A day with a Lyman
06-30-2013, 10:46 AM
#1
Dominant Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
A day with a Lyman
Lately, I have been having vision problems called scotoma. For those that are not aware, it is a blurred or inability to see clear from a spot on the eye. Lucky me, it the right eye. So it can make sighting a little problem. It's called a floater by some. Some days its there and some days its not. Well today I was seeing well with the right eye as the scotoma was very low and right on the eye. And it was a beautiful day, so I headed out to shoot.
When the scotoma is center of the eye, it makes open sight shooting near impossible. As you can not see to line up the sights.
So I picked out a .54 caliber Lyman Trade Rifle Flintlock today. The rifle has the original 1-48 twist barrel. I was shooting Hornady .530 roundball, moose milk pillow tick patches, and 90 grains of Schuetzen black powder 2f. I used 4f for the primer powder.
I started with a clean dry bore. The flint in the rifle was old but I knapped it quick and knew there were a few more shots left in it. I was right.. about five left. Then I had to put a new flint in the rifle. When the new flint went it, the shots started to drift to the right. Whether the faster ignition, or the dirty barrel, or the stars fell out of alignment caused that.. I can not say. Over all it was not bad shooting for 49 yards off a bench rest.
I swabbed and the shots came back to center. On another part of the target, I was able to put three dead center on a bull. So I think the swabbing and flint really helped. Although the camera battery went dead. My luck. Over all it was nice to shoot today. It was 70 degrees, sunny, a slight wind, and enough horse flies to carry you out into the woods. Thank goodness for Deep Woods Off.
When the scotoma is center of the eye, it makes open sight shooting near impossible. As you can not see to line up the sights.
So I picked out a .54 caliber Lyman Trade Rifle Flintlock today. The rifle has the original 1-48 twist barrel. I was shooting Hornady .530 roundball, moose milk pillow tick patches, and 90 grains of Schuetzen black powder 2f. I used 4f for the primer powder.
I started with a clean dry bore. The flint in the rifle was old but I knapped it quick and knew there were a few more shots left in it. I was right.. about five left. Then I had to put a new flint in the rifle. When the new flint went it, the shots started to drift to the right. Whether the faster ignition, or the dirty barrel, or the stars fell out of alignment caused that.. I can not say. Over all it was not bad shooting for 49 yards off a bench rest.
I swabbed and the shots came back to center. On another part of the target, I was able to put three dead center on a bull. So I think the swabbing and flint really helped. Although the camera battery went dead. My luck. Over all it was nice to shoot today. It was 70 degrees, sunny, a slight wind, and enough horse flies to carry you out into the woods. Thank goodness for Deep Woods Off.
06-30-2013, 11:02 AM
#2
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: River Ridge, LA (Suburb of New Orleans)
Posts: 10,917
Darn good shooting Cayugad. There must be something about .54 round balls that like black powder charges in the 85 to 95 grain range. All three of my .54s shoot best in that range, and they are different twists - a 1:60, a 1:64, and a 1:70. It seems your 1:48" twist is the same.
06-30-2013, 04:47 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Anne Arrundle County, Maryland
Posts: 1,672
That looks pretty tight to me. It makes me want to try some round balls in my 1 in 48 twist .54 cal.barrel again. Last time they didn't work so well. Sabots did great though. The sad thing is that I bought it to shoot round balls. I'm going to get some 2f and give it a try. Last time I only tried 3f.
