Erratic Shooting

[kilbuck]

Thanks, Paul and others, for the additional input.

I haven't gotten out yet to try the suggestions given here.

The piece under consideration is a light gun but it fits me well, has a pad. Recoil isn't an issue. If it were, why could I shoot good groups after the first flyer? I bench 12-gauge smokeless cartridge without a problem. Also, I'm not out there hanging 25 rounds at a time.

For the 0.690" ball, I used a heavy pillow ticking - 0.016" I believe. For the 0.715" ball I used something thinner.

The bore mikes 0.729" It's a modern shotgun barrel.

After numerous trips to the range, I decided 75 yards is a reasonable limit. Groups are still good at such distance. The trajectory beyond that goes south.

By the way, "kilbuck," my handle on this forum, is the name of the place where I grew up and is not symptomatic of a goon hunter. You will find "Kilbuck" inscribed on certain James Bown rifles. They were made down the hill from our place.

Thanks again. I'll report back with range results.

 

[tg]

Consistant position of gun to cheek and consistant load and practice and it will come, don't worry about using an oil based lube for rust protection as long as it is cleaned out completely before shooting the seasoning idea is an old one that dies hard, it was likley relevant in iron barrels but not in todays steel ones.I would definatly give 2f a try.

 

[paulab]

James Brown made rifles???? This in addition to being the "Godfather of Soul"!! RIGHT ON! Paul

 

[Dphar]

Initially I was very excited about the results of shooting patched .690 and .715 round balls in my 12-gauge shotgun. Shots were grouping 3" at 50 yards, close to the bull.

In subsequent trips to the target range I've been baffled as to why sometimes I don't even hit the paper. I'm using a beeswax/beargrease lube on the patch (different thickness for different ball diameter), and charging with 80-90 grains Fg.

Once when the shot flew off the target, I had left the charge in the gun for several days. But I've missed the target with a fresh load too.

The only clue I have is this: in all of these instances, the blown shot was always fired in a cleaned barrel that could have had solvent or oil. Sometimes, however, the first, clean barrel shot is dead on.

Any ideas what's causing the erratic performance? I always detonate at least two caps in the empty gun, prior to loading the first charge. Once the barrel is fouled (or the solvent/oil burned out?) after the first shot, things seem to settle down. Is this typical of smoothbores?

Obviously, I'm new at the smoothbore game. All input welcome. Thanks.

I would shoot FF in it. FG is pretty slow.
Smoothbore sometimes like a lot of powder to shoo well with a RB. Thew best groups I got with a 50 smooth rifle were with 100 gr of FFg. Thick patch and a 480 ball.

Smooth bores throw fliers of greater or lesser magnitude. There is little that can be done to correct this. If this were not the case there would have been no reason to go to the considerable trouble of cutting spiral grooves in gun barrels.

Dan

 

[kilbuck]

That was James Bown, not James Brown.

Pittsburgh always has had plenty of soul, however, even in Bown's day.

 

[kilbuck]

Thank you, Dan, for your suggestion about powder gradation. I'll drop back to FFg, though I had the problem there as well as with Fg.

Do you feel 80 grains FFg is too light a charge for the 12-gauge round ball?

I was much intrigued by your comment on the tendency of smoothbores to throw shots. If anyone mentioned this before, I missed it. That could be discouraging - the whitetail of a lifetime at 50 yards and you send one between its ears while holding on the heart.

 

[kilbuck]

This long overdue followup:

I tried swabbing the bore with alcohol before loading the first shot and that seems to have taken care of the problem of a wild first shot.

Thanks all for your input and expertise.
Kilbuck