.36 Blue Ridge problem

[Flapjack]

Hello all,
well...here's my dilema..About 2 years ago, I purchased a Blue Ridge .36 from cabelas. For the life of me, I cannot get this thing to group worth a darn (best is 3" @ 25 from a solid rest). I hear all the sucess stories with smallbores and know this cannot be the norm. I own 5 other ballshooters (not smallbores though) and shoot them all very well. I have used pretty much all combinations of components...010, .015, and .017 patches..Speer and Hornady .350 balls..BB, crisco, moose milk, spit for lubes...goex 3f and Pyrodex P..swabbing between shots, and not..and 10-40 grains of powder...you get the idea..Crown looks good, etc.

Is there any other ideas I could try? I know from past experience many barrels need to be broken in, but I have about 300 shots through it. I truly enjoy all types of shooting, but to paraphrase Ned Roberts (I think) "only accurate rifles are interesting"

Dont want to give up yet, but I am about to... :curse:

thanks fellas..

 

After everthin you've tried,.... I only got one question fer ya.

What do yore "spent" patchs look like????

YMHS
rollingb

 

[Flapjack]

They look just fine rollingb..none blown or cut in any way..could pick em up and shoot em again!...come to think of it, that is one thing I havent tried! :winking:

 

Sounds ta me like you know what yore do'n, and thet liddle .36 ought'a be shoot'n one-hole groups at 25 yards from a rest.

Have ya tried cast'n yore own balls????

YMHS
rollingb

 

[Flapjack]

Its actually the only gun I own that I dont cast for.. as for BP, I cast .50, .54 and .58, but not for .36 yet...maybe I'll give that a whirl..

One option I have been thinking about is getting a .355 mould (or store bought balls), but I dont know if they are even made....5 thou. bigger may do the trick..I do have a .360 mould for a revolver, but think thats a bit much. anyone know any sources if they are around?

I also thought about bedding problems as well, but can see no obvious defects. I have experimented with barrel screw torque as well, to no avail.

 

I really doubt if "bedding", or the "screw torque", is a problem fer the small bore. The thickness of the barrel in relation to the small bore should "over ride" either of those.

If yore sights are tight, patchs look good, and the bore feels fine when run'n a ball "home",.... ya kind'a got me stumped, 'cause everthin else you've tried sounds good.

TOTW sells .358 cast balls, but no .355's.
You'll probly have to go with a custom mold fer .355's.

YMHS
rollingb

 

What kind of preasure is it taking to run the ball down the bore and seat it? Normal in relation to your experiences with other calibers?

That revolver ball will mike out around .375. Unless you pour it out of pure lead and hammer it down the bore bare it will never work.

Many of the top target shooters are using bore sized balls along with a thick patch and hammering them home.

Is single 0 buckshot .355? One of the buck sizes is close, I remember that.

Pitty you don't have some .357 simi-wadcutter pistol bullets to try. One of my molds throws a .360 slug that would work fine. They'd work just like conicals, and give You another option.

It may be time to get out the scotch brite pads and lap this bore, just to settle it in.

 

"O" buckshot is .320

YMHS
rollingb
P.S.,... I think most fellas shoot "OOO" buckshot in ther .36's

 

[JesseJames]

I had a friend tha bought a cva 32 used. He could not hit the side of a barn with it and he can shoot. So he call cva the said all they could do was sale him a new barrel. The new barrel was a shooter. So I said to him I have been reading on the muzzleloader forum about lapping the barrel I said did you try that on the old barrel he said no. So he did it, now he has two barrels that are shooters maxie ball or roll ball. ps This guy just killed his 49th deer yesterday with tc 50 cal renage

 

[Stumpkiller]

Only accurate rifles are interesting -- Col. Townsend Whelen

I always thought that was like saying "only women who can cook are interesting."

Anyway, try 35 gr. 3fg blackpowder, lube the barrel lightly BEFORE the first shot and wiping the bore with a spit patch between shots. Smallbores are fouling sensitive. Bedding and screw torque are small-bore centerfire tricks. a 7/8" straightwalled barrel is a lot more stable than a modern narrow walled tube. Shaving 1/2" off at 100 yards won't be as noticable, anyhow. :winking:

.350" balls and a .010" patch with a moist (not sopping wet) liguid lubed patch ought to have you one-holing at 25 yards. A friend had a .36 Blue Ridge and it was a tack-driver. With a slow twist (not sure what yours has), it is possible to drive a round ball too slowly for accuracy. One grain powder for every 1/100" of ball diameter is a good starting point for developing an accurate load in any caliber. Slow twists normally need a bit more speed, so your low end loads might have been too "soft."

 

[montanadan]

Flapjack-I believe yor rifle is a Pedersoli,from the Pedersoli book, .345 round ball,.007 patch,starting load 24 grns. 3ffg powder. I have a few Pedersoli products I have found that their starting load information works quite well.Respectfully Montanadan (trying not sound like a know it all)

 

[buckknife]

The 36 cva i have was a little fuss bucket too till i tried the thick blue an white ticklen from wally world.I use moose milk an no swabben.you would think that this patch cut at the muzzle and dampen with milk and a .350 ball wouldnt start or even go down the bore,but it does and no ball damage.shoots its best with 20gr of 3f goex.Its a skwerl killen son of a gun.
I cut the strip into small square patches and cut at the muzzle.Have made some precut round patches usen a nickel for a guide,looks about the right size.Lube each patch right before you shoot it or else they will start to dry and will shoot a little lower on a sunny day.
May be worth a try.

 

[Flapjack]

Thanks for all the help guys!

Ghost: Seating pressure feels quite normal, and even. I figure with 300 + shots, it should be broken in by now, but I may have at it with some JB paste for good measure..sure couldnt hurt. Neat idea with the .357 SWCs..I actually have 4 different moulds that may be worth trying, 2 in particular..I have an RCBS un-checked kieth design and a Saeco SWC mould of about 160 grs. They cast around .360 so it might just work. Desperate times call for desperate measures!!

Stumpkiller: I have tried that very load combo with no sucess. My twist is 1:48 I would assume, like most smallbores. Dont know for a fact though..

"I always thought that was like saying only women who can cook are interesting"

Good point! However, the otherwise interesting woman should at least be able to make a ham sandwich...bore swabing or not!

Thanks again guys for all the great advice!!!