.54 GM Renegade Accuracy/Trajectory Report
 

OK guys, here's one I think you'll enjoy.

The .54 Green Mountain barrel on my Renegade is practically a virgin,having only about two dozen shots through it back when I first got it in November. I recently mounted a Simmons 4x ProDiamond scope on it and couldn't wait to seehow it shoots with a sight that I can actually see the target with.

I wanted to shoot groups at 25, 50, 75 and 100 yards using the same point of aimto see how it grouped at those ranges and what the trajectory would be. So Iprepared a bag of powder tubes with 85 grainsweight of GOEX FFFg and grabbed a bag of cast balls Bronko sent me. (As it turns out, that 85 grain weighed chargefills my TC U-View powder measure to the 95 grain mark.) All of the shooting was from a bench with Caldwell front and rear rests. Temperature was in the upper 80's and humidity was about normal for S.E. Louisiana - pushing 90%.

I took three shots at 15 yards to get the scope sighted in, then started shooting 5-shot groups. Although I had the misfire problems addressed in another post, every shot throughout the session felt good and steady. Recoil was moderate at best - this long heavy gun is a pu$$ycat to shoot.

Point of aim on all targets was the center of the one-inch black dot.

First target - 5 shots at 25 yards.




I know, I know. Twenty-five yards for a scoped gun isn't much of a challenge. :D But I still laughed out loud after each shot.
TRAJECTORY NOTE: Center of group is 1 & 1/4" above point of aim.

OK, here's the next five shots at 50 yards.




Now that's mighty pleasing - head of rabbit at 50 yards. :D
TRAJECTORY NOTE Center of group is 3" above point of aim.(1 &3/4" above 25 yard POI)

I'm still smiling. Here's the next five shots at 75 yards.





Well, I guess 3" isn't too bad, but I was really expecting better after that 50 yard target. Wind was not a factor.
TRAJECTORY NOTE: Center of group is 3 & 1/4" above POA. (Only 1/4" above 50 yard group and 2" above 25 yard group.)

OK, now the 100 yard group.





Man, I wish I could call that shot to the far right as shooter error. But I really didn't feel like it was.
I do like those other four that grouped into three and a quarter inches though. I'm not going to complain.
TRAJECTORY NOTE: Center of group is1 & 3/4" above POA. (That's 1/2" above 25 yard group, 1 & 1/4" below 50 yard group, and 1 & 1/2" below the 75 yard group.)

I was impressed with how flat the trajectory is. If I sight in for "dead on" at 100 yards, it should be 1/2" low at 25, 1 & 1/4" high at 50, and 1 & 1/2" high at 75. As I sit here typing this I'm wishing I had shot a group at 125 yards to see where that would be.

With my main objective completed, I decided to shoot another group at 50 yards, but with ten more grains of powder - 95 grains weight. Here' the target.






That group is about three times larger than the 50 yard / 85 grain group.

Well it was getting late but I had time for one more round. I decided to try to improve on the three-inch / seventy-five-yardgroup on target #7.

I didn't. :D Here's the target.



EDIT: I just noticed that I put SIX shots into this target, so five of them made a 2 & 7/8" group. I must have zoned out at the range. ;)


Except for the misfire problem, it was a great day of shooting.

RE: .54 GM Renegade Accuracy/Trajectory Report
 

Semi

You said this a GM barrel, what twist rate - I guess I am assuming 1/48 since you are shooting PRB's but I thought I would ask... because I thought you got a GM-LRH barrel.

I still would like to know the reason for the heavy duty fouling you were getting. Was that can of GOEX newly opened or were it an old one?

Guess I am just going to have to get out one of my Rene's with a GM and so some shooting with it... they have been pretty much ignored for a long time time now... might try a few Lehighs in them.

RE: .54 GM Renegade Accuracy/Trajectory Report
 

Those are some good RB groups!

I see that you're using cast-balls. I'd read that swaged balls often tighten up grouping, as they are less prone to have unseen voids etc.

Still, looks like it's shooting plenty good for you!

HH!
BP

RE: .54 GM Renegade Accuracy/Trajectory Report
 

I want to do the same thing to one of the Green Mountain Barrels. I was thinking of doing it to my .58 caliber, but talked myself out of it.

That is some good shooting. I bet that 25 yard group had you laughing out loud. The group differences could be attributed to patches, lube, the barrel getting more fouled, wind, lots of things. Roundballs at long distance is hard shooting. You did very well.

RE: .54 GM Renegade Accuracy/Trajectory Report
 

Hey Sabotloader, the .54 caliberbarrel has a 1:70 twist. It's strictly a ball shooter. I also have a .45 caliber GM LRH barrel in 1:30 twist. I have a 4x ProDiamond on each.

Yeah BrushPopper, I have a nice supply of .54 cast balls that Bronko sent me. I've shot them side-by-side with Hornady swaged balls out of my Great Plains at 50 yardsand can't say that I saw any difference - at least at that range. Makes no difference anyway because I have 180 lbs. of soft lead sitting in the garage and if Lee ever catches up on their production of molds (mine is backordered) I won't be buying any more swaged balls.

RE: .54 GM Renegade Accuracy/Trajectory Report
 

Thanks Cayugad. It was pretty warm and I was shooting fairly steadily, so by the time I was shooting the third target the barrel was pretty warm. I don't know if that had any impact though. I've noticed that saboted bullets seem to be much more sensitive to barrel temperature than patched balls.

RE: .54 GM Renegade Accuracy/Trajectory Report
 

Good shootin' Semisane! I know you said you were expecting a little better from the 100yrd group, but those groups will still kill a lot of deer. Besides, even w/a 4x scope, the bullseye can look quite tiny at 100yrds.

RE: .54 GM Renegade Accuracy/Trajectory Report
 

Thanks TN. You're right, any deer that turns broadisidewithin 100 yards is in for trouble. I'm not complaining - it's a "center of chest" load for sure.

RE: .54 GM Renegade Accuracy/Trajectory Report
 

Just playing around - I overlaid the25, 50, 75 & 100 yard targets on a clean target and marked the center of the holes.
Here's the composite target with all twenty shots. It'sa four and one-eighth inch group if you ignore the one shot to
the far right, which clearly is an anomaly.

RE: .54 GM Renegade Accuracy/Trajectory Report
 

Semi - Just got around to reading this post. That is very good. And really good if you throw out those two 'stray' shots. It would be interesting to see if the continued shooting, with the rising temps and fouling, opened up the groups. Maybe the next time out you can shoot it at 100 or 75 yds first just for kicks.
As always, good report.