.32 cal CVA Squirrel Rifle Pattern Issue.

[ike]

In my experience yesterday the size of patch does have an effect on accuracy. I cut several small patches that equal a patch that has been cut after seating the ball level with the end of the barrel. At the range I shot two groups with this final load. (30 gr of 3f bp the patch .018 with Moose snot for a lube swabbed between each shot with Hope #9) 5 shot group and they were in an inch and one half circle. With my eyes I consider that good since the rear sight is a blur after I line the sights up. All shots were at 25 yards. Next time out I will shoot at 50 yds and adjust the sights.

Since I raised the question and received good advise I felt you all needed a report.

Thanks

 

[BrownBear]

Thanks for the report back, and great to hear things are sorting for you. Know what you mean about blurry sights!

One thing that is getting more important for me these days, especially at 50 yards and further, is the type of target I'm pointing at. I can shrink or expand groups by a mile simply with a change in targets. Something to store in the back of your noggin on your move to 50.

 

[mooman76]

Maybe it's the smaller caliber. Usually the patch size doesn't matter but as small and light as the 32 is, it could be throwing it off abit. I know on the sabots, some shoot worse than others and some of it pertains to consistency of the sabot, and if it falls away at about the same point.
The rear sight is suppose to be blurry.

 

[bubba15301]

i have a cva varmint .32 cal .i use .015 patch bore butter and 40 grs of pyrodex p .3/4 in groups at 50 yds..310 hornady rb or .311 cast rb from a lee mould

 

[brjanes]

I bought an old .32 caliber dixie squirrel rifle with a really pitted bore.Started shooting the long gun with 20 grains of fff powder and a pre cut .010 oxyoke patch and .310 ball.It was shooting pie plate sized patterns at 25 yards.I worked for a week to get that rifle to shoot to no avail.So I put it up figuring some day I'd get a new barrel or get it reamed to .36 caliber.Sometime later I read that a fellow was shooting a small bore rifle using pyrodex pistol powder and was getting good accuracy with it,So I tried it in the dixie rifle and was shocked that the groups shrunk to an inch at 25 yards and shot point of aim using the pyrodex measured the same as the goex black powder.Not sure if it will work for you and your cva,but it wouldn't hurt to try.I've killed a lot of squirrels with that old rifle.

 

[azmntman]

Never heared of the powder making that much difference (patch material, lube, vol of powder yes but never the type?). Why do you who know more than me think this is??

 

[mooman76]

I have never heard of anything like this either. I can see powder making some difference but not this much. I'm thinking something else changed since his first time shooting like maybe better patches or something. Old patches sometimes don't hold up and get destroyed when shooting.

 

[brjanes]

Same patches,same roundballs.Pyrodex did not foul the bore like blackpowder did.Don't care if you believe it or not.Groups shrank immediately when I switched powder.

 

[mooman76]

Well if it worked for you, I'm happy for you. Not saying it isn't so, just never heard of such a large difference with just a powder change. :hatsoff:

 

[Grimord]

I have 3 .32's.all have shot well with Pyrodex P 20-25 grs. My CVA .32 Grey Squirrel with 1/56 twist just loves 22 grs. Pdex-P with a Hornady swaged 310 cal ball and ox-yoke .015 pre-cut patches lubed with a drop of wonder lube.

My Green Mtn .32 barrel for my Renegade with 1/48 twist has a larger bore. I use .32 cal Hornady buckshot with a .010 ox-yoke pre-cut patch with the one drop of wonder lube and 25 grs. of P-dex P. This load will group into one hole at twenty-five yards from the bench. The gun is decked out with a rear vernier target site and a Lyman 17 globe front site. At 50 yds this gun shoots into a hair over an inch. Have won several turkey shoots with this gun and load shooting lolipops at 50 yds.

My third gun is a Pedersoli Pennsylvania gun with 41 inch barrel and a 1/48 twist. This is my go to squirrel gun. The same 22 gr, load chain will shoot 3/4 inch groups at 25 and 1"-1.5 at 50. This gun has a rear peep site.

For you open site shooters that are having a difficult time focusing on the rear site, try punching a 1/8th in hole in some black electrician's tape and place on your shooting glasses where your eye naturally sees thru. This acts like a peep site and really helps with focus on the rear sites.

Fyrstyk

 

[coloradoclyde]

I use to have one and it did't like round balls but it loved 30 grains of P pyrodex and a t/c maxiball it was a tack driver