Found the problem with the rifle finally
 

Rifle: T/C Black Mountain Magnum - this is a traditional style rifle, able to shoot pellets or up to 150 grains of loose powder. It has a 1-28 twist in the barrel. I was told by a T/C rep that it is the same barrel as you would find on an Omega. It has always been a deadly accurate rifle. This I have to admit. It wears a simple Simmons Pro Diamond 4x32mm scope. And has a musket cap ignition system.

The problem I have been having with this rifle is while it shoots a great group, the group changes from time to time. What I mean is, when it is sighted in at 75 yards and dead in the bulls eye. The next time out it might be two inches low, or three inches high. You just never know.

The last time I shot the rifle at the end of the shooting session it was dead on again. The rifle has a favorite load...110 grains of Pyrodex RS and a 250 grain Hornady XTP in a crush rib or ez load a sabot.

Today started out real bad, then went to worse. But in the end I think I did find the problem.

Starting out: Beautiful day outside. Perfect for shooting other then windy. BUT it was nice to be outside without a jacket. Temperature was 54 degrees.

I swabbed the barrel clean and like always put a musket cap on the nipple and fired it off to check for burn marks. Burn marks on the patch indicated the rifle was ready. So as I customarily do I popped one more cap. OUCH!!!

The musket cap ignited fine but I felt a thump to my forehead and a slight pain. Reaching up, my fingers were full of blood. My first reaction was .... what the heck happened now. Then I could feel something, embedded in my forehead. I will point out i had hearing protection and eye protection, but no forehead protection. There under the skin was metal. So back into the house and after some Hydrogen Peroxide and some tweezers, I was able to remove the embedded object.. a small piece of the musket cap.



Being one to never let a little minor surgery stop a person from shooting, I loaded up some 250 grain Shockwaves as I had three of them left. The powder charge was 110 grains of Pyrodex RS. The distance according to the lazer was 70 yards.



Again, the POI had moved on me. Also I was not impressed with the group the Shockwaves shot. So I broke out the 250 grain XTPs and shot I think.. eight shots. Well they grouped fine, but again I stood there puzzled as to why the group had moved.

I had even changed out scopes. checked the bases, checked the rings... all were fine. I was swabbing between shots.. the group was fine, but would mysteriously move.

So I made a scope adjustment. And had it pretty close to where it should be..



The second adjustment proved on the money. Since I finally ran out of musket caps in that tin, I called it a day. And since it was so beautiful out I decided to clean the rifle outside.

While cleaning everything went well. The rifle cleaned right up and then I was about to replace the barrel in the stock when I noticed..

NO Wedge lock!! There was nothing on the bottom of the barrel to slide the wedge pin through to lock the barrel to the stock. Now I was mad, but also I am sure this is the reason for the moving groups. I am about 100% positive and the next range session should prove that.

After extensive searching I found the piece in the grass. I was able to move it back into the dove tail where it appeared it was secure, but there is nothing other then the dove tail to hold it there. I think a little Gorilla Glue is in order, but I am out of the strong stuff currently. A problem I will soon fix.

This powder pig is a really good shooting rifle. I am sure once I get the wedge lock secured permanently it will give me years of pleasure other then chunks of metal in the forehead.

cayugad

Not really familiar with that rifle, but I assume the under-lug slides into a dove-tail on the bottom of the barrel? If it does and you want to make the dove-tail tighter , what I normally is peen the upper leading edges just a tad with hammer, then re-install the under-lug. It should be tight now or if not repeat the process - it will get tighter...

thanks I can try that. I was just going to glue it. That special Gorilla Glue is really something.

What a coincidence to have 2 loose pieces of metal at the same time, and a blessing that alerted you to the underlug problem.
There are 4 flange musket caps that are mandated by most reenacting groups. The wider flanges on the 4 flange caps won't break off to cause injury as easily as the 6 flange caps can.
And they are reported to work just as well as the 6 flange caps.
If you can find some then buy them and give them a try.
Sorry about the copper shard to the forehead.
Recycle! Pure copper scrap is worth about $3.50/lb.!

I peen as well, but with a center punch, that will hold her...

That's what I normally do too Dave. Just a tap on each side of the dovetail with a punch will snug that piece up for you.

Me too. I just use a 1/8" brass punch and punch the center of the front and read wings of the dove tail.

Cayugad, were those "Powerbelt Brand" musket caps? If you were able to remove it with tweezers it sure didn't have the kind of penetration one would want . :biggrin:

The Black Mountain Magnum looks like the New Englander both in stock and the round barrel.