What a difference an "F" makes!
 

As most of u-all know I ain't much of a PRB shooter, but to get in on some of the traditional shooting that goes on in this area - I really want to learn. I have made 4 or five feeble attempts to get this going.

Well, today was my best day so far... It is also myfourth attempt at a different powder. My first attempt was with T7, which for the most part shot really well but I had to keep the sharge way down to keep from burning the patch... + the old timers said I probably would be able to use it - if I needed to patch between shots at the shoots... So next came Pyro RS. I know a lt of people are very successful with it but I have never liked it - so with that mind set it did not work that weel for me. On to Jim Shockey Gold - a friend gave me some 2f to try - that stuff was gravel and I ended up with hang fires most of the time. I did like the condition of the bore afterwards though. So I bought a jug of JSG-3f for today - that stuff worked very well... I do wish it was a bit finer though...

Any way headed out to a new shooting are for me. One of the kids I coached way back in the day has a wheat farm just outside of town and has given me permission to shoot there. Price of gas forces me to find a place closer. I set the target a 50 yards and started shooting - I thought I got a very nice group... moved the target to 75 yards - shot another 3 shot group and I had not been so stuck on myself and "how good I could shoot" #3 would have been a better shot - but it was OK... These were the best PRB - groups I have ever shot...

After shooting these I gave on paper and decided to shoot clay pigeons - I really like breaking/hitting things and seeing the results... So I sent the bigger part of the shooting time placeing pigeons at different ranges for 25 to 75 yards and then picking them off. I am still not that good though a couple of the birds I had to shoot more than once - but by the end of the day I was learning to make the neccessary sight picture adjustments for the different ranges.

Got to clean my gun and a gun that my student had.... he watched me shoot for awhile and said he had a gun just like I was shooting that he had bought from a farmer when he was in high school. Said he had shot it once or twice in the 10 years he had it. I questioned him a little more about the gun - i wanted to know if it was a Renegade or a Hawken - so he went in and got it....It was a 54 cal Renegade (4 digit) serial number in near mint condition... with a tang peep sight and globe front sight.... Boy! did I fondle that gun... Next he said sell for $70 bucks - I never use it...

Here is today's target...

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

Here is a picture of the other 54 Renegade...

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

Sounds like a good day. Go with one gun comeback with two. Are you gonna try the JSG FFF with some sabots. Just curious If its worth a try.

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

Very respectable groups. The other Renegade is nice too.. And I adore your sewing machine..........

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

Good shooting.

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

bronko22000

Ya! that dang sewing machine gets in the way a lot of times.... that is suppose to be a work bench for me... but,! I am not saying a word about it... other than maybe "honey, are you about done sewing" or something along those lines...

Just finished cleaning the barrel of the second Renegade - the bore was really rusty - seems like mostly surface rust - see no pitting and the lands a really sharp... it only takes a couple of passes and they will cut a patch. Dropped a bore light in and looks OK now and it is a 1/48 - thought it might be a 1/66.

I am going to try to shoot it next week and see how it shoots - probably shoot a couple of patches lubed with JB to finish polishing the bore.

I did not buy it from him yet... told him I would like to shoot it first - but I will have to pay him more than $70 - couldn't do that to one of my former students - student athletes - I would like to trade him either a Trade rifle or A&H inline for it... he might go for the inline - now that they are legal in Idaho again...

The best part was not making holes in the paper - but hitting the clay pigeons... they really break up when it with a slow moving 54 cal round ball...

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

burntmuch

Probably not... but I think it would work OK especially in an inline - but I think it would be a bit underpowered as compared to T7...

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

Sorry about all of the bad luck, Sabotloader. First, you find a place to shoot closer to your house. That really sucks. Then you hit upon a powder that groups balls into one-inch at 50 yards - can't even get 1/4" groups. Then a guy forces an old rifle on you that youfor a ridiculous price, and gives you the opportunity to shoot it before you decide. Man, you just can't seem to catch a break. :D:D:D

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

Semisane

Well,?? He was a student of mine and I taught him all he knows about baseball... course he a nice guy on top of that + he runs the local Lenox Heating and Cooling place from which I bought my furnace - AC unit - gas fireplace +++ he and his brothers run the family wheat farm/ranch a bigone- which is known to have very nice bucks on it in the fall and even an occasional elk or two - not to mention a lot of pheasents - but I am not a bird hunter so they do not count...

See it is important "who you know"

And now that you put it that way it was a pretty good day... except the barrel on that new 54 is really dirty - I am still working onit,and the wind blew across my shooting draw all day.... and it is gonna rain tomorrow and Tuesday... so there is some "Corey" luck in their also.

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

Uh-Oh! New forum term - "Corey Luck" :D- To be used only when something goes really wrong - like supergluing your fingers together. (Don't blame me Corey, blame Sabotloader.) :D:D

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

Well that is some impressive shooting there.. The Renegade probably has a 1-48 twist. Most of them did. I have shot years ago, Clean Shot powder out of my traditional rifles... and it worked real good with patched ball. As for the power of that load, no deer would take a hit from that roundball...

That is a heck of a deal on that rifle....

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

cayugad

OK - Dave I wondered about that... I am dead ignorant when it comes to PRB's. But what really made wonder - was I was shoot up a long gentle draw - I was plowed and disked last season but has not been planted with spring wheat yet... but the balls would travel through the plywood target and then skip, like a rock across water, up the draw... They easily went 100+ yards - maybe even more - I really did not expect them to have that much energy....

What does a .530 ball weigh? I guess I could get a scale out and measure it but I really have no ideal...

I know, I know, I just wish it was somebody I did not know or at least was not one of "my kids" I could never just give him $70 and walk away - it would haunt me forever... But the barrel is really dirty...

OK - Tang peep sight... I am looking at it trying to figure out how to adjust elevation... There is a circular locking nut at the bottom of the post and on top of the tang... If I loosen that, I imagine I can turn the sight assembly in or out to change elevation - but doing so turns the whole sight... how do I raise or lower post butyet keep the peep straight forward??? Does any of this make any sense?

miek

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

223 gains I believe they weigh. As for energy, they have a lot more then people might expect. That is one reason I like that caliber.

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

My Lee mold throws a 224g ball, You'll find a lot of different weights. I've seen 225,228,230 grain .530's.

Just depends on the maker.

You're lucky those were skipping away from you. I had a .44 6 shot revolver that would bounce off 2x4's and come back AT you!

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

I understand how you feel. The thing is -you've got options. If the bore cleans up real well, and it shoots as it should, double his asking price and give him $140. You will still have a good deal and will have done right by one of your friends. If it won't shoot as it should, give him the $70 and don't feel bad. A new barrel will cost you another $150 or more, and you will have $220 or a little more in the gun. Not a bad deal, but not a steal either.

Yep! That's the way they work. Loosen the stop nut, screw the sight in or out one revolution at a time to change the height, and lock itdown when you get it where you want it.

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

Semisane

Those are good options...

OK that what it looked like to me - but I was just wondering...

Can you tell from the pic - who made these? I am wondering about other inserts for the front globe..

I can get a better pic if that would help... On the front you un-screw the back of the hood and the insert comes out...

thanks - mike

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

Can't tell from the picture, and probably would not be able to tell with a better picture (at least not me - maybe someone else could).
Odds are it's either a Williams or a Lyman. I've heard the inserts are interchageable for those two, but don't know that for a fact. You might go the the MidwayUSA website and look at the pictures of the globe sights and see if you can match them up.

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

hey now, this is what I get for playing on the xbox all day. get new terms named after me, not the first time probly won't be the last.

good shooting there, gotta see how my week goes, see if I get to the range and get the new englander out. still have not got it shooting from me. :eek:

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

Serves you right. Getoff the Xbox and get a job, dang it!!!! Only us old worn out retired guys have the privledge of goofing off all day. :D

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

working on it. places don't hire on saturday and sunday.


hell, I should went to the range today ;)

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

Mike-He ain't one of my kids. I will pay $70 even with a dirty barrel.You should let him sell it to me,and know that I would sleep very well .

Charlie

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

Chasam60

Da barrel is clean now... so that would take the fun out of it... I think I'll hang on to it a bit longer...

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive”

Sir Walter Scott

or as my old man used to say... "Never look a gift horse in the mouth.. you might be looking up the wrong end and not know it." His other favorite is,.. "There are only two people in the world I trust. Me and you. And I have my doubts about you."


Actually the person that set the price probably has no idea, or really does not care, what the true cost of the rifle is. At least you're being fair about it there Sabotloader.. :D

RE: What a difference an "F" makes!
 

Good for you sabotloader. The guys a friend , Hes giving you a place to shoot(priceless) The guns worth alot more. How much more??? Definetly not throwing money away by giving him more than hes asking.