MountainDevil54

Did everyone but bronko and i get banned?!! This place is dead to say the least. Not even a good fight or argument

This morning I decided it was time to get that Woodsman Hawken Flintlock out to 100 yards and with a thicker patch! I am glad I tried it because it took a previous 4 1/2" group and shrunk it down so greatly, I still can not wipe the smile off my face!


First off here's the load info:

80gr Goex 2fg
Grafs 4fg for the pan
.490" Traditions round balls ( Came with the rifle)
.020" lubed with Frontiers Anti rust & patch lube ( Patches cut at the muzzle)

The new .020" patch loaded perfectly but I still decided to swab with No 77 muzzle magic and get all of the fouling out after each shot and let it cool down in the shade until the barrel was cool to the touch.


While swabbing, I used a sloppy wet patch and used both sides. Just holding the rifle upside down to keep from soaking the breech.



I used the MMP packer set up and with a new wood ramrod ( plastic ramrod would bend under this pressure) I seated each ball at aprox 75lbs.


The first 3 shots are on the right side of the target. This is my first time using graf's 4fg in the pan and I did not like it at all. It was slow to ignite and as you can tell, group wasn't that great.

The 2 shots in the middle were with Goex 4fg pan powder! Now that's why I can not wipe the smile off my face! Ignition was almost instant and the recoil was firm on the arm.


Cleaned, dried, cooled, loaded and 8 clicks up on my rear sight put my final shot closer to where I want to be.


This target has been my savior as the big black circle and 3" orange bulls eye keeps the sights clear and easy to see. The target is over 17" diameter.




Super flintlock. I have zero complaints about it. I haven't had one bit of trouble with her to date. It just keeps getting better and better as I shoot. I SHOULD have a bull elk tag this year and I plan on getting the percussion model of the Woodsman in .54cal for this hunt.

cayugad

They are nice rifles. And good shooters also. I have both the percussion model with a 1-66 twist and the flintlock model with the 1-48 twist. Both are excellent roundball shooters.

I found mine likes 85 grains of 2f Goex and a .490 ball with a .018 patch. I too looked for them in .54 caliber but did not find one. So I purchased what I did. Good luck in your search. I personally would stick with the flintlocks... nice fast lock.

Semisane

Dang Devil, two shots an inch apart at 100 yards? That's GREAT shooting. And then the third shot after adjusting the sight upward tracked perfectly. What more can you ask. That gun is a keeper for sure.

Are you trying to hold center on the orange bull, or using a 6 o`clock hold on it?

With that load, if you get it zeroed at 100 it should be about 2.5" high at 50.

Blackpowdersmoke

[QUOTE=MountainDevil54;4254567]Did everyone but bronko and i get banned?!! This place is dead to say the least. Not even a good fight or argument

Not banned MD... just too many other things going on right now. Nice shooting by the way!

BPS

MountainDevil54

Semi, I was using 6 o'clock hold on the bulls eye. Its easy to see it that way at 100+ yards.

I moved it up 10 more clicks so we should be close to hitting the center of the bulls eye.

Whats crazy, I had it sighted dead on at 75 yards for the hog hunt and when I went to 100 yards, It was easily a foot low. That 25 yards really made a difference. I am using a thicker patch this time around however. Its unwashed .020" which seems thicker than my precut patches.

Those 2 shots were right at 1 1/8"

Once the rain/hail and wind stop, I plan on getting back out there. Already installed a new flint and leather wrap and shes sparking like a champ again. I wore out the first flint to where there was a 3/8" gap between the frizzen and flint LOL.

Semisane

That doesn't even seem possible.

MountainDevil54

it doesn't but it happened! Once its on at 100, I'll move back to 50 and 75 to check and see whats up.

Got a nice April snow storm going on now.

Semisane

Something else had to be going on. It's just not ballistically possible with the load you were shooting. The only way a .490 ball can be dead on at 75 yards and 12" low at 100 yards is if the muzzle velocity is something like 750 fps.

MountainDevil54

I'll just have to dial it in and then head to 50 yards and check to see where its hitting. I figured 3" high at 50 would have been perfect at 100, but you can never tell with these sights that sit up high.

super_hunt54

I am assuming those are around 180 grains or so? At 80gr 2f Goex out of a 22 inch barrel (I estimated barrel length from the picture) you should be getting 1700-1750 at the muzzle. I personally think you went goofy from 50 to 100. It's ballistically impossible with that muzzle velocity to drop 12 inches from 50 to 100. Unless you were shooting into around 20mph of wind head on. Either your hold was off or you goofed on sight adjustment. But if you were getting that muzzle velocity for both ranges you couldn't have been 12 inches low between them through any velocity loss. Maybe you were getting a better seal during your 50 yard shoot and switched something when you went to 100? Losing a ton of velocity at the muzzle.