accuracy with round balls

[damron]

"Accuracy? That means hitting what you're shooting at under the conditions presented. My 3" groups at 100 yards from a rest beat the snot out of 1" groups at 100 yards once the rest was removed"

Same at our range.We have an 8" gong @ 100 yds i ring with my 54 offhand with PRB spit lubed.Guys (mostly under 30 crowd) seem amazed when i tell them the combo only shoots about 3".Magazines have brainwashed guys to spend $3000 on a centerfire combo that must shoot Sub MOA or you just cant go hunting.

George

 

[David W.]

Magazines have brainwashed guys to spend $3000 on a centerfire combo that must shoot Sub MOA or you just cant go hunting.

AKA Marketing. My keyboard is going to revolt if I type "Toby Bridges" once more.

 

[Richard J.]

I do almost all my shooting off hand. Weapon is already on at 100 yds. The problem that I have faced over the years ( and it is a good problem to have ) is the rest of the people at the range. Once they see the accuracy of a flintlock they are amazed. I carry the rifle and a flint pistol. Now the good part. I spend the rest of the day teaching these people how to shoot BP. I always carry lots of powder and balls jest for this reason. Have converted a lot of people to BP over the years. Everyone thinks these weapons are not accurate. Once they see what they can do and how much fun they are they are hooked. This is the best part of it for me. Have killed a lot of deer with both of these and now it is great to get more people into the sport. Used to do the 1,000 yd thing when I was young. Converted to BP shortly after and sold the long range guns. Never looked back. Will be 66 this year and it has been grand.

RJ

 

[Billnpatti]

Each muzzleloader has a certain preference as far as a most accurate load. This consists of brand and granulation of powder, amount of powder, patch material, lube and ball size. Consistancy of ball weight is another factor. Get all of these right for your rifle and do some shooting from sandbags and you will then be able to tell how well it will group at any given distance. The make of barrel and length of barrel will also make a difference. You will almost always be able to get better groups from a barrel from one of the better barrel makers such as Getz, Long Hammock or several others. Let's say that you get all of these things together, you should expect to get groups of 2 inches or less at 50 yards and under 4 inches at 100 yards. Some people report getting groups better than this. These folks have a good gun and have spent the time to find the ideal load for that rifle. I recommend that you borrow or buy a copy of Dutch Schultz' Muzzleloading Accuracy procedure. I think he is charging aboout $15 for his pamphlet but it will be the best investment you will ever make in finding the ideal load for your rifle. I think you can find it by Googling "Dutch Schultz". I think it has been discussed on this forum so you might do a search for it here.