Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

Went to the range today with my dad. Took my 50cal renegade. at 25yard was shooting baseball size group offhand and at 50 yards softball size group. When I went to 75 yards I was probally shooting a 18" group. So I set up the sandbags and still was shooting an awful group. I know for a fact this gun shoots great out to 75yards with prb with real black powder. I really think that it was the powder. I even shot my dads hawken at 75yards and shot a really good group so it wasnt me. He uses goex ffg. I was running a patch through the barrel between shots and was getting a really thick greasy build up not the kinda dry cake like build up you get with black powder, not using the triple seven anymore. Going back to the real stuff. Gonna take a 1.5 hour trip monday and my dad and I are going in together on a 25lb keg of goex ffg ends up being about $10.60 a lb.

RE: Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

the thick greasy build up is what concerns me the most. Are you a bore butter user?

I shoot Triple Seven but I admit that I normally do not shoot it in traditional rifles. Although I have. Also I use a bore button or wonder wad when I shoot Triple Seven.

But Goex is a hard powder to beat....

RE: Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

shooter50

I certainly do not have an answer for you, I shoot T7 all the time in my Renegade's and really have never had a problem as you describe.

It had been really accurate for me.

Tell us more about the load you were shooting...

RE: Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

No I do not use bore butter. Was shooting a .490 ball with a .015" patch with 40 grains of triple seven. Changed powder charge a couple of time with no improvement. Shot a couple of the hornaday fpb bullets they shot about a 3 inch group off the bags. In the past Ive shot them 1.5 to 2inch groups. Also am lubing patches with greased lightning cleaner water mixture(put about an inch of the greased lighting in a 20oz drink bottle and fill it with water) My dad swears by that, he says it cleans as you shoot (we only use it for range use) he shot probally 30 shots today and didnt clean the gun once and never lost accuracy and always loaded easily.

RE: Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

I do not know what to tell you. I shoot it, and it works for me. Normally I shoot 85 grains of it with a roundball.

RE: Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

shooter50

Guess i should have said that for PRB's for me - I shoot 60 grains of T7-3f and feel that is pretty light, but I using that load for target shooting only @ Rhondies - Do not think I would hunt with that light of a load... but I really do not know...

Cayugad might have a better thought about what 40 grains might give you...

Here is a target I shot the other day with T7... just for reference. It is only a 30 yard target but later I shot clay pigeons out to 100 yard with the same load.

RE: Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

In not planning on hunting with 40 grains of powder, hunted with 80 grains this past season. Im just out making smoke, but wanting to do it a little bit more accuretely, by the way the powder seemed like it was kinda sticking together. It wasnt lumpy or anthing it just had a funny consistinsy (i know that isnt spelled correctly)

RE: Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

I noticed that ya'll are using FF Goex...Have you tried FFF???

The reason I ask is because back in the 70s, everone was told to use FFF in .45 and smaller and FF in .50 and larger...What we have found in the past few decades is this isn't necessarily true...I shoot
FFF in both my .40 and .54, with no problems...It burns cleaner and since the grains are smaller, cleanup is easier...You might want to drop down in powder charge a little, but that just give you more shots per pound...80grs of Goex FFF in a .50 is a good deer load, that's what I use in my .54...

Now...If your dad just likes FF and the gun shoots it more accuratly, forget the above...:D

RE: Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

Yea we are going in on the keg of powder together. I kinda got to go with the powder he wants

RE: Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

Hey Shooter, if you're picking up that 25 lb. keg from a GOEX distributor, get a can or two of FFFg while you're there to try. My .50s, .54s and .58 all shoot real well with FFFg, and it is cleaner.

RE: Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

FFg Goex is a good shooting powder in all rifles .50 caliber and larger. Although a lot of flintlock shooters go to the FFFg because they can use it as a main charge and a pan primer.

RE: Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

I used to use 2f in my poorboy, but then switched to 3f because at the time it's all I had left to use, so I tried it and liked it, 50cal, 90 grains. As said it burns cleaner and works for me the best, It's all I use now when I shoot it.

RE: Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

If I understand you right, the lube for the patch on the RB contained water? Triple Seven is soluble in water -- if you got some water from the patch into the charge, it could lead to the variability you experienced. Try a non-water containing lub strategy on your patch.

RE: Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

its hard to say what your problem was... I use T7 and have used it since it first come out. I tried BH209 also and love that but had one issue with it so I'm back to the T7 that has never done me wrong. I use the T7 products to clean my ML'er. Its a T/C product. They sell pre saturated patches, but you still have to squeeze them to get extra lube off before using. Then I run a dry patch though. I do this on ever shot when sighting in. Is it possible you didnt seat the sabot the same every shot? After a few shots the crud ring can cause some people not to seat the sabot all the way.

goodluck on the new powder though

RE: Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

What was your issue with BH 209?

RE: Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

Have no idea what the problem is. 777 is a very good and consistent powder. One does need to swab the barrel after every couple of shots to make sure that the projectile seats firmly on the powder. In the years that i have been back to BP shooting and hunting i have learnedthat a failure to consistently seat the projectile leads to accuracy problems, especially vertical stringing.

RE: Triple se7en Inconsistent Groups
 

If the 777 is old and has not been sealed real well it can be change in consistency by the humidity. If you are using a drum type rifle it may well be having slight hard to notice hang fires. If your caps are not the stronger ones it can affect your grouping I have 5 guns I usually shoot balls in and all of the when using #11 caps shoot better groups with black or Pyrodex but I also have 1 that's set up for musket caps and it will shoot 777 just as good as black. Lee