Investarms Santa Fe .36 Range Update!

Leadriver · Aug 21, 2023

I'll try everything everyone mentions. I have a pedersoli scout in .32 that shoots like a shotgun no matter what ya feed it. This one I can tell potential accuracy is there but just gotta find the right combo. I need to stay with a .351 ball. I cast 500 of them a week ago and sorted them by weight within +- 3 grains. Micd them for roundness to but after 50 I quit that. I gotta say a loose combo certainly is nice for loading. Any other material you guys can suggest??? So far I tried .018 ticking, t shirt, .020 cotton patch. Lubes include Ballistol dry patch, Bees wax and oil, Crisco shortening ( beef base), Mink oil, and Spit Patch. I do wanna stay away from Beeswax, it a bear to clean out of my barrel. Mink oil left almost no fouling and a couple patches to clean the barrel.
Dusty, I tried 30 grains today still didn't group. It wants 40, when I find something that appears to wanna group I raise and lower the charge to see if that works but it hasn't in the 250 rounds I put threw it yet. Maybe though, I still continue doing so.

Leadriver · Aug 21, 2023

Think I'll make a trip to the local Walmart to get some muslin or whatever else that 100% cotton I can find.

azmntman · Aug 21, 2023

and some super duper thin cotton material. I mean THIN

Grenadier1758 · Aug 21, 2023

@Leadriver, bear in mind that a 0.351 ball weighs 65.03 grains and a 0.350 ball weighs 64.48 grains. I wouldn't be rushing out to get a 0.350" mold. Your weight tolerance is greater than the difference in calculated weight. You might want to tighten up your sorting limits. A tolerance of 5% is about 3 grains. A tolerance of 1 grain is 1.5%. I have also witnessed the situation of having a shooting buddy take the over and underweight balls and quite simply outshoot me.

Maybe it's time to be describing the shooting rest in great detail. Light conditions play a big role in scattering the impact as the light conditions change. Wind will blow these tine balls about horizontally.

Leadriver · Aug 21, 2023

azmntman said:
and some super duper thin cotton material. I mean THIN

I'll try to find something, I micd the cotton cleaning patches I was using and they were .019 and .015 compressed.

Leadriver · Aug 21, 2023

Grenadier1758 said:
@Leadriver, bear in mind that a 0.351 ball weighs 65.03 grains and a 0.350 ball weighs 64.48 grains. I wouldn't be rushing out to get a 0.350" mold. Your weight tolerance is greater than the difference in calculated weight. You might want to tighten up your sorting limits. A tolerance of 5% is about 3 grains. A tolerance of 1 grain is 1.5%. I have also witnessed the situation of having a shooting buddy take the over and underweight balls and quite simply outshoot me.

Maybe it's time to be describing the shooting rest in great detail. Light conditions play a big role in scattering the impact as the light conditions change. Wind will blow these tine balls about horizontally.

The local range has concrete shooting bench with a heavy mat ontop. It's not rubber but kinda puta you a mind of it. I use bags that are filled with media. Same bags I use for high powered rifles shooting groups. I have no troubles with those. I was going to take a picture today cause I figured this question was going to come up. It was getting to hot and I didn't feel like it lol. I'll try to remember next time I go out.

azmntman · Aug 21, 2023

Leadriver said:
I'll try to find something, I micd the cotton cleaning patches I was using and they were .019 and .015 compressed.

Thinner. PM me address if ya want, I send you a small piece of what FINALLY worked in the bobcat. Nobody would use this but, hey after 15 years it worked!

Leadriver · Aug 21, 2023

azmntman said:
Thinner. PM me address if ya want, I send you a small piece of what FINALLY worked in the bobcat. Nobody would use this but, hey after 15 years it worked!

I just might have to do that, I'll be heading to wally world here in awhile, I'll see what I can find there.

Leadriver · Aug 21, 2023

Ok, got back from wally world, picked up some Muslin that's. 007 and compressed is.0055. I also found some Twill that's. 012 and .0105 compressed. They also had muslin that was .019 and .015 compressed but I didn't get that, I may later on after I try this stuff. Do I need to wash this before using it though? I don't know if it has sizing in it like pillow ticking.

azmntman · Aug 21, 2023

personal preference. I tried it once and it wrinkled so bad I had to iron it to use it

Leadriver · Aug 21, 2023

azmntman said:
personal preference. I tried it once and it wrinkled so bad I had to iron it to use it

Lol figures

Leadriver · Aug 21, 2023

Azmntman, I almost ordered the flintlock version and would have preferred that but I'm left handed so it wouldn't have been ideal. I bought a right handed flintlock a long time ago and that was a mistake, I never could get over the flash right infront of my eye. My GPR if lefty and I wouldn't have it any other way. A right hand percussion causes no problems except for the shrapnel I catch occasionally in my right forearm from the cap going off. Wish it had a splash cup but whatever, I'll be wearing long sleeves in hunting season so it isn't that big of a deal.

smokepolehall · Aug 21, 2023

I am curious what F grade is your powder ?

Leadriver · Aug 21, 2023

smokepolehall said:
I am curious what F grade is your powder ?

3F

Kansas Kid · Aug 21, 2023

Try spit patch or washer fluid instead of the greasy stuff. Might let the ball bump up better to seal the bore.

Leadriver · Aug 21, 2023

Kansas Kid said:
Try spit patch or washer fluid instead of the greasy stuff. Might let the ball bump up better to seal the bore.

I tried spit patch, it does pretty good. However, I can't use spit patch while hunting where the gun could be loaded for more than a day.

Mike in FL · Aug 22, 2023

I hate to be the one to say it, especially since I've no answer for you, but your grouping is awful. Not sure it is fixable. Only thing I can suggest is try again on a day not windy. 50 yards on a windy day is not a good situation
A calm wind at the bench can't be trusted for range. Best of luck to you in figuring it out.

OldSmoky1967 · Aug 22, 2023

Des52 said:
Try a lighter powder charge, my .36s shoot best in the 20 to 30 grain range. Keep using the mink oil but try a .015 or .018 patch, The only time I use more powder is with a mini ball, 35-40 grains. My .36s don't like tight patches either.

I agree. The 40 grain group in the first picture looks pretty good. The second group was bit looser. Did you shoot with a hot barrel? Try 30 grains and rest between shots.

Relic shooter · Aug 22, 2023

Nipples play major role to obtaining consistent tight groups.
During my 60 years of shooting & competition with percussion firearms I've found that the nipple base/vent hole sizes on most
factory production rifles, pistols & especially revolvers vary in size, design.
Quality of the steel & designs used in mass production nipples is often much more susceptible to blowout & corrosion making consistent pressures
& velocities impossible..

Quality nipples like Treso & others have tiny base/vent holes & internal tolerances necessary to produce
the most stable pressures & velocities that are required to obtain consistent tight groups.
Relic shooter

stephenprops1 · Aug 22, 2023

I have a Pedersoli, Hawken 45 caliber. I shoot a .445 round ball with .012 cotton patches. The results have been very good. Contrary to what I saw posted earlier, .001 inch can make a df=ifference.

Investarms Santa Fe .36 Range Update!

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

40 Cal

40 Cal

Cannon

Cannon

40 Cal

40 Cal

Cannon

40 Cal

40 Cal

Cannon

40 Cal

40 Cal

45 Cal.

40 Cal

32 Cal.

40 Cal

50 Cal.

45 Cal.

Decades of bringing worthy orig. ML back to life

45 Cal.

Similar threads

Join the conversation!

Join today and get all the highlights of this community direct to your inbox. It's FREE!