Newbies: Don't get discouraged!

[goofball]

I am a newbie, have been shooting black powder since my first painful experience in May this year. (See my post "First Blood" describing what a heavily loaded plastic stocked .54 CVA Bobcat can do to your shoulder). Accuracy was so bad, that if I hadn't been reading this forum wherein many endorsed the Bobcat as a good shooter, I would have stuck the thing in the back of the closet (as many do) and gone back to cartridge shooting.
I kept trying: I put CVA adjustable sights on the gun, I bought a wood stock for $40 on ebay.(which tamed the recoil), I tried diffrent loads, projectiles and patches.
The barrel is nicely wearing in, it is much more accurate now that 200+, 54 cal. bullets have worked out any rough spots.
Yeterday I was shooting a load it likes, (100 grns of Pyrodex, Speer .530 roundball, pillow ticking patches)and hitting steel plates offhand at 100 and 150 yds. A guy came up to me and said "You shoot that thing pretty good" and asked me what kind of a gun it was. In my mind, I was thinking: "A fantastic gun."

 

[roundball]

I am a newbie, have been shooting black powder since my first painful experience in May this year. (See my post "First Blood" describing what a heavily loaded plastic stocked .54 CVA Bobcat can do to your shoulder). Accuracy was so bad, that if I hadn't been reading this forum wherein many endorsed the Bobcat as a good shooter, I would have stuck the thing in the back of the closet (as many do) and gone back to cartridge shooting.
I kept trying: I put CVA adjustable sights on the gun, I bought a wood stock for $40 on ebay.(which tamed the recoil), I tried diffrent loads, projectiles and patches.
The barrel is nicely wearing in, it is much more accurate now that 200+, 54 cal. bullets have worked out any rough spots.
Yeterday I was shooting a load it likes, (100 grns of Pyrodex, Speer .530 roundball, pillow ticking patches)and hitting steel plates offhand at 100 and 150 yds. A guy came up to me and said "You shoot that thing pretty good" and asked me what kind of a gun it was. In my mind, I was thinking: "A fantastic gun."

Sounds like things are coming together for you...

PS: particularly now that you have adjustable sights, an excellent weekend practice load is 50-60grns of Goex 3F...less expensive, easier on the shoulder, and usually deadly accurate with the .530 + pillow ticking...I use 60grns for targets all the time...an excellent load for punching paper or banging steel
:front:

 

[arcticap]

goofball, I'm awfully glad to hear that everything worked out for you. It took a lot of initiative to get everything to work just right. If you're happy, I'm happy for you! eace:

 

[WV_Hillbilly]

WELCOME to the Forum! Glad to you are here with the rest of us and hope you enjoy it as much as we all do!

That was some EXCELLENT modifications and tuning that you have done on your gun. You have the kind of patience and stick-to-it-iveness that eveyone should have. Many people buy a muzzleloader to start off as you did, but when they shoot it the first time, they expect miracles to occur somehow. Yeah, sometimes a new muzzleloader needs several hundred shots to "break-in" and "settle-down". You saved the cost of a bore-lapping job, and "got to know" your muzzleloader much better that way too.

You have discovered part of the "mysterious" (I mean that in a good way) nature of muzzleloading. The "do-it-yourself type of person" isn't "always" needed to get these guns shooting good--but more often than not, rational thinking and mechanical skills can be a great asset.

ALWAYS use a BIG enough gun, and Shoot Safely!
WV_Hillbilly

 

[goofball]

I am begining to think muzzleloading is not a sport, it's a RELATIONSHIP!

 

[walruskid1]

it ain't a relationship, its a affliction that won't go away. it doesn't harm you, it just makes you broke!

 

[Bob J]

I am a newbie, have been shooting black powder since my first painful experience in May this year. (See my post "First Blood" describing what a heavily loaded plastic stocked .54 CVA Bobcat can do to your shoulder). Accuracy was so bad, that if I hadn't been reading this forum wherein many endorsed the Bobcat as a good shooter, I would have stuck the thing in the back of the closet (as many do) and gone back to cartridge shooting.
I kept trying: I put CVA adjustable sights on the gun, I bought a wood stock for $40 on ebay.(which tamed the recoil), I tried diffrent loads, projectiles and patches.
The barrel is nicely wearing in, it is much more accurate now that 200+, 54 cal. bullets have worked out any rough spots.
Yeterday I was shooting a load it likes, (100 grns of Pyrodex, Speer .530 roundball, pillow ticking patches)and hitting steel plates offhand at 100 and 150 yds. A guy came up to me and said "You shoot that thing pretty good" and asked me what kind of a gun it was. In my mind, I was thinking: "A fantastic gun."

Sounds like things are coming together for you...

PS: particularly now that you have adjustable sights, an excellent weekend practice load is 50-60grns of Goex 3F... :front:

:agree: Roundball's right! My .54 GPR hunting load is 100 gr 3f. But for target practice, 60 grains is excellent.

 

[roundball]

[quote
:agree: Roundball's right! My .54 GPR hunting load is 100 gr 3f. But for target practice, 60 grains is excellent. [/quote]

Dixie, I sort of arbitrarily chose 90grns Goex 3F for my .54 hunting load and since it was outstanding and near max, I haven't even tried anything else...is 100grns good and accurate for you?

 

[Bob J]

Roundball- I get very good accuracy out of my GPR with 110 grains 2f or 100 grains 3f (Goex). That's with Wonder-lubed pillow ticking patches. My 30+/- yr old TC Hawken .50 shoots one-ragged hole at 50 yards with 90 grains 2f and a Maxi-Ball.

 

[tx50cal]

My old 50 also shot pretty good near max once I learned to use the wonder wads. If I didn't I would have a 6" group at 75 yds. With the wad I cut in about half now 2 1/2 - 3". Works for me.
Rob

 

That's great to hear OK read.
Now that you got your self a real stock, now you are hitting paper and making it count. Just as you are squeezzzzzzing the trigger you should soon start to hear the voice of Davey's or Daniel's ghost, steadying you, coaching you and cheering you on...
Once you do, You are doomed to the ML abis... You will crave smoke, and flash. Get high on that rotten egg smell.... Ah BP heaven is what I call it... hell is what your better will... :hatsoff:
loyalist dawg

 

[Alpenjager]

I