Just dont give up!

[Muddly]

Vixen, my custom .50 caliber long rifle, has given me fits since I got her last August.
I begged and pleaded with her to find the target.
Went to the range today. My usual load, a Hornady .490 ball in an .018 Ox Yoke pre lubed patch, a pre lubed Ox Yoke .54 wad and 70 grains of 3f Swiss. None new. The same stock I'd been using.
Of course I HAD to derp the first shot...
But the 3, 3 round groups that followed were and inch, and inch and a quarter and the last was five eighths. Those nine rounds were in an inch and three eighths! Not only Vixen's best day, but my best flintlock groups. Ever. These at fifty yards on an 85 degree morning with malarial swamp humidity.
It was wonderful to watch her just chew a hole in the target.
I found all my patches. Every one of them could've been relubed and shot!
Still needed a nudge from the starter, but less than previously. She rammed much smoother too.
Perhaps she just broke in? Or maybe the new Renegade provoked her to jealousy? Rifle guns are worse than women. Sometimes...
My lesson from this is , just don't give up!

 

[Curley 50 cal]

Good story. Glad you got it settled in!

 

[mooman76]

Some guns seem to be easy to find their spot but others for whatever reason can be very finicky. Glad you found yours.

 

[Tom Compton]

 

[Daryl Crawford]

Is that .54 wad over the powder or over the ball? I've never used wads in my rifled, only my smoothbore.

 

[Muddly]

The wad is over powder to protect the patch.

 

[BadDaditood]

Vixen, my custom .50 caliber long rifle, has given me fits since I got her last August.
I begged and pleaded with her to find the target.
Went to the range today. My usual load, a Hornady .490 ball in an .018 Ox Yoke pre lubed patch, a pre lubed Ox Yoke .54 wad and 70 grains of 3f Swiss. None new. The same stock I'd been using.
Of course I HAD to derp the first shot...
But the 3, 3 round groups that followed were and inch, and inch and a quarter and the last was five eighths. Those nine rounds were in an inch and three eighths! Not only Vixen's best day, but my best flintlock groups. Ever. These at fifty yards on an 85 degree morning with malarial swamp humidity.
It was wonderful to watch her just chew a hole in the target.
I found all my patches. Every one of them could've been relubed and shot!
Still needed a nudge from the starter, but less than previously. She rammed much smoother too.
Perhaps she just broke in? Or maybe the new Renegade provoked her to jealousy? Rifle guns are worse than women. Sometimes...
My lesson from this is , just don't give up!

“Break in period” is an old wives tale.
All it really takes to get the best out of your rifle is to dance around the bonfire on a full moonlit night, chanting the correct invocation for your caliber. Simple.
Oh and don’t fergit the eye of newt and toe of dog…and don’t give up!

 

[Britsmoothy]

All patched ball rifles need running in.
To save frustration and temptation to follow paganism just get some wire wool on a suitable mop and work the bore with it.

 

[Sidney Smith]

It will take at least 100 to 150 shots before you will notice improved accuracy in a new barrel. There is definitely some truth to " breaking in" a new barrel. I don't think running steel wool through the bore to " speed up" the process is necessary. Just work up loads and shoot the it until you start getting the accuracy you expect.

 

[Britsmoothy]

It will take at least 100 to 150 shots before you will notice improved accuracy in a new barrel. There is definitely some truth to " breaking in" a new barrel. I don't think running steel wool through the bore to " speed up" the process is necessary. Just work up loads and shoot the it until you start getting the accuracy you expect.

Wire wool n sweat is cheaper than lead and powder cousin!

 

[Sidney Smith]

I'll spend that money shooting rather than ramming steel wool.

 

[LME]

I'll spend that money shooting rather than ramming steel wool.

I think it is the shooter getting use to his rifle and not the barrel? I have never had to do any thing but find the correct load. Modern rifles are made on the same type of machines and rarely have to have the bores polished.I will admit that I will lap some barrels but that is a rarity.

 

[Flintandsteel]

Ok, I’m going to try to dispose of another wives tale.
if you have a modern production ML barrel, by a reputable maker, it in no way should require 100-150 shots to “shoot in”.
If it did, I wouldn’t use it. Can you imagine…… here’s your new gun, I just finished, it won’t shoot well for at least 100 rounds.
No way!
This has got to be a remnant of another era.
Heres a good example. First 7 rounds out of a new Rice barrel.

 

[J. Paul]

I think it is the shooter getting use to his rifle and not the barrel? I have never had to do any thing but find the correct load. Modern rifles are made on the same type of machines and rarely have to have the bores polished.I will admit that I will lap some barrels but that is a rarity.

I put a new barrel on my then 25 year old TC about 20 years ago. After about 50 shots it was grouping close to the old barrel, after about 100 it was cutting cloverleaf shapes, around 150 the holes were just elongated. Definitely the barrel was being polished rather than me learning how to shoot.

 

[pooch156]

I think it is the shooter getting use to his rifle and not the barrel? I have never had to do any thing but find the correct load. Modern rifles are made on the same type of machines and rarely have to have the bores polished.I will admit that I will lap some barrels but that is a rarity.

Started polishing my unmentionable bores when I started shooting cast bullets. I do the same for my muzzleloaders. It makes a difference.

 

[LME]

Ok, I’m going to try to dispose of another wives tale.
if you have a modern production ML barrel, by a reputable maker, it in no way should require 100-150 shots to “shoot in”.
If it did, I wouldn’t use it. Can you imagine…… here’s your new gun, I just finished, it won’t shoot well for at least 100 rounds.
No way!
This has got to be a remnant of another era.
Heres a good example. First 7 rounds out of a new Rice barrel.

View attachment 84284

It has been preached and preached until it becomes gospel?I have shot more weapons than a few and have only had a problem with the very few bottom of the line arms, rarely with a well known product. If I bought a barrel that needed as much attention as some say it takes to get it to shoot well I woud send it back to the manufacturer !
I think it is like the news media getting after one person 24/7 until people start to believe the person is the devil incarnate?

 

[Crow-Feather]

I was taught to check my patches. Cut patches ruin accuracy. Back when, some black powder barrels had sharp rifling or jagged edges and would cut patches thus reducing accuracy. One way to smooth the bore was to lap the metal with cloth patches backed with round ball. I remember one person at the range that would throw down 25 grains of 3f into his 50 cal and then drop a PRB behind the powder. Then he would take a fast standing shot and start loading without even looking at the target. He told me that he was running 100 rounds through his barrel to "smooth it out". Guess that was how it worked in the late 70's.

 

[Flintandsteel]

Realize first, that I’m NOT talking about TC, or any other production gun. I’m talking about quality, current manufacturing Muzzleloading barrels. Getz, Rice, Burton, etc.
If I’m going to pay as much for a barrel, as the cost of a production gun, it better shoot from shot one.
Properly loaded, it will.

 

[George]

A closely related bit of dogma which I've never found to be true is that every barrel has two sweet spots, one for a heavier load and another for a light load. I've never had a gun which wouldn't shoot acceptable groups at whatever charge level and load configuration I decided to use. Another, essentially the same, is that the gun knows what charge and load it wants and won't shoot its best if you don't find it. It will tell you if you listen. I find that confusing, because I've always told my guns what I want to shoot, and not a single one has ever spoken a word to me.

I'm certain a lot of the people relating those experiences with their guns are more experienced and better shooters than I ever was, so I've never been able to understand why I don't have the same results.

Spence

 

[hanshi]

Every gun I owned/shot did just fine from the very first shot. The only thing that's ever needed smoothing in the ones I've owned was the muzzle crown.