well, where to start.

I had all the time, powder, and bullets I needed for an extended shooting session and was determined to get the ol Z omega (syn/blue) shooting like I had seen it do before (say 2'' groups at 100),

Its topped with a nikon prostaff. I was shooting 120 gr of pyrodex pushing a 250 gr shockwave (the same set-up of used with this thing since I bought it 3 years ago....probably has had no more than 100 shots through it). Barrel was clean as a whistle. all screws everywhere were tight. After a couple initial decent shots the whole thing fell apart...made you want to cry....after a dozen shots with only a "click" or two here and there on the scope, the group was barely inside a pie plate at 100 yds. I was cleaning it after every shot...then I started doing it after a couple or three shots...didn't make any difference...bullets were flying everywhere...up, down, sideways. Even though I had a spotting scope I was walking down range every shot or two....barrel temp (if that is ever a problem on a m/l) certainly was not a problem here.

To top it off, I had a brain fart and double loaded it....session over.....took the breech plug out...couldn't get the jammed loadS to move. Went home, took the air compressor to it to blow out the powder from the first load. Couldn't budge the thing with a mallet.

yesterday I took it to a friend who is an expert at BP rifles. We got the bullets pulled and the block cleared. He said the accuracy problem might be the pyrodex if it was old (it was...couple years...although stored in a cool dry place....it looked fine). He gave me some goex FF bp and said try that.

Do you guys think older pyrodex (even though it looked perfect) could be deteriorated to the point that it effects accuracy like this???

I've only now got a couple days to figure this out before the first special deer season ends....I would not really feel comfortable taking it hunting with the accuracy problems it is having unless I kept the shots really short.

I know this thing will shoot...but something certainly is wrong at the moment.

I had it go out of whack one other time and all it needed was the bedding screws tightened...but this time everything was already tight.

the only other thing I've done different then those first great range sessions is quit using bore butter between shots (based upon recommendations from this forum) and AFTER that decision it still shot good

any other thoughts??

sorry this post is sooo long

thanks
hb