Reducing charge to get on paper?
 

I can't see any reason not to do this, but I just want to be sure. When I go to sight in my ML this Friday (the irons first, then the scope), I want to reduce the powder charge just to save my powder. I'll be using BH209 (only have one container and it ain't cheap!), and I think 80 grains is about equal to 100 of pyrodex, etc. So, I'm thinking about using 60 grains to get on paper and horizontally centered, and when that's done, bump it up to about 80 gr to complete the sighting in process.

Bad idea?

Actually, if this IS something doable, what's the lowest I can go on the charge?

If you want to save that black gold, why not pick up a canister of Pyrodex RS and use that with full charges for the entire sight in process. Once you get it on paper where you want it at 100 or 75 yards, clean the gun thoroughly and switch over to the BH for fine tuning.

Hmmm - I can't say that it's a bad idea, but you might not end up saving as much powder as you think. Sometimes increasing the charge will not only raise the point of impact, but also throw it a bit off to one side due to the increased flex/vibration of the barrel with a heavier charge. If that happens, you'll still have to change your sights/scope, shoot again, and perhaps again to get it right on.
What I would do instead of that is (1) try to find out a ballistics chart for the load and bullet you will be shooting. This will tell you how high or low you will be at different ranges. (2) Then start at 25 yards and adjust to get your bullet to hit where it should be there. Make sure you have a rock solid rest and get your bullet precisely correct left/right. I would not necessarily shoot a 3-shot group for this, but probably 2 to make sure you have consistency. (3) Then move your target out to 75 or 100 (or whatever you expect to be shooting) to check to see if there is another adjstment necessary. Assuming there is no wind to drift your shots, you should be very close by using this method and use a minimum amount of powder.

I agree I'm not sure it's worth the effort. Unless you have loose scope bases, bad scope or other problems that jug of 409 will sight in your rifle and still give you more than enough for a few hunts (30 rounds or so). Should take a couple of rounds at 25 to get close, 4-6 @ 50 to get closer, 10 @ 100 to fine tune. I shoot a bunch so a jug don't last me at all but if all you want to do is sight in and hunt it's plenty. Now 56 gr(by weight) is = to 80 by volume and BH web sight says that should give you 1700 MOL. I shoot a lot at 65 by weight and find it much more pleasent to shoot that any more than that

Do you know the load that is most accurate? That is the one you want, the POI in different guns will move in different directions changing the load very much. If you know your load you should be able to walk it to "0" in a minimum number of shots if you don't and you want the gun accurate at any distance you have some work to do.
I usually start with 3 or 4 different bullets and run the powder ladder checking at every 10 gr with a 3 shot group from 90 to 120 gr then do the final touch up on the sight setting when I know what shoots best.

You can save a lot of money by boresighting the gun first. My cheap laser boresighter cost $39 in about 2002. It has saved my friends and i hundreds of dollars. It puts us on a 2' x 2' target at 50 yards.

well if your anything like me you'll get four or five hang fires or fail-to-fires and that "black gold" will sit your closet from now on, ticking you off every time you look at it, and you'll wind up shooting one of the cheaper alternatives anyway

Wanna really save money???

Go to Goex FFF, it's selling for about $14.50/pound... :)

The iron sights should be pretty close at 25. Take 1 shot and see where it is hitting, adjust accordingly and move to 50. Take shot 2 and adjust if necessary. 2" high at 50 seems about optimal. Shoot 2-3 at 50 shots to verify. You'll be about dead on at 100 if your group is 2" high at 50. Now if you have to make a small adjustment you can, but you don't need to shoot. Your irons are only for back-up if your scope fails if I understand correctly.

Do the same routine with the scope, after boresighting. This is done easily enough by putting the gun in a vise and looking through the bore, and centering a small object at 25 yds. Crank the crosshairs onto the object. If you don't have a vise you can take a cardboard box and cut notches to hold the forearm and the stock. You just need the gun to be still. Once you are 2" high at 50, go ahead and shoot a group at 100.

You shold be done by shot #10-12, and still have powder enough for hunting. This all assumes you are shooting a bullet that your gun shoots acceptably.

Thanks for the replies all. As for the suggestions to use other powder, that, to me, would defeat the main purpose of getting BH209 in the first place: not having to clean the barrel between shots! In fact, it was the intro of BH209 that swayed me into buying my first ML in the first place. The idea of excessive fouling was a turn off to me, and I didn't want to BE the very person I hate waiting in line behind at the range (sorry guys!)!

Anyway, I've sighted in my share of rifles, but I've never done any reloading or BP shooting, so I wasn't sure how much reducing the charge would affect the POI, especially at 25 yards. I think I'm going to experiment and report back!

I have 5 differnt sabots/bullets to play with, so hopefully I'll find a winner. T/C Cheapshots and two different Shockwaves, Barnes Spitfire TEZ, and Harvester Scorpion. I may pick up another projectile today when I go out to pick up my primers. Shoot, I might have to pick up another can of the BH209. Y'all. Are making me think I'm gonna run out. I don't want to have JUST enough left for hunting...I wanna play too!