I NEED HELP BAD

[lizz]

Want to take the centermark 62cal. de chasse out for deer this winter. Here is my problem, I've tried many different load combos like 2F,3F - different gr charges of each 60 to 80grs, different patch thickness .010,.015- just a pached ball- an over powder card w/lubed cushion wad w/ patched ball [all w/.600 ball] etc. Some of the loads were OK at 25yrds but out at 50yrds I can't keep all the rounds on a 8" paper plate. The rounds don't have to be on top of each other, just on the paper plate would be nice. The only thing that I have'nt tried is a .595 ball. I'm down to one hair on my head, if that .595 does'nt work I'm pulling it out to! A lot of you guys have very good sucess with these smoothies and round balls. Am I missing something? Any sugestions may help. Thanks Doc

 

[Walks with fire]

Doc,

What twist is the barrel? What is the bore diameter and how deep are the grooves? I have found that a snug but loadable combination is best. We need more information. There are many here that will help you. You came to the right place. I will look for information on your rifle and see what I can find. Oh, and don't pull your hair out!

 

[54mountain]

Since he posted in the smoothbore section I would guess it's a smooth bore. :youcrazy:

 

[lizz]

I'm sorry I should have said this is a smooth bore 62 cal. Doc

 

[Walks with fire]

I clicked on it from the recent topics list. Thanks for the tip 54. I guess I just didn't read it close enough as it was stated as a smoothbore; your right 54 :youcrazy: :thumbsup: I never had a smoothbore so I know I can't help.

 

[berickson]

there's lots of guys on this board who can shoot smoothies accurately out to 75-100 yards.

i'm not one of them! :redface:

50 yards at a critter would be pushing my capabilities for a smooth bore .

 

[Ridge]

I have a Chambers Fowler, same gauge.

I shoot a .600 ball with a 0.010 patch and 70 grains of 2f Goex.

How long have you been shooting this gun?

 

[Mike Brooks]

Slot your barrel lugs for your pins. That will probably do the trick if it's throwing them all over. This is critical with light barreled fowlers. You might check to see how well your barrel is bedded at the breech area to.

 

[lizz]

Mike;
slot my barrel lugs at pins. Do you mean so the wood will have some expantion. As far as being bedded at the breech I know it's not. Doc

 

[lizz]

Slot the lugs so the barrel can move forward and back. correct.

 

[54mountain]

I have a 58 smoothie barrel for my T/C hawken but not to good with it out past 50yds either the lack of a rear sight takes some gettin' used to I think,But it does pattern well with 7/8 oz shot if I cover the target with the barrel. :surrender:

 

[roundball]

Don't want to hijack the thread...just a quick question about who made the .58cal smoothbore barrel to fit a TC Hawken?

 

[flintlock75]

Have you used an oversize paper target to see were your shots ar going?
The most common problem with smoothbores are that the shooter uses the same aiming method at close range and long range.I have found that for me my shots go to the right at longer ranges, at 50 yards my brown bess shoots 8 inches right and 2 inches high. My trade gun shoots about 4 inches Right. On very long ranges 75+ yards the balls go over the target. I have installed a rear sight on my trade gun and it now shoots deadon at 50 yards.
My hunting partner has a fusil .62cal and 40" barrel, he added the rear sight and can consistantly hit a paper plate at 100 yards.
I have won many shoots with a smoothbore against rifle shooters, smoothbores have plenty of accuracy.The biggest thing is to find where your shots are going, are they all over or grouped somewhwere off the target? I use a .600 rb and a .010 patch with 70grs 3F. Very accurate. My partner uses the same ball and patch with 80gr 3F.
I hope this helps.

 

[lizz]

My target backer is about 30"x30" and my shots are on that but all over. I would be very happy if they would group at one spot on the backer. Then I could adjust from there. I've been shooting from a rest and trying to keep the same hold. I think my hold has been staying the same by the knot on my cheek. As Mike sugested I'll try slotting the lugs. Doc

 

[54mountain]

Roundball.
It's a rebored .50 barrel that I could not get to stop blowin' out patches I also had it turned to 1/2 round, I took 6th place in the state ml shotgun shoot with it last year but It's a bit tricky with rbs :haha:

 

[Cutfingers]

I'm using 70 grs of FFF, a .600 round ball and .020 patch which gives me very good accuracy out to 50 yds. (2 1/2 inch benched) I'm still working on the 75 and 100 yd loads but it should be good once I figure it out.

 

I have a older Centermark also, and the barrel Mic's out at .608. I had a couple of problems similar to yours. When I was using .600, or .595 balls it was hard to load, and shot low, and left at 25 yards, and way low and all over at 50 yards. What I did was file out the lugs oblong like Mike said, and then I switched to a .575 9.58 cal) ball, and denim material with a heavy lube over 80 grains of FFG. From a hunting position (sitting in a ground blind) I can keep 4 out of 5 in a pie plate at 50 yard. Where I hunt I will probably not take a shot over 40 yards, so it's fine with me. A smoothie is different than a riflegun, you don't need to be that tight of a ball/patch combo, just seal it up good, from the gasses.

Bill

 

[tg]

Sounds like you have some good advise to work with, smoothbores ae usually pretty forgiving, the first 5 shots out of my .58 with a .562 at 45 yds were about 3" my .58 with a thicker patch will shoot a .535 ball rather well, you might try your bench shooting standing with a rest off of something higher to simnlate an actual standing position, I find things are different when sitting and standing with no rearsight.

 

[lizz]

Thanks to all for the help ,I'll try it all.
Bill; Did you use a round needle file on the lugs to open them or what? Also how much should I open them up? Another thing is after opening the lugs I do have some .570 balls on hand. Do you think that is get alittle to small? I'll also try shooting off sticks. Doc

My bore is .609 to .613 the best I can tell.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Doc: You can't get anywhere until you use calipers to actually measure the diameter of that barrel. My 20 gauge barrel turned out to be way oversized, at .626, rather than .620. I had to order 19 gauge wads in order to get any consistency with RB at any kind of distance.

If your gun is overbored, like mine, then order 18 gauge OP wads and OS cards. You can continue to use the 20 ga. cushion wads, since they are soft, and will collapse and spread out to seal the barrel between the PRB and the OP wad. You should not need the OS card until you are shooting shot loads.

I saw a 200+ increase in the velocity of my load when I switched from using the 20 gauge OP wads to the 19 gauge OP wads. Accuracy began to actually exist with the new wads.

Once you measure that bore, let us know, and we can give you our pet loading techniques while you are waiting for the new wads to come in. My brother and I have identical Fowlers, with the same barrel material used in each. Between the two of us, we have figured out how to get the best accuracy out of these fowlers, with the lowest SDV. No reason for you to have to repeat the exercise. Its getting close to deer season and I would like to see you have that gun in the field. Do check the bedding, and slot those underlugs so that the stock can expand and shrink with moisture conditions. That little trick has saved a lot of guns from being thrown in a scrap heap. You may want to go to a home store, or big hardware store to buy one of those drill bits that can cut sideways. That's the fastest way to slot the pin hole in the lug( NOT THE STOCK!)