why does my gun shoot shoot inconsistent?
 

I dont get it, why does it shoot without a repeatable pattern? I do everything the same on every load. 120 gr bh209, win primer, Barnes 250gr tez. I clean between shoots and about every 3 shots I drill bit the flash hole on the triumph. I also tried and the shockwave with black sabot, same result.

when i first got my encore i went thrugh the same kind of problem .IMO it was the easy load was bord off center . after it was removed it got better.

I have noticed that there are some bullets that load easy and some are hard, all from the same pack. Why would that be? Inconsistent sabots? Or bullet molding?

bullet casting IMO. Someone on another forum was having this issue with one bullet loading hard and the next loading easy and his accuracy sucked. Personally i'd drop down to 100-110gr BH209.

Well one reason very well may be the fact that your shooting a max load of BH209 and swabbing between shots. try starting at 90 gr BH, without swabbing between shots. shoot a 3 or 5 bullet group and see what you get. then up the charge 5 gr and repeat, until you find the sweet spot for your rifle.the sabot can also have a lot to do with accuracy, are you using the supplied sabot with the TEZ bullets? my Triumph tack drives .250 gr TEZ bullets with the supplied sabots.

i have never had this problem, when shooting Bh209. remember do not swab between shots with BH209.

One of the most accurate bullets I have shot are the Harvester 260 gold I have over 100 shot's without a flier..I use the MMP 3Petal-EZ this has worked as a base line accuracy in several different guns...

I would try lower powder like suggested and if that doesnt work try a different bullet. I bet 100gr and she will tighten up...

With any break open it could be as simple as where you put the front rest on the barrel and the different harmonics that you might create in that barrel.

thanks for the replys. i've been shooting from a lead sled so the forearm rest is the same. i may drop to 100-110.

why not swab between? i figured that since i will hunting on a clean barrel i should sight in on a clean barrel.

I was taught many years ago by a person who shot black powder in competition that you always want to fire a fouling shot just before target shooting, hunting, etc. In my experience at the range now, the first shot on a clean barrel is many times well off of the rest of the groups. If I'm practicing on the range with Powerbelts and 80 gr. of powder, I only need to swab every 4 to 5 shots; I can feel when it needs to be done when loading the projectile.

I would also suggest that you try less powder. When I'm shooting 295 gr. Powerbelts for hunting, I use just 80 gr. Triple Seven. Trust me, that 80 gr. does a LOT of damage to a deer! I would suggest you start at 80 gr. and start moving up 5 to 10 gr. at a time til you find out what works best in your combination of rifle, powder and projectile.

As an aside, once you have everything figured out and just want to do some plinking, reduce your powder load to 40 gr. You will be amazed at how little difference there is at point of impact between 80 and 40 grains at 50 yards. I use that load with a patched roundball to practice sight picture, trigger control, breathing etc.; it's a lot cheaper to shoot and a lot easier on the shoulder.

Check that the scope rings and bases are tight. I had my Knight putting strings of shots together last year. Took it to the range to start the season this year and it was shooting in a 6" group. Found that the scope bases were loose. Tightened them up and brought my group back together.

I was cleaning between shots so i get a clean barrel grouping, that way when I hunt on a clean barrel I know what to expect. So a dirty barrel is better, ok we all know how corrosive blackpowder can be so it would pain me to leave my barrel dirty all weekend for fear of it corroding my barrel.

So how do u guys foul your barrel? Just a few primer? Does that really do enough? The primer is noncorrosive so i guess that wouldn't hurt right?

For most and not all MLers a Fouled Barrel will shoot the most Consistant Groups. When I Hunt with a Fouled Barrel I dont leave in all the Fouling, I Swab after the Shot then Reload. And I dont shoot 20 shots with only a couple of Swabs and then Reload. I usually shoot it a couple of times to make sure Im on, then Swab, Reload and Hunt, I know when I pull the Trigger the next time It'll be right where Im aiming.
Sometimes Popping a few Primers will be just as good, you'll have to play with it and see what Your ML likes and see where the Next Shot after a Popped Primer Hits.
I use Montana Extreme Bore Conditioner in My Barrel, so I give some of the Benefit to that with how long I can go befor I need to Clean, I also have a Stainless Steel Barrel so between the Montana BC and the SS Barrel I have No Worries. I have gone a week or More with a Loaded Fouled Barrel, Shot it, Cleaned it and it looked like Brand New. I would'nt leave it Fouled for a Month or more but would'nt even worry about just a few Days.
Im also Lucky that My ACCURA hits where Im Aiming on a Clean Barrel, but I also know I'll be right on with a Fouled one too.
Good Luck!
(BP)

The day before I go hunting, I fire one shot with half a load of powder, 40 grains for me. Besides fouling the barrel, it insures that my rifle is clear and ready to go with no issues. It stays that way through my deer hunt, usually 4 to 5 days. I have seen no evidence of damage to the barrel in the 8 or so years I have owned my rifle. I should also mention that I always fire 2 or 3 caps on an empty barrel with my Pedersoli to be sure everything is clear, then fire my fouling shot.

You are shooting BH209, NOT blackpowder. Big difference between the two. BH is minimally corrosive, meaning most people will tell you that you can not clean the gun for awhile after shooting with no problems. Heck, I shoot Triple Seven which is more corrosive than BH 209 and I have left the gun 48 hours or more after shooting without cleaning and I've had zero problems. And this is with a blued barrel, not stainless.

So if you are able to shoot a round or two, say, the day before you go hunting, or 2 days before, reload and then just leave it- that is what i would do personally.

Also, someone else mentioned that not all rifles shoot best on a fouled bore. One of mine shoots just fine on a clean bore, with no change in POI. But that varies between rifles and powders....