PRB Groups?
 

What kind of groups should I guy expect with a PRB at 25 yrds?

I see the pics of one hole, 5 shot groups. Are those standard or picture worthy?

I'm shooting a 50 cal TC Hawken and usually get 3 or 4 tight but lose one or two from the group.

at 25 they should be standard IMO.

At 25 yds from a bench rest.......same hole.

At 25 yds offhand.......same hole if you're a good shot.

One might expect at 25 yards a large hole. And it does happen when I shoot. But there is always that chance of a flier. And they seem to show up at the worst time.

I agree. One large hole no more than twice the ball size. That's from a bench of course, and with a load tuned to the gun.

From 25 yards off hand? Well, let's not talk about that.

Yeah, I know what you mean! Lmao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:lolabove:

Yeah, we do get a might shakey in our old age don't we?
I remember back in my younger days a group of about 7 of us would stick the handles of plastic spoons in the corragations of a box and shoot the 'spoon' part' off at 50 yds off hand with our flinters. And at that time we all had T/C Hawkens or Renegades and all shot PRBs. Now I don't want you guys to thing that we hit them every time. But we did hit them more than we missed. And it was definately good practice. Especially with 6 of your buddies watching you shoot and talking to you then ribbing you when you missed. Good times.

I didn't want you to think I was talking about me. I can shoot the same hole from a bench. Offhand? Not really. I'm not a target shooter. I'm a hunter. I'll use sticks, tree, and if nothing is around. I'll go down to my knee.

However, i've watched good target shooters put it in one hole. One hole meaning no paper between shots. Not one hole the size of the ball.

I consider any shot that kills the animal quickly a perfect shot.

Killing paper was never my thing. :p

muley you're right about any shot that kills cleanly as being a 'perfect shot'. But in order to get there - you do have to shoot paper (even if it isn't your thing). You have to shoot paper to find out the best possible load combination to make that 'perfect shot'. There is always human error involved in shoot any handheld weapon and having your weapon shoot the best load it can will narrow your margin of error. Shooting at random objects may develop your shooting skills, but it does nothing to see what your weapon is capable of.

Hopefully, you're making a general post to everybody, and not directly at me.

I've been hunting for 60 years. I've punched my share of paper to prepare for my hunts.

I just don't punch paper as a sport. I'd fall asleep from boredom.

Different strokes for different folks. I really enjoy shooting paper. When I walk into Office Max the reams of printer paper all run and hide in the stock room. I get a Christmas card every year from the Pulp & Paper Manufacturers Association.

Hunting is cheaper. :biggrin:




The way I do it.

Josmund

PRB's - can really be fun and frustrating especially to me since I am really just learning.

I shoot PRB's basically for another reason to shoot and they are less expensive to shoot. Then I found the local Rondy network and the less expensive went out the door with gas to drive to all of these events and my competitive nature to get a little better.

But it is fun, especially at the Rondy events when you get instant gratification hearing the gong of a lead ball against a piece of metal. Like yesterday it was fun just sitting on the tail gate of the pick-up listening to other guys rock the metal and watching the puffs of smoke out of the barrels...

Anyway 25 yard groups....

Here is a target i shot on what I think was a very good day for me - I really wish I could do this all the time eveytime with NO exceptions.... but, Semi's Rules of Muzzleloading apply more for me when shooting PRB's than any other time.

Yes, at 25 yards you should be able to put all shots into one hole...For the hunters, no larger than the size of a squirrel brain...At 50 yards, if you go shoot competition you better be able to keep them all within an inch and a half, over the log...

Sabot.............Have you tried a tighter setup? My Renegade stock barrel like a .490 ball and .015 patch, or a .495 ball with a .010 patch.

It has a Green Mountain 1-70 twist 32" barrel now, and really shoots a PRB. If you get serious about target shooting. You should consider the GM barrel. Easier to hold steady too.

There is was an error in my labeling, the patch was a 0.015 cotton patch. I did also try 0.495 with both a 0.015 and 0.010 patch but the 0.015 was really tight and the 0.010 shredded more often than it stayed together. Which even today, so do 0.018 Pillow Ticking with a 0.490 ball.

I really wish I had a real round ball twist barrel just to try in one of my Renegades... but for what I am doing with them the 1/48 works fine. If I were hunting with them and round balls I probably would get a slow twist for sure.

That reminds me I have another chapter, actually a question I should put in my HCMAL thread... gotta go work on that right now....

Muley - Nah, that wasn't directly at you. At 60 years of hunting, I would think you should know what you're doing. I'm only 15 years behind you. I just don't want these young shooters to think they can go out, aim at a gallon milk jug, hit it and say "That's good enough". Cause it just ain't so.
I'm with Semisane - I love to tinker with loads, powders, bullets and such on paper to see if my rifle can be all it can be. Yeah it may cost some $$. But all hobies do - right?

I enjoy sighting in my hunting guns. I haven't even started with my Omega yet. However, by the time I have it worked out i'm done with paper targets.

I did trap shooting in the 70's, and made a pretty good living at it. Pretty fun way to make money. Although I did develop a flinch, and had to go to a release trigger. Al Timney was my gunsmith at the time, and I told him my trigger was sticking. He said.."you're flinching". I said.."the trigger is sticking". He was right.

I shoot CAS now, and that's fun, but expensive.

So, I do like target competition, but it has to have some action to it.