Irregular holes in target from Lyman GPR

[RonRC]

I shot my Lyman Great Plains Rifle in .54 cal at paper targets at 75 yards yesterday. All went well when I used 535 balls and Eastern Maine Shooting Supplies 0.015 oiled shooting patches. When I started using Ox-Yoke 0.015 patches, the target showed irregular shaped holes, similar to when a cartridge gun bullet hits sideways. Of course there is no sideways for a round ball.
Here is the target - I folded the torn strips back to be visible in the photos:

The wood behind the target was slightly warped, so it is possible that the balls ripped the loose section of target that wasn't rigidly mounted against the wood and it has nothing to do with the patches.
Any other ideas?
Thanks,
Ron

 

[mooman76]

That's what it sounds like to me. The paper had no support toward the middle so it just tore uneven.

That or the RBs were key holeing. :rotf:

 

[RonRC]

Maybe I made the round balls oblong by shoving them down the barrel with too much force. :grin:
Ron

 

[necchi]

Paper tears :idunno:
Here one with the paper folded back in;

 

[BrownBear]

I've heard round balls called "Mickey Mouse" loads.

Now I know it's true! That one hole just above middle proves it once and for all! :rotf:

 

[Billnpatti]

Yep, that't your problem. If you don't have a good backer on your target, it will make torn holes just like you are seeing. If you can get some stuff called Cellotex at your lumber yard, it makes an excellent backing board. It isn't expensive. It comes in 4' X 8' sheets and you can cut it up into several backing boards so that you will have a good target backer for a lot of shooting.

 

[RonRC]

Thanks, folks!

I folded the rips back to about where they were before I laid the target flat and pushed the torn strips flush with the target.

I just received a call from the Disney corporation lawyers. Unapproved representations of Mickey Mouse are prohibited and subject to legal action. :grin:

This was at a shooting range where people manage to destroy wood backings on a regular basis.

Ron

 

[nhmoose]

Just how can a RB keyhole. NO way

 

[BrownBear]

Just how can a RB keyhole. NO way

I think that's why everybody is laughing and kidding around.

 

[hawkeye2]

There's only 2 kinds of muzzleloading shooters: Them that have already had a round ball keyhole and them that are gonna. :grin:

 

[hanshi]

Unsupported paper will normally tear from ball impact; sometimes quite spectacularly.

 

[pargent]

It looks like the balls are key holing on the horizontal rather than the vertical which is more common .

 

[ccmountainman]

you might try gluing the target with spray glue to heavy posterboard or cardboard first.
Gives the paper more support.
That's what I do.

 

[Billnpatti]

Hmmmm :hmm: Not a bad idea at all. :thumbsup: I'll have to give that a try. Don't know why I didn't think of that. :hatsoff:

 

[wayne terry]

Yea you hit the nail on the head its the paper and the support I get this all the time,nutn wrong

 

[RonRC]

Great idea!
I typically staple on the 4 corners, even another staple in the middle might help when the back board is warped and cracked.
Ron

 

[RonRC]

By the way, these are the round balls shot during this range session:

:hmm: :shocked2: :wink:
Ron

 

[Walks with fire]

Those look like Easter eggs.

 

[Billnpatti]

In your picture, those balls appear more ovoid than round. :hmm: Is that an optical illusion caused by lighting or camera angle or are the balls that you were shooting really that out of round. If, in fact, they really are ovoid rather than round, how the heck did they get that way?

 

[greggholmes]

here are some unsupported round ball targets, they like to tear especially when wet.