Poor warm weather accuracy

[jtmattison]

Went shooting this morning with my .54 GPR.
She has never been shot in temps warmer than about 45 degrees, today it was 73 degrees.
I was very disappointed because my usual sub-two inch group shooting rifle couldn't do better than four to five inch groups today.
I guess I'll have to start over and work on warm weather loads.
Terrible thing to have to spend so much time at the range :haha:

Huntin

 

[musketman]

Were you getting heat distortion off the barrel?

Air density is different in extream temperature changes (almost 30 degrees difference), powder will make more or less pressure per givin load due to moisture in the air as well...

Could your sight have been bumped during storage to change your point of impact?

 

[rrgr40]

What kind of patch and lube are you using? When you shoot in the cooler weather, does your accuracy fade as the barrel gets warmer? What size ball are you using?
:: ::

 

[jtmattison]

Were you getting heat distortion off the barrel?

Air density is different in extream temperature changes (almost 30 degrees difference), powder will make more or less pressure per givin load due to moisture in the air as well...

Could your sight have been bumped during storage to change your point of impact?

I don't think I was getting heat distortion.
I've seen a difference in where my point of impact changes with different temperatures and humidity levels but this time my groups just opened up.
My sights did not get bumped, they are fixed.

I've never shot from such extreme temperature differences, usually I shoot at temps from zero to 50 degrees.
This was the first time I have shot above 70 degrees.

What kind of patch and lube are you using? When you shoot in the cooler weather, does your accuracy fade as the barrel gets warmer? What size ball are you using?

I use Bore Butter on my patches.
When I shoot in the cold my accuracy does nat fade as the barrel gets warm.
I use pillow tick patch .018 and .530 RB.

That's what makes this sport so much fun. Now I get to work up a warm weather target load. I already know what it likes to eat in the cold ::

Huntin

 

[musketman]

Hear is another thought, when it's cold, you wear more clothes and a heavy coat...

When warm, you wear less, this will effect how your gun is held at the shoulder...

 

[jtmattison]

Hear is another thought, when it's cold, you wear more clothes and a heavy coat...

When warm, you wear less, this will effect how your gun is held at the shoulder...

Good thought but with that I would expect my group to move but not open up.
Flinching from felt recoil due to less clothing is not an issue either because I use a gell recoil pad that I strap onto my shoulder.

I would say that the weather did it. Soft lubed patches opposed to frozen patches. Hot weather opposed to cold.

We'll see what happens next time out. This rifle has alway's been a great shooter, never had groups this big.

Huntin

 

What was the range?

PRB?

Charge?

What was the wind speed and direction?

Was the wind gusting? It is here just south of you.

:results:

 

[Walker357]

Maybe that gel recoil pad got softer. I used to know this
girl that said things got softer when she got warmer. :sorry:

 

[Howard]

I guess I'll have to start over and work on warm weather loads.
Huntin

Are you cleaning between shots? Or only after every 3-4 shot group?
I seem to do better cleaning between shots in the summer.
:results:

 

[Stumpkiller]

Possibly humidity related. Texture of the fouling changes.

Your powder could also have lost some of it's zip to six months in a horn, in-and-out of a house at different temperatures, etc. Your concentration broken my mosquitoes. Many, many variables.

 

Mayhap the cold affected the tempature of the blood running to your brain and you just remember yourself being better than you was!

I often remember myself being better than I actually was!

All of my x-wives will tell you so!

:crackup: :results: :crackup:

 

[jtmattison]

Mayhap the cold affected the tempature of the blood running to your brain and you just remember yourself being better than you was!

I often remember myself being better than I actually was!

All of my x-wives will tell you so!

:crackup: Good one!

Maybe I was just having a bad day.
I won't be too concerned about it. Next trip to the range will tell what's going on.

Huntin

 

[Stumpkiller]

. . . you just remember yourself being better than you was!

Yep. Spooky is definately a better avatar for you than Casper. :haha:

 

[cayugad]

I've been shooting every day for some time now... and temps have been changing as has been humidity and everything else.

I have also tried all different kinds of powders and rifles. So far I have not noticed a decrease or stange accuracy other then the occasional flyer which is usually my fault.

I think Huntin is just going to have to force himself to do more shooting. I know its a rotten thing to do but some one has to do it.

You might have just had one of them days. :thumbsup: I sure get my share of them through the year. Keep shooting and having fun.

 

[Rat]

When it comes to shooting, most times I am "on" but sometimes not. On an "off" day I just won't produce groups as good as usual. Shoot again and see if you just had an "off" day. I can usually tell right away if I'll be shooting good or not.

Rat

 

[sneakon]

I don't get out to shoot nearly as much as I would like to or should, but I still have the "off" days and the "on" days. Cayugad gets to shoot every day! That's where I want to be.

 

[Bob J]

Approximately how many rounds have you put thru it? After about 250 or so, I noticed my .530 balls with pillow ticking started going down with minimal ramrod pressure. I switched to .535 balls - grouping is excellent. You might want to try the .535 balls. :imo:

 

[Herb]

Huntin- I've not found any change in accuracy with temperature, and I do a lot of test shooting with a couple dozen rifles I built. Here's one- a .54 Henry Albright flint (Lancaster): started at 86 degrees with 40 gr 3F Goex at 1144 fps and at 80 grains got 1.35" group at 50 yards. Went on up to 80 and 100 grains two days later at 96 degrees in the shade, and those loads shot about the same. Barrel so hot I couldn't touch it. The 100 grains averaged 1838 fps for 7 shots with 38 fps variation. Over a year later, at 46 degrees, 40 grains gave 1167 fps. And with a .54 Lancaster Christian Hawken caplock, 68 degrees up to 94 degrees, I didn't notice any accuracy change. But there is frequently some rifle that won't shoot as well as before, even with the same load, and be durned if I know what the cause might be. Next time out it might be fine again.