.32 caliber dilemma...

[Micah Clark]

I've heard that there can be variables in the weight and quality of Hornady balls . . . my guess is that in the 50 its not a big deal that it can be in the .32.

I'll check into patch material. Why does your rifle or why do you dislike pre-cuts? They are sized 32-36 and perhaps bigger than necessary. . . for .32 . . . is that why?

 

[Micah Clark]

The folks at Traditions were very nice, but it went south after I had spent $55 to ship my rifle to them and get that target back. . .My hopes were dashed ( I was ticked ) . . . and they were no longer helpful . . .would not even admit that it was a lousy group and much different from the accuracy they and many others claim of the Crockett. . they said I bought the gun used so they felt they didn't owe me any more than that. . . though they were willing to sell me a new barrel for $200 or so, which I suggested, but then thought, no that's like taking a goldfish to the vet. . I'll just get rid of it if I can't get it as I want . . I could have the same problem with a new one.

 

[gmannx217]

Call Tip Curtis. I got a beautiful .36 early Virginia from him in January for 1200 to my door. One week wait.

 

[BrownBear]

I also do have a Lee .311 mold coming to start casting consistent lead.

All my small guns (30, 32 and 36 caliber) really came into their own when I quit buying balls and cast my own. You have good reason to be optimistic with your own, if my experience is typical.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Sometimes your the big dog.......
And sometimes your the fire hydrant... :haha:

 

[F.G. Ford]

That looks ok.........for a shot gun pattern
If you buy at walmart you get it's quality.
Fred

 

[azmntman]

Send crockett barrel to Hoyt for a NICE looking and shooting .36 Not nuff difference to matter, both great for lil creatures. Use savings to start a fund for what you NEED

 

[Crewdawg445]

Yes sir! I figured since .32 can be difficult, now would be the perfect time to start casting! MAC1967, one reason for the patching is again consistency. What I mean by this is a more reliable seal of the ball, eliminating some of the gas blowing past the patch and ball. With a patch cut at the muzzle, your basically creating a custom patch versus a universally pre-cut one that potentially might not seal correctly.

 

[ZUG]

You need to spend more "range time" and experminting with different combinations powder/ patch, lube along with some cast balls. If you don't have a casting set-up yet or mold for the 32 then buy some cast balls from TOTW or some other place and give them a try before you spend a lot of money that may not get you to where you want to be. If all that still does not work for you send the barrel to Hoyt and bore it to .36 cal - not as fussy as a .32. My two cents :hmm: :v

 

[Micah Clark]

These are all helpful . . . I will look at patches and cast bullets . . I only have about 125 rounds of Hornady left . . but about 200 .311 cast rounds. The one thing that is a bit difficult about cast is getting the sprue pointed straight up . . . How critical is that and accuracy? ( BTW - it wasn't long ago that I saw a fairly cheap, used smelter (?) heat pot for casting at a gun show . . . probably should have grabbed it, or looked closer at it.)

 

[BrownBear]

The one thing that is a bit difficult about cast is getting the sprue pointed straight up . . . How critical is that and accuracy?

It's real important in my experience. But try doing it on a cold day in the snow while wearing gloves! You'll lose half a dozen balls in the snow for every one you get started. :surrender: It will make you a true believer in loading blocks for small caliber hunting guns.

I'm a fan of cutting at the muzzle too, even if the "muzzle" is a loading block. I have an old book about shooting "Tennessee" rifles, in which the author and all his buds did a whole lot of load testing. I wish I could find it in my library (what a mess, at the moment) so I could get real specific on title, author and loading details. But one thing stands out for me: He and his buds were sold on the importance of centering a patch when loading small bores. That's what inspired me to cut at the muzzle on my first small bore, and sure enough, groups shrank.

 

[Tinker2]

You said you got it used
Have you cleaned out the bore really well?
Scrubbed out with steel wool and/or a scotch bright?
That is one of the things I would do, spend an hour or two on the bore.
Some patch lube can build up and not come out in a normal cleaning



William Alexander

 

[Micah Clark]

That's good to know about the sprue and patch. . I have a loading block for the 32. . . . I have not really used it, but its neat looking (ha!).

It's been somewhat cold here lately in Indiana (where's the global warming they keep promising us?) and I've been busy, but I am hoping to get out and shoot on the next available still day. . now I have a whole list of things to try w the Crockett.

I have a real good book on BP that is about 15 - 20 years old, its green and like a "Shooter's Bible" catalog that has been very helpful . . . many of you would know its name and author. . .its at my home, rather than here at office. . (that would be a real distraction.)

 

[Grenadier1758]

Maybe you should let someone else shoot a group with it. I really don't think you are the problem if you get good groups with your other rifle.

These steps are in order.

Take a good look at the crown on the muzzle. Make sure that is smooth all the way around. There should be no gouges. Is the muzzle square to the bore?

What is the breech like? One of our club members had a small caliber rifle that used to be a tack driver many thousands of rounds ago. Recently the accuracy dropped way off. He found that the fouling build up at the breech made a rough spot that grabbed the patch. We used one of the fiber optic bore scopes to take a look at the bore. The rest of the rifling was clean. He had to shorten the barrel by cutting off the old breech and rethreading the breech to remove that rough place.

Clean the rifle with one of the chore boy type copper cleaning pads.

Let someone else shoot a group with your rifle. If its the same as yours it may be time to replace the barrel.

 

[Crewdawg445]

:surrender: It will make you a true believer in loading blocks for small caliber hunting guns.

Absolutely... I always disliked loading blocks until I too dropped and lost a fair share of lead! Also, gives me something else to make and customize to my liking.

 

[Micah Clark]

Those are great ideas . . . One of the fatal flaws of the Crockett, is the breech is a monster. There's some evil troll down there living in a cave that grabs patches, jags and rod ends . . I've gotten the rod stuck in there half a dozen times . . . getting it out took an act of congress. . . I complained to Traditions about that too . . . they knew of it. On my Lyman GPR I can stuff the breech full of patches, twist and twist for an hour and pull them right out. . one thick patch on a .32 jag has been known to catch on a hook or ledge, if I am not careful, in the Crockett, and I'm screwed until I use my trick of hooking the rod to a vise via a nail through the hole in the rod, and pulling on the gun with all my might, praying I don't impale myself or drop the gun if I trip.

Wire brushes are no problem, nor are swabs . . .so that's what I tend to use.

The crown or end of the barrel is completely flush all the way across. . . unlike some other rifles. I have been tempted to take sandpaper to it. . . and had that suggested. . but it does look OK.

there's a ML club not far from me that shoots on Sunday's I may see if I can take it and have some guys shoot it. Great small group, but they are into the peripherals, clothing, lunch, etc as much as the range. . . and I am usually in church Sunday AM. . but I think its time I look them up again.

 

[Crewdawg445]

Yikes... I'm glad I've got a Pedersoli! One thing I always do with a new rifle is smooth out the machine marks in the bore with scotch brite and kroil, however I'm sure your past the new point with the crockett. Have you noticed any chewed up patches from any you have successfully recovered?

 

[hanshi]

Mac, that's not even a group on that target; they're just BSing you. A Crockett should shoot tight groups with anything from 10 grains to at least 30 grains. The best load to be found after experimentation should give you the sub 1" groups. Traditions, and Pedersoli, do make fine barrels whatever their other failings.

Your Crockett is used and you also report patches hanging up in the breech; I think you've nailed the problem. You HAVE to get a good look, somehow, at that bore even if someone has to pull that breech plug. I bought mine new and the history of the rifle was only what I produced. Yours being 2nd hand was the reason Traditions brushed you off.

Interestingly, I haven't found the smaller bores to be particularly fussy in general. But occasionally individual ones certainly can be. I've only owned two .32 rifles in all my 50+ years of muzzleloading. Both seem to like the same about the same loads and treatments. I cast ALL my ball for ALL my rifles; and 80% come from Lee molds. My .36 mold is a single cavity T/C mold that I plan to replace with a Lee mold soon. Some casting is done with a brass Tanner mold and a couple of Lyman and RCBS blocks. I especially like the Lee because they leave no sprue and are amazingly consistent; I recommend them without reservation. Right now several thousand balls of different calibers line my shelves. The .32s and .62s are getting low so casting time draws nigh. Good luck with the Crockett; I'm very interested in how it turns out.

By the way, I am informed that the TVM kits are among the easiest to build.

 

[Micah Clark]

I'll do some shooting next week with all these tips and let you all know of any changes . . . inspecting the breech is another matter, but I agree it's important and may reveal a problem. The rifling looks good and the gun seemed well taken care of, but that may not mean the breech was not fouled up.

 

[Grenadier1758]

From what you are saying about patches and jags getting stuck at the breech, there is some sort of irregularity at the breech that is ruining the integrity of your patch and preventing the patch and ball from engaging the rifling.

Hopefully you can find a borescope and look at the breech. Most likely you will have to retrench the rifle.