Expected accuracy

[krecords]

Sorry in advance, you have all probably answered this question before but here goes.
Shooting a Lyman great plains rifle, 1 in 60 ? twist I do believe. Round ball. Open sight. what is realistic accuracy expectations if a person is a decent shot otherwise? Effective range? I am new to this and have heard stories of 50 yards to 200 yards accurate enough to kill a deer. Just curious what I should expect I can accomplish.

 

[Little Wattsy]

Sorry in advance, you have all probably answered this question before but here goes.
Shooting a Lyman great plains rifle, 1 in 60 ? twist I do believe. Round ball. Open sight. what is realistic accuracy expectations if a person is a decent shot otherwise? Effective range? I am new to this and have heard stories of 50 yards to 200 yards accurate enough to kill a deer. Just curious what I should expect I can accomplish.

I hunt in your "neck of the woods" and know the regulations you are under.
IF you are shooting a .54 100 yards is possible MAYBE out to 125-ish biggest limitations is the reality of accuracy useing open sights in REAL hunting situations (VS off of a rest at the range)
IF you are shooting a .50 then 100 yards would be my MAX! based on the proformability of a round ball and its balistics.
I am assumeing that you are useing round balls here VS Connicals.

My opinion: sight in 1" high at 25 yards--You will be about 3" high at 50---and back to dead-ish on at 100---then probably 8 to 10" low at 125 yards.

Suggestion: Work up a load looking for best groups at 25 yards probabluy start at 70 grains and work up in increments of 5 grains to maybe 110 grains-ish; again simply looking for your best groups. THEN sight it in. Put several 100 rounds throgh her this spring and you'll be ready for deer season this fall.

 

[cowpoke1955]

I have two .54 GPRs, 1 cap and 1 flint. Both can shoot one ragged hole at 50 yards with a .530 ball, 80 grains of FFg Goex and a pillow ticking patch. I took the flinter to the 100 yard line and managed to get a 3/4" group from the bench. The only thing I changed was to bump the powder charge up to 90 grains. I never tried it past 100 yards, for I felt it would be pointless. For hunting, I would consider 100 to 125 yards as max for a clean kill. One of the best things you can do is what Wattsy said. Shoot your rifle a lot and become familiar with it. Only then will you become one with your rifle and the force will be with you...always! :rotf:

 

[MSW]

i agree with Wattsy & Cowpoke: put as many rounds through the rifle as you can, get familiar with it, and you'll greatly increase the odds in your favor.

you might also get the Dutch Schoultz system- it's fifteen bucks very well spent.

beware the "200 yard boiler- room Bambi dropper" story. like the 1km headshot with an AK47, this tale has taken on the durability of urban legend. you can believe it if you want to, but i've always been skeptical and will continue to doubt until i see it done.

just one guy's opinion, and it might be worth what you just paid for it.

good luck, and make smoke!

 

[ohio ramrod]

As the others have said knowing your rifle and your ability is the important thing. I used to take much longer shots than I do now. Yet I always carry a "walking stick" with me or have a forked branch set in the ground on a stand. A simple stick with a fork will help you steady a gun for longer shots. When the eyes were better I did not hesitate to shoot out to 145 yrds with a good rest and a 45 caliber hollow based mini and 75 grains FFF. Why 145 yrds? That was the distance from my woodpile to the other side of the pasture where the deer walked up the fence row. I tried the shot twice and dropped the deer in its tracks both times.

 

[krecords]

thanks guys, I don't feel quite as bad now.

I probably shot only 25 shots through my just built rifle so I have not given it enough time to become my friend yet. It was cold out there in the snow even with the sunshine we had Saturday.
Also My trifocal glasses don't help me much either.
I will try to get it sighted in better as the weather warms. I was about 2" low at 25 yards and 20" low and to the right at approximately 100 yards. It was hard to step it off in 3 ft of snow. The riffle says 50 to 90 grains of the fff I am using. I have a friend I called who has shot muzzle loaders like mine for a while, he says he goes up to 110 grains for hunting. Is there a safety issue over 90 grains?

Wattsy,
yes I wanted to shoot round balls as that was what was used many years ago. I may try a connical if I need the accuracy but I will give the balls my best effort first.
I will file my front sight down some more and try to get it to 1" High at 25 yards. I also have to tighten the rear sight, it moves with thumb pressure, I am afraid that will be too loose.
Where are you hunting when you are out here?
Cowpoke, thanks for your information I usually try to get to 10-15yards when hunting with my primitive bow so I hope I can get to 50 yards in muzzle loader season. 100 yards seemed like a long way out there when I was shooting last Saturday.
MSW what is a Dutch Schoultz system?
Ohio Ramrod, I have 600 acres of family farm and most of my hunting spots involve a dry ditch. the bank makes an excellent blind and rest the rest of the property has fences and large sage brush and trees to hopefully I will be able to take a rest when the time comes. if I will only be able to see! dern trifocals...
Can a person modify the front sight when fileing it to make for better sighting. say narrowing it or filing a v into the top to see the target better? I was trying to set the 2" diameter bulls eye on top of the front sight and had the top of the front sight and the top of the rear sight lined up. The only other gun I own is a 22 cal with peep sights is there a simple peep sight designed for a Lyman plains rifle?

Thanks again for all your insight.
Kirby

 

[Little Wattsy]

I hunt by La Grand....chaseing te whitetails.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Dutch Schoultz sells a packet of articles on how to get the most accuracy out of your BP Rifle.
http://www.blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com/

Is his site, with contact information. The Cost is only $15.00 and I keep it here next to my computer as a reference tool, when people send in pictures of targets to this forum and ask what they are doing wrong! Its $15.00 well spent.

 

[bucktales]

It took about 2-3 hundred shots for my .54 GPR to "settle in".
I feel confident enough to take a 100 yd. shot with it and a round ball. 80 yds, not a problem.

 

[Iktomi]

Kirby, with a 1/60 twist barrel you'll likely have a hard time shooting most conicals accurately. Stick with round ball. If you really want to shoot conicals, you can get a 1/32 drop in barrel for your rifle for under $140.00

 

[ravenousfishing]

Lyman makes a tang mounted peep sight for the GPR that mounts easily and tightened up my groups significantly.
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=000153090112
You can use the existing front sight or switch to a lyman hooded sight that will fit your existing dovetail. http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=000153171074
Some shooters here have used the Thompson Center tang sight with good success as well. Good Luck with your new rifle.

 

[Rat Trapper]

My hunting rifles must shoot groups less than 1 1/2 inches at 50 yards and I'll work to get them down to one ragged hole. Off the bench all my TC hawken rifles will come close to that ragged hole. With open sights I try to keep my shots close. With a peep sight we can move the target out a little further.
However if you find you and your rifle shoot groups of 3-5 inches at 50 yards, you can still harvest your deer. Just set up for closer shots and use a rest when possible.

 

[Many Klatch]

For old eyes, I find that enlarging the rear sight notch is a big help. Your eyes can see the big gaps on both sides of the front sight and it is easy to make them both the same size when you are sighting in.

I find that no line bifocals are a big help in shooting. There is always someplace on the lens where I can see the two out of three at a time. Front sight and target or rear sight and front sight. It isn't pretty but it works.

Many Klatch

 

[krecords]

Ok I am improving.
I already have the no line trifocal glasses so I am ahead of the game there. I modified my front sight this week end and was getting better groups.
this is what the original sight looked like at 25 and 100 yards:

I was shooting low and to the right at 25 yards when the sights were like this. and at 100 yards I was all over the board and quite low.
I filed the front sight to a narrower post so I could see the gap better and then filed a V grove down the middle of the top of the sight to have a finer line on the longer shot.

Once I modified the front sight I raised it up in alignment with the rear sight to try to bring up my shots which brought me to 2" above the bull at 25 yards with a 6" group of six shots
when I shot at 100 yards I only shot 3 balls before I ran out, but 2 were just below the bull and I actually hit the 2" Bulls eye with the last shot. Those three were about a 6" diameter group.
very easily could have been luck but I hope not.
Now, I will get some more supplies and work on a bunch of practice!

Kirby