Investarms Santa Fe .36 Range Update!

[Leadriver]

I'll try everything everyone mentions. I have a pedersoli scout in .32 that shoots like a shotgun no matter what ya feed it. This one I can tell potential accuracy is there but just gotta find the right combo. I need to stay with a .351 ball. I cast 500 of them a week ago and sorted them by weight within +- 3 grains. Micd them for roundness to but after 50 I quit that. I gotta say a loose combo certainly is nice for loading. Any other material you guys can suggest??? So far I tried .018 ticking, t shirt, .020 cotton patch. Lubes include Ballistol dry patch, Bees wax and oil, Crisco shortening ( beef base), Mink oil, and Spit Patch. I do wanna stay away from Beeswax, it a bear to clean out of my barrel. Mink oil left almost no fouling and a couple patches to clean the barrel.
Dusty, I tried 30 grains today still didn't group. It wants 40, when I find something that appears to wanna group I raise and lower the charge to see if that works but it hasn't in the 250 rounds I put threw it yet. Maybe though, I still continue doing so.

 

[Leadriver]

Think I'll make a trip to the local Walmart to get some muslin or whatever else that 100% cotton I can find.

 

[azmntman]

and some super duper thin cotton material. I mean THIN

 

[Grenadier1758]

@Leadriver, bear in mind that a 0.351 ball weighs 65.03 grains and a 0.350 ball weighs 64.48 grains. I wouldn't be rushing out to get a 0.350" mold. Your weight tolerance is greater than the difference in calculated weight. You might want to tighten up your sorting limits. A tolerance of 5% is about 3 grains. A tolerance of 1 grain is 1.5%. I have also witnessed the situation of having a shooting buddy take the over and underweight balls and quite simply outshoot me.

Maybe it's time to be describing the shooting rest in great detail. Light conditions play a big role in scattering the impact as the light conditions change. Wind will blow these tine balls about horizontally.

 

[Leadriver]

and some super duper thin cotton material. I mean THIN

I'll try to find something, I micd the cotton cleaning patches I was using and they were .019 and .015 compressed.

 

[Leadriver]

@Leadriver, bear in mind that a 0.351 ball weighs 65.03 grains and a 0.350 ball weighs 64.48 grains. I wouldn't be rushing out to get a 0.350" mold. Your weight tolerance is greater than the difference in calculated weight. You might want to tighten up your sorting limits. A tolerance of 5% is about 3 grains. A tolerance of 1 grain is 1.5%. I have also witnessed the situation of having a shooting buddy take the over and underweight balls and quite simply outshoot me.

Maybe it's time to be describing the shooting rest in great detail. Light conditions play a big role in scattering the impact as the light conditions change. Wind will blow these tine balls about horizontally.

The local range has concrete shooting bench with a heavy mat ontop. It's not rubber but kinda puta you a mind of it. I use bags that are filled with media. Same bags I use for high powered rifles shooting groups. I have no troubles with those. I was going to take a picture today cause I figured this question was going to come up. It was getting to hot and I didn't feel like it lol. I'll try to remember next time I go out.

 

[azmntman]

I'll try to find something, I micd the cotton cleaning patches I was using and they were .019 and .015 compressed.

Thinner. PM me address if ya want, I send you a small piece of what FINALLY worked in the bobcat. Nobody would use this but, hey after 15 years it worked!

 

[Leadriver]

Thinner. PM me address if ya want, I send you a small piece of what FINALLY worked in the bobcat. Nobody would use this but, hey after 15 years it worked!

I just might have to do that, I'll be heading to wally world here in awhile, I'll see what I can find there.

 

[Leadriver]

Ok, got back from wally world, picked up some Muslin that's. 007 and compressed is.0055. I also found some Twill that's. 012 and .0105 compressed. They also had muslin that was .019 and .015 compressed but I didn't get that, I may later on after I try this stuff. Do I need to wash this before using it though? I don't know if it has sizing in it like pillow ticking.

 

[azmntman]

personal preference. I tried it once and it wrinkled so bad I had to iron it to use it

 

[Leadriver]

personal preference. I tried it once and it wrinkled so bad I had to iron it to use it

Lol figures

 

[Leadriver]

Azmntman, I almost ordered the flintlock version and would have preferred that but I'm left handed so it wouldn't have been ideal. I bought a right handed flintlock a long time ago and that was a mistake, I never could get over the flash right infront of my eye. My GPR if lefty and I wouldn't have it any other way. A right hand percussion causes no problems except for the shrapnel I catch occasionally in my right forearm from the cap going off. Wish it had a splash cup but whatever, I'll be wearing long sleeves in hunting season so it isn't that big of a deal.

 

[smokepolehall]

I am curious what F grade is your powder ?

 

[Leadriver]

I am curious what F grade is your powder ?

3F

 

[Kansas Kid]

Try spit patch or washer fluid instead of the greasy stuff. Might let the ball bump up better to seal the bore.

 

[Leadriver]

Try spit patch or washer fluid instead of the greasy stuff. Might let the ball bump up better to seal the bore.

I tried spit patch, it does pretty good. However, I can't use spit patch while hunting where the gun could be loaded for more than a day.

 

[Mike in FL]

I hate to be the one to say it, especially since I've no answer for you, but your grouping is awful. Not sure it is fixable. Only thing I can suggest is try again on a day not windy. 50 yards on a windy day is not a good situation
A calm wind at the bench can't be trusted for range. Best of luck to you in figuring it out.

 

[OldSmoky1967]

Try a lighter powder charge, my .36s shoot best in the 20 to 30 grain range. Keep using the mink oil but try a .015 or .018 patch, The only time I use more powder is with a mini ball, 35-40 grains. My .36s don't like tight patches either.

I agree. The 40 grain group in the first picture looks pretty good. The second group was bit looser. Did you shoot with a hot barrel? Try 30 grains and rest between shots.

 

[Relic shooter]

Nipples play major role to obtaining consistent tight groups.
During my 60 years of shooting & competition with percussion firearms I've found that the nipple base/vent hole sizes on most
factory production rifles, pistols & especially revolvers vary in size, design.
Quality of the steel & designs used in mass production nipples is often much more susceptible to blowout & corrosion making consistent pressures
& velocities impossible..

Quality nipples like Treso & others have tiny base/vent holes & internal tolerances necessary to produce
the most stable pressures & velocities that are required to obtain consistent tight groups.
Relic shooter

 

[stephenprops1]

I have a Pedersoli, Hawken 45 caliber. I shoot a .445 round ball with .012 cotton patches. The results have been very good. Contrary to what I saw posted earlier, .001 inch can make a df=ifference.