I'm about done.

[TGJaeger]

Lakota,
In your testing from the "barricade" position, are you getting your hand between the stock and the post? Please believe that I am not trying to insult your shooting style. The first time I shot PPC was the first time I had ever used a barricade rest and I put bullets all over the back-stop and dang few on the target.

A good rest could really make a difference in your groups.

FWIW :idunno:

 

[hanshi]

Always pad you firearm with your hand; bare-gun-to-barricade will cause the gun to bounce away from the rest.

 

[TGJaeger]

Hanshi,
Thank you! That is what I was trying to say. It just didn't t come out that way :surrender:

 

[Dr5x]

Very good advice Keith,
I would suggest that when bench resting to fine tune a rifle for offhand shooting that the front sandbag should be placed under the rifle as close as possible to where your supporting hand would be when shooting offhand.
Has to do with having the same harmonics for both bench and offhand shooting.
Your workup on determining the right powder charge is excellent. Doing the same proces I came up to 73 grains of 2Æ’Æ’ because I am a bit of a nit picker

You have to get your ifle to shoot accurately bench rest before you graduate to offhand. If the rifles isn't shooting decent groups bench rest it will never shoot tight groups offhand. They'll be much worse.

 

[Dr5x]

I settled on 73 grains of 2Æ’Æ’ for both of my .45 Hawken styled rifles.
The old timers rule of a grain and a half for each caliber usually brings you into the ballpark.

So, using that rule, a .45  caliber rifle would;d require 67and a half grains - less say 68. I have found that (in my experience) that the very best load is frequently 5 grains above that.
This was using Goex powder; Swiss might require a bit less.

 

[gizamo]

Pay attention boys...

You are getting advice by a Black Powder Master...

Nice to see you posting here, Dutch... :hatsoff:

 

[roundball]

I settled on 73 grains of 2Æ’Æ’ for both of my .45 Hawken styled rifles.
The old timers rule of a grain and a half for each caliber usually brings you into the ballpark.

So, using that rule, a .45  caliber rifle would;d require 67and a half grains - less say 68. I have found that (in my experience) that the very best load is frequently 5 grains above that.
This was using Goex powder; Swiss might require a bit less.

At best, all such discussions are very general in nature as long as there are no parameters listed, no equipment listed, etc.
For example, you quoted my question to another poster's claim that 65grns was the max load in a .45cal, where I asked for detailed clarification of such an across the board statement, but I don't recall any followup explanation from him.

Referring to your own experience you referenced 73grns 2F being the "very best load" in your Hawkens...and that's a little more precise...but still doesn't paint the whole picture to a reader.
No mention of things like barrel length, target distances, if it was simply paper punching accuracy, or high energy big game killing power with accuracy at long distances, under variable hunting conditions, etc.

For me, when I speak of using 90grns Goex 3F I'm talking about a very accurate deer hunting load with a pretty flat trajectory and pretty strong power at distance. A deer hunting load that I can consistently contain within a 3" aim point sticker under hunting conditions, no bench...and 90grns Goex 3F has never failed to meet those hunting expectations.
( at least not yet...and I may have just jinxed myself :wink: )

 

[nkbj]

I keep using the same flint until it gets unreliable. That's when I find out how my flinch is doing. :haha:

 

[roundball]

I keep using the same flint until it gets unreliable. That's when I find out how my flinch is doing. :haha:

Man, isn't that the truth !
I go to the range pretty often and really don't bother doing much "preventive flint knapping" any more...I just keep shooting until I start noticing some delay creeping in or have a complete 'kerlatch'...LOL

 

[lonehorseman]

No one on this forum knows what the proper charge should be for YOUR rifle, but I think you should consider trying less. I spent the entire evening tuning a .50 cal, 42" Green Mountain barreled rifle. I was getting better results than yours to start, but no consistency. At the end of the evening I was touching and overlapping holes at 25 yards with...40 grains FFFg! Yeah, I was surprised too! I started with 70 grains and worked my way down. I would not want to hunt deer with that load, and will work out a "hunting load" tomorrow, but for paper punching and woodswalks I am quite happy with those results.

 

[JelloStorm]

Also, if you reload and have access to a digital scale, try to weigh your lead balls to see if any are light (air bubbles) and heavy.

If the balls aren't consistent then it could throw off accuracy.

However, you are minute of deer with your rifle, so nice job.

 

[Herb]

You haven't mentioned a benchrest. If you don't have one, you can shoot prone, with the rifle resting on sandbags. You can make them out of doubled plastic grocery bags filled with dirt or sand, big enough that you can lay the rifle on them and lay yourself down behind the rifle and get it on target. Don't hold and aim the rifle with your muscles, adjust the bag so the sights are on, and hold the rifle against recoil. You can also look at the muzzle crown. Carefully examine the ends of the rifling to see if they all look the same. Has the muzzle been coned?