, and I am sure you will.
If you go to the CVA site here is what they say about what to shoot:
What is the best projectile for my CVA rifle?
Answer: By far, the best performing projectile we have ever tested is the new PowerBelt™ Bullet -- which is probably best described as a bullet/sabot hybrid. Like sabots, the PowerBelt™ Bullet's patented snap-on plastic base creates a perfect gas seal, providing consistent pressures and unsurpassed accuracy. But unlike sabots, PowerBelt™ Bullets are full caliber sized, easy to load, and do not require cleaning after every shot. The PowerBelt™ is not a pistol bullet dressed up for use in a muzzleloader -- they are designed for muzzleloaders. In our tests the performance has been so superior that the PowerBelt™ Bullet has made sabots obsolete. PowerBelt™ Bullets are available in either copper-clad or pure lead. And, PowerBelt™ Bullets are legal in almost every state, including Colorado.
Chap