.45 cal GMB with a Simmons 4x32mm Pro Diamond scope
 

Like many, my eye are not what they used to be, so I take opportunities to mount scopes on many of my rifles. I do not purchase high end scopes unless the rifle had some real plans of use. Normally I do target shooting with most of my rifles. So on them I mount a simple 4x32mm scope. I got kind of hooked on a $39.95 Simmons Pro Diamond Shotgun/muzzleloader scope from Natches.Com. For their cost, they are just exceptional.

These scopes have great glass, and clarity is excellent. Eye relief is four inches or better so they are not coming back and pounding your hat. I mount them on my Renegades with Traditions Quick Release mounts and just have fun. Well today was unlike most days in Northern Wisconsin, sunny little wind, and actually not snowing. My target was only at 30 yards as I can not move the stands as they are frozen to the ground. Next year I am going to put a target stand on a tobaggon so I can slide it back and fourth over the snow to different distances. But this year I am kind of sunk.

I have just started to seriously shoot my .45 caliber stainless steel Green Mountain Barrel. It is mounted in a Renegade Stock and is percussion cap. I use CCI Magnum caps and they work great. Although today (my fault) I did have a hangfire. So I put on my snow boots and wandered out to the target stand.



With the target in place, I proceeded to shoot. I swabbed the barrel with alcohol and then dry patched it. I also popped about three caps through it to clean it all out. I decided to start the day with 85 grains of Triple Seven 3f powder and some 180 grain Speer Gold Dot hollow points in light blue Harvester Crushed Rib sabots. I did swab between shots. I wanted to see if the scope came back to where it should be after having been taken off to clean the rifle last time.



I fired five times. I think that bottom plug has three hits. I can not think that I missed the target at that range. I like groups like that. Even if it is 30 yards. My average shot around here is under 50 yards.

I then cleaned the rifle with some Simple Green. I wanted to kick up the charge to see how the bullets behaved. Here was where I made the mistake of not making sure the barrel was bone dry.



I loaded 100 grains of the Triple Seven 3f and my first shot was a tickkkk... boom! Hangfire!! but I held it pretty close. I then decided to shoot a couple more without swabbing to make sure the barrel was good, clear and dry. Those were the two hits at the top of the bull. So I went back to my swabbing with alcohol and dry patching between shots and fired three more. They were stringing, so I will have to play with some charges to pull that string in.

Overall, 85 grains of powder and that bullet should make a good deer load at the distances I hunt. Accuracy wise, it is a good shooting load with little to no recoil. Also this stainless steel barrel when I shoot Triple Seven is a real joy to clean. I took the scope off, pulled the barrel from the stock (as usual) and gave it a water bath. Two patches and they were coming out clean already... You can't ask for more then that...

that 85gr. load looks sweet!whats the twist on that barrel........karl

This is their long range hunter series barrel and the twist is either 1-30 or 1-28. The box said 1-28 but others have told me that in their .45 caliber the twist was different then what the box said. I have tried to work out the twist and it is close to 1-28.

Way to go! I am just starting to play with my 45 GM stainless. I am going to try a Lee Minie 316 gr, A Lee C-452-300-RF that weighs 316 gr, and a lee 452-255-RF that weighs 260 gr. I am planning on paper patching these bullets. Ron

That should be interesting. I will be watching for your range report.

cayugad

Kinda makes me wish I had grabbed a GM 45 barrel along the way.... Nice shooting!!!

Me Too.

Great post Cayugad. We must have been thinking alike. Friday afternoon I had a lengthy range session with my (blue) .45 GM LRH Renegade and the 180 grain Gold Dots. Isn't the recoil sweet?

I took it all of the way out to 150 yards (the snow here isn't as deep as yours :) ) with two different loads and some interesting results. I'll be posting a report after I scan the targets.

What's your longest shot with that scope?i have read they are very reliable scope..thanks

My personal experience with the scope is last summer I was shooting at 75 yards with no problems. Semisane has been shooting out to 150 yards I believe.

Great to know,went to that web site you mentioned and the 39.95 price is attractive to say the least. do they fog up at all or any issues with wet weather? going to purchase one for my triumph..thanks for the heads up on the scope..nice shooting bye the way..

I have three or four of them on rifles and have never experienced a single problem with them. Just to punish them (and me) I put one on my White Rifle and was shooting 460 grain conicals with 90 grains of Triple Seven 2f powder. Lets just say if a cheap scope was going to fail, that should have sent it on its way. The scope preformed flawless.

The glass is good, the cross hairs I really don't care for, but can live with it. My understanding is they are made for shotguns and muzzleloaders. The ProDiamond reticle identifies a turkey's vital zone at 40 yards and a deer's vital zone at 75 yards. Still, their parallax setting is set at 50 yards. Makes a perfect scope for where I hunt. Also they are easy to focus.

Semisane got me started on these things. He was talking one up and so I bought one just to destroy it. Well I am still shooting that scope. I have been so impressed I put them on other rifles and keep a spare one around should a rifle need a fast scope change.

Now don't get me wrong. Some of my rifles have Bushnell 3200, Nikon Omega, Nikon Pro Sports, Bushnell Dusk to Dawns, so I do shoot some high end scopes, but these Simmons are a cheap easy scope and fun to have on a rifle at my range.

Here's one person's answer to that question Builder. I have them on my three Renegades and don't have quick release rings on them. When I clean the guns I remove the nipple, dunk the breech end in a bucket of water and pump the bore. The scope is submerged from the rear end right up to the base of the adjustment turrets. Haven't had one leak or fog yet (and my rear lens is always clean :s2: ).

My favorite thing about them is their compact size and simplicity. And 4X is all you need for hunting out to 200 yards.

That's the answer i was looking for Semi.i will be ordering one soon,since they are so reasonably priced.thanks...

They are really good scopes. Have had several of them on my muzzleloaders. One presently resides on my rifled barrel hog killer shotgun and there is an extra new one on hand.

Nice Dave - That load should work well for you. I'd also be interested in how Idahoron's lead bullets shoot.
My 45cal GM LRH likes 80 gr of Pyro P and 200 gr .40 cal XTPs with Harvester light blue easy load sabots.

Yes, mine likes the 200 grain XTP's also but I hate to shoot them all off. Those things are getting almost impossible to find. I have my name on a list at some of the stores for when they come in. Those and the 300 grain .430 XTP's. Good thing I bought five boxes of them when I found them.

cayuga;third generation shooters supply has the 200g xtp's in stock,semi gave me the heads up on that......karl

Interesting point there Bronko. It's a great example of how barrels of the same manufacture can produce different results. Last year you told me to try Pyro P in my gun and I did (though maybe I used too hot a load). I shot 95 grains at 100 yards with the smooth blue Harvester sabots and got this.



Notice the velocity readings - pretty hot. A few months later I tried 80 grains of T7 FFG and got this with about the same velocities.



I just checked my records and find I've never chronographed my hunting load of 85 grains GOEX FFFg. But it's certainly slower than either of those loadings - probably around 1650 fps. That load hangs in at around an inch and a half at 100 yards.

Nice shooting and thanks for the advice on the Simmons 4 power.

isn't that a beautiful rifle.. ;)

You need to get that thing taken care of. The bluing done wore off the entire barrel. :p