It took me a long time to find the right powder/projectile combination for my Great Plains Hunter. I was all over the place with projectiles like the T/C Maxi, the heavier Buffalo and Lyman bullets, the lighter PA bullet from Hornady, etc. I figured I had a real dud on my hands. Then I tried the 270 gr, hollow-base, pre-lubed Buffalo Ball-ets. They grouped very well at 50 yards with light-to-medium loads (60-75 gr Pyrodex RS), so I figured I'd try them at 100 yards. Still grouped pretty well, but the rifle was shooting six inches low consistently. I increased the powder charge in five gr increments. By the time I got to 90 gr, the 100-yard groups were as tight as they were going to get (about four inches), but they were still too low. In fact, the only way I could get the elevation right was to obscure a good part of the target, and then the windage went to h*&%. By the way, with 100 and 110 gr charges (the latter being the maximum allowed by Lyman), things really opened up. They were not really groups anymore; rather, they looked more like shotgun patterns. I suspect the skirts on the ball-ets were being damaged with the heaviest charges. Either that or I wasn't managing the more noticeable recoil those charges produced.
It was at that point that I had a decision to make. File down the front sight (as recommended in the Lyman manual), or invest in a peep sight. Filing seemed like alot of work and, at best, an imprecise fix. I figured I might get better groups overall with the micro settings on the Lyman sight, so I went with the peep.
When I tried the new sight, I used the smaller aperture (Lyman supplies two). It was a nice sunny day, not too warm, not too cold, almost no wind. I went with what had been my best load to date -- 90 gr Pyrodex RS, 270 gr ball-et, CCI no. 11 magnum caps. After 9 shots (3-shot groups) making fairly significant adjustments for elevation and minor ones for windage, the rifle began to group amazingly well, and close to the center of the target. I shot several more 3-shot groups to make sure, and the combination seemed to be working. My last offhand group was about 4 inches low, but I figure that was due to fatigue (the Great Plains Hunter is one heavy ML). I should point out that I swabbed between each shot and cleaned (one wet patch and two-or three dry ones) between each group. I also used my nipple pick between shots to ensure consistent ignition. After the first nine shots, I put up new paper every six shots (paper is alot cheaper than bullets).
Anyways, though tired, I tried some bench rest shooting (front bag). Even tighter groups resulted. I ran out of Pyrodex after four shots off the bench, so I switched to the half can of Goex FFg I had brought along just in case. Got my best groups of the day with 90 gr charges of real black powder. Shot several more groups. Then, after about four and a half hours in total, I packed it in.
I ought to add some parting thoughts. First, the smaller aperture is great for target shooting, but I don't know how practical it is for hunting. It lets in enough light on a sunny afternoon, but what things would look like on a cloudy, damp day, I don't know. Second, I think the keys in this case were perserverance, a willingness to experiment, and just plain luck. The main thing was that I didn't give up on the rifle, even though there were times that I was tempted. Third, I think that swabbing between shots and cleaning between groups is a must when you're working toward accurate loads. It makes for ease of seating, which allows for consistent seating pressure with the ramrod. I noticed with my in-lines that if I take, say, eight shots with Pyrodex before I swab/clean, the groups just aren't very tight. And I can usually count on one or two flyers. With Goex, I have to clean every three shots; otherwise, the projectile gets hard to seat, causing me to have to put more pressure on the ramrod, with the inevitable result that I've either compacted the powder more than usual or deformed the nose of the projectile. None of this helps accuracy.
Now... if I could just get my in-lines to shoot this well. As for my flinter, well, sometimes you just want to have fun.
:results:
