This was a long time coming. What with the weather and other things. I almost didn't get in my planned range session today.
But this rifle needed shot. Probably the longest I've waited without shooting a new gun.
I bought this used about a month ago. $375 shipped. Good deal.
50cal Traditions Tennessee Rifle with 24" barrel and 1:32 twist.
Good thing I brought my delrin hammer in case I needed to adjust the sights. It's how I had to start the Hornady Great Plains conicals. Those suckers are tight. Too tight. And the short starter would have messed up the nose.
This is a pic after a few shots. I flipped the lid closed on the range box that held the powder flask and primer before each shot. And you can see my alcohol swabs. One between each shot. A lot of fouling between shots.
Targets. All at 50yds.
Hornady 395gr Great Plains conicals. 60gr of 3F. Grafs.
1st shot. A bit of a hang fire
2nd shot. Barely a delay
3rd
Now we're settling in. But man that kick.
You know you are shootin' a heavy bullet in a light rifle. That's for sure.
Pretty happy with the group so far. Especially with a new gun.
Drop it down to 50gr of 3F to help with the heavy recoil.
Bullseye.
And just enough drop in recoil to be not much to think about. At least wearing a winter coat. But who notices recoil hunting? And better yet, the shot was right in there with the rest of them.
That surprised me a little with a 10gr powder drop. Even at 50yds.
And so did this:
I switched to a 490 patched ball with a .010 pre-lubed patch. The same load that the KY pistol I just built calls for. So I went with it. I kept with the same 50gr of 3F.
5th shot
That hit at 3:00 with two previous shots. And the recoil was very light. I didn't think fast twist barrels were supposed to like round balls, but at 50yds it shot just fine. At least with just 50 grains of powder. And it loaded dang easy. I could push the ball into the barrel with my thumb.
One more to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Time was getting short.
6th shot
That cut into the group by the bull. I'm liking the way this gun shoots. I'm not fond of the trigger guard and hand placement after setting the trigger. I have to adjust my ring finger over the curl or I'll cut it with the recoil. But the gun shoots good alright. Three different loads in a 2" group from an old man that only shoots on Sundays. Usually
I may just abandon my search for a conical mold if round balls are going to shoot this well. I only need this gun for shorter distances. I'll have to run a ball over the chrony and also do a gal jug penetration test. My guess is six jugs. That'll work.
It was a good, and much needed, range session.
Thanks for looking
But this rifle needed shot. Probably the longest I've waited without shooting a new gun.
I bought this used about a month ago. $375 shipped. Good deal.
50cal Traditions Tennessee Rifle with 24" barrel and 1:32 twist.
Good thing I brought my delrin hammer in case I needed to adjust the sights. It's how I had to start the Hornady Great Plains conicals. Those suckers are tight. Too tight. And the short starter would have messed up the nose.
This is a pic after a few shots. I flipped the lid closed on the range box that held the powder flask and primer before each shot. And you can see my alcohol swabs. One between each shot. A lot of fouling between shots.
Targets. All at 50yds.
Hornady 395gr Great Plains conicals. 60gr of 3F. Grafs.
1st shot. A bit of a hang fire
2nd shot. Barely a delay
3rd
Now we're settling in. But man that kick.
You know you are shootin' a heavy bullet in a light rifle. That's for sure.
Pretty happy with the group so far. Especially with a new gun.
Drop it down to 50gr of 3F to help with the heavy recoil.
Bullseye.
And just enough drop in recoil to be not much to think about. At least wearing a winter coat. But who notices recoil hunting? And better yet, the shot was right in there with the rest of them.
That surprised me a little with a 10gr powder drop. Even at 50yds.
And so did this:
I switched to a 490 patched ball with a .010 pre-lubed patch. The same load that the KY pistol I just built calls for. So I went with it. I kept with the same 50gr of 3F.
5th shot
That hit at 3:00 with two previous shots. And the recoil was very light. I didn't think fast twist barrels were supposed to like round balls, but at 50yds it shot just fine. At least with just 50 grains of powder. And it loaded dang easy. I could push the ball into the barrel with my thumb.
One more to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Time was getting short.
6th shot
That cut into the group by the bull. I'm liking the way this gun shoots. I'm not fond of the trigger guard and hand placement after setting the trigger. I have to adjust my ring finger over the curl or I'll cut it with the recoil. But the gun shoots good alright. Three different loads in a 2" group from an old man that only shoots on Sundays. Usually
I may just abandon my search for a conical mold if round balls are going to shoot this well. I only need this gun for shorter distances. I'll have to run a ball over the chrony and also do a gal jug penetration test. My guess is six jugs. That'll work.
It was a good, and much needed, range session.
Thanks for looking
