Need help with loads and accuracy ?

[house]

I was shooting my T/C 54 Cal Hawken trying different loads for hunting season. I always have shot 60 grains of FFF BP with a .015 patch and Hoppes Patch lube. At fifty yards it shoots nice groups about four inches high. It shot it with the same gear but just put 80 grains and it shoots good groups but the POI is 6 inches lower than the 60 grain load. Why? Just don't make since to me.

 

[nchawkeye]

Are you asking why does it shoot lower with 80grs than 60???

If so, it's because the ball is travelling faster and leaves the barrel before the effects of recoil has time to throw the ball up...

This is common with muzzleloaders and pistols as well...

 

[house]

Bingo. Thanks for the help. That makes since.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Pistols, yes. But rifles with longer barrels and heavier weight do not react the same way.
For the question posted, I'm surmising another factor is at play that he may not be aware of.

 

[Dean2]

80 grains has the ball travelling significantly faster, and thus flatter shooting. At 50 yards, depending on the height of your front and rear sights, it is possible that the hotter load is still rising in its parabolic flight and thus hits lower, though 6" seems like an awful big difference with open sights, unless you are using a tang aperture rear sight. Try the two loads at 100 yards. My bet is the 80 grain load will now be higher than the 60 grain load.

 

[nchawkeye]

I've seen it many times over the past 40 years of shooting muzzleloaders...

 

[hanshi]

Rather than simply speed and recoil, IMHO, it's more a matter of balancing out those two factors in the gun with the added influence of the barrel AND shooter. I've had guns that were calibrated and shot a couple inches high. But when another shooter fired my gun the shots were consistently low.

 

[Idaho Ron]

How tight is you wedge pin? if you can remove it with your fingers it is too loose. You should need a tool to get it out. Ron

 

[house]

It's tight. It can not be removed by hand.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I've seen it many times over the past 40 years of shooting muzzleloaders...

Gee! :shocked2: Interesting. In 45 years of ml'ing I have never observed that with rifles.

 

[tomme boy]

It is from the time in the barrel. The slower load has more time in the barrel so recoil impulse is longer. The faster the load the less time. The more the time the more the rifle will raise.

 

[nchawkeye]

I've seen it many times over the past 40 years of shooting muzzleloaders...

Gee! :shocked2: Interesting. In 45 years of ml'ing I have never observed that with rifles.

Well some of us are more observant than others....
:grin:

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Sounds like a good topic for a laboratory test.

:hmm:


LD