frontier gander

Finally took her out to 100 yards today. I was going to take the Apex but i really wanted to see what the GPR could do. I am shooting 4" low @ 100 yards but my last 2 shots "Swabbed bore betwen shots" were in the same hole. I took a total of 4 and the first 2 were hang fires. Thats what i get for not shooting it as often as i should be.

I let my brother take a couple shots and his 2 shots were 1 1/2" high of the bulls eye, dead center and a 1" group.

These rifles are just darn accurate.

110g ffg goex
.018 crisco/murphys oil soap lubed patches.
Homecast wheel weight .530 round ball.

Have to open up the sides of the rear sight so i can get some light around it. But shes shooting center and printing great so i do believe i am ready for hunting season.

cayugad

sounds like an excellent day... good shooting.

yeoman

Gander - sounds like some amazing accuracy. I didn't realize round balls could be that accurate. Nice shooting.

idahoron

Here is a 100 yard group. The bullets are 500 S&W bullets paper patched.



this is what the bullets look like. Ron

Semisane

Well gander, that's impressive. I haven't taken my GP over 95 grains yet. Guess I'll have to see what happens with a tad more powder.

I had a disappointing week-end as far as shooting goes. Went to the hunting lease with the expectation of doing some tractor work Saturday morning and shooting in the afternoon and Sunday morning. Got the tractor work done OK, but it started raining before I could get to shooting ( 2 & 1/2" in the rain gauge by sunset ) and was raining when I got up this morning. Left early in disgust.

Hey ron, where did you get those 500's? I sure like the looks of those suckers.

idahoron

I made the 500 S&W bullets. I paper patched them, and then ran them through a .501 leesizer. They go down snug but they don't back off the charge. I like them a lot so far. Ron

gleason.chapman

The paper stays with the bullet all the way down and doesn't come loose from the bullet? How many wraps around? I have heard of doing this with a sabot to increase diameter and tightness, but not by itself. Seems like it would come off the bullet or wad up. Any knid of paper?
Chap Gleason

idahoron

The paper I am using is "air mail" paper from a local school. It is 25% cotton, and you can get some that has higher % of cotton up to 100 %.
I do two wraps, in the picture you can see the spot where the two ends meet. The paper is used the same as a patch on a ball. The riflings grab the paper and some of the bullet as the bullet and paper go down the barrel. When the bullet leaves the barrel the paper flys off like a Sabot would. They are just a paper sabot in all honesty.
In the case of this bullet. It is .501 and I wrap the bullet with tthe paper. After wrapping it is .509 so I run it through a .501 sizer. If a guys rifle likes .503, .504, or .5025 it dosent matter. The paper patched bullet goes down snug but not tough enough to strip the paper. If the paper strips it is because the lube has penetrated the paper and it casues it to fail. What i do is keep them lube free until I go to shoot. ThenI lube as I load. If I am hunting I lube a half dozen for the day or what ever I think I will need. The paper patch has been used since the middle 1800's for long range target shooting up to 1000 yards. Ron

Semisane

Well, since we've already hijacked gander's thread on RB shooting (sorry gander), I've got morequestions for ron. What lube do you use? Do you glue theend of the paper wrap to keep it in place? Are those gascheck bullets?

Hey gander, I know what you mean about those Lyman sights. The notch is about half as wide as I like them to be. I do like the wide blade front sight though.

idahoron

The lube I use is Hornady great plains lube. I don't use very much at all. The lube will cause the paper to fail so you have to use it right. I don't lube until I plan to use the bullet, If the weather is hot. If it is cold, Idon't seethe same problem. No glue is needed or wanted. The waythe paper is wrapped it comes off as the bullet leaves the barrel. If the paper diden't come off it would not fly right.
Yes those are GC bullets. IfI could find a 500S&W bullet that I liked that didn't have a GC base I think a guy could push them a little faster.With over 1000 foot pounds of energy at 300 yards I am not sure a guy needs to push them much harder. Since most shots will be under 150. Ron