Holy cow! where do you start..... I guess first off sorry to hear about your experiance... The Triumph is a great gun once you get if figured out.
Originally Posted by
Zevi
Greetings !
Started at 50 yards, and after about 15 shots (with 2 pellets each -- 100 gr load) I realized that I'm getting nowhere fast: no significant improvement of grouping or aim. Went home frustrated to do more reading and investigating.
All of these are just my thoughts - nothing is written in concrete - but I would always suggest you start at 25 yards. If you can not make it happen at 25 no use going any longer.
Discovery #1: If you want to maximize your accuracy and consistency - you must clean the bore between shots. Especially in my case, where in my stupidity I shot all 15 bullets with no cleaning at all...
So, following an advice from a seasoned M/L user, I went and got a box of Pre-saturated T-17 patches. Back to the range.
With T7 most often this is a given - you should run a damp patch after each shot and with a new gun probably even more important. Question did you clean the bore of this gun before you started this adventure. The bore come with a copper packing grease in the barrel - that way the bore does not rust from sitting around for months. You would need a strong bore cleaning solvent for this something Barnes CR10.... The patches will probably come out blue... These are my first patches out of my Triumph bore...
Shot about 12 bullets, cleaning the bore after each shot with the T-17 patches. Clearly, loading became much easier, smoother, and consistent (as far as ramrod depth). Shooting, though, is not much to brag about:
I would suggest you loose the T17 patches except maybe use them up cleaning the bore whan you get home. The T17 patch is to wet and the moisture you leave ion the bore from using them can cause you some major problem even if you run a dry patch afterwards. I use regular old blue windex patches. A lot of folks like to use Alcohol - I do not as the alcohol evaporates way to fast + it is a fuel it can burn... and with the windex it actually provides a bit of lubrication. I like the blue windex as it has ammonia in it versus the vinegar of the other stuff. The ammonia is a string cleaner and evaporates very rapidly + it carries mositure with it when it evaporates. The patches should be just a barely damp - not wet... Her is how I make mine.
Can't get better than about 6" grouping at 100 yd
At least one shot went completely off the target
- Under normal circumstances I consider myself a better-than-6" shooter at 100yd
- Without pushing too hard on the ramrod, a couple of the pellets crashed
- A couple of the pellets broke in transition from the box to the barrel
And here's the cherry on this pie-of-a-story: last shot was a dud. No ignition. I waited, replaced the primer and shot again. Pssst -- and the bullet makes a perfect landing 30 ft in front of me....
Most of these problems could have been easily caused by the wet T17 patches.
So, here's what I'm thinking so far:
- The box of pellets I used was partly defective
- The last load fizzed out because of T-17 residue in the barrel (but assuming that each shot burns everything in the barrel, why did this happen only after 12 shots?)
- I should have run a dry patch after the T-17 to ensure a dry barrel
(Pretty bright thoughts from someone who made such dumb mistakes...)
My action plan for the next trip to the range is to abandon the pellets, and try loose powder. And, of course, dry the barrel after cleaning it between shots.
So, after this long (and embarrassing) story, I'd appreciate your advice and/or thoughts on the following:
- In the process above -- am I missing something, or do you agree with that logic?
- (That's a biggy one) -- I bought Triple-7 powder FFFG; from what I read, the 50 cal typically takes FFG; Can I still use the FFFG, or throw it away (can't return it) and buy FFG instead?
Looking forward to reading your thoughts on that. I appreciate it!
Cheers,
Zevi
Suggestions..
Use the loose powder - start at 90 grains of T7-3f
Shoot at 25 yards - get you impact to be centered left and right then work on taking out the bull.
Shoot at 25 yards - the impact point should now be an !" or so high but still centered left and right.
Patch between shots with a moist windex patch - yo ucan normally use one patch several time just by flipping it over and over - When becomes dry move to the next patch.
Power Belts i f you got them use them - but I would find a much cheaper bullet and some sabots - but that could be a whole nother problem because of the Triumphs tight bore.
Hope some of this helps...