Random Observations on revolver shooting

[Stantheman86]

I figured I'd burn up some old Pyrodex P , so old it has a price tag of $14.75 on it.....it still lit off fine despite being opened in 2008 or so.

I often shoot 100 or so rounds on a range trip, and I notice that sometimes .....not always....after lots of sustained shooting , say 10 or so cylinders ....my group wanders to the left.

It happened today, I was shooting at 20 yards or so, two hand hold , and the whole cylinder hit to the left. Loaded up again, all to the left.

I took a break, field stripped the gun and swabbed the bore thoroughly and wiped the whole gun out.

I reassembled the gun, hung a new target , and changed absolutely nothing. Shot from the same spot , same hold, everything . My groups went back to dead center and the POI started to land a little higher.

Was it the caked up bore throwing balls to the same area to the left? Cleaning the gun gave my hand and arm a rest ? The sun hit my rear sight different 15 minutes later? Who knows

A pack of baby wipes and a rod can be a handy combo at the range

Groups (patterns) return to the center

The more the gun breaks in, cap jams are pretty much nonexistent. The nipples on this one are still factory.

I was shooting pretty stout loads of Pyrodex P, the spout of the flask holds about 30gr . I loaded a few cylinders with a little extra, the charges were noticeably "warm".

After over 120 rounds today and probably over 1,000 since I've had this one of both Pyrodex and real Black, the gun is still tight , and is only getting nicely broken in. There is nothing to worry about with these new brassers. I don't take much care to keep loads light with this gun. I got it lightly used almost 2 years ago for I think about 150 bucks and I tend to use it hard as a range fun gun. I have pretty much stopped treating my brassers different than my steel frame guns. I find loads they like and just shoot them. I think the need for "mouse fart" charges in brassers applies to the older guns.

 

[rusticbob]

You may be right about modern brass frame revolvers, only time and lots more shooting will tell. Although most conversions cylinder manufacturers recommend not using them in brass frame guns! Must be a reason?

 

[Stantheman86]

You may be right about modern brass frame revolvers, only time and lots more shooting will tell. Although most conversions cylinder manufacturers recommend not using them in brass frame guns! Must be a reason?

The steel used in the percussion repros is a very mild steel, and probably isn't much more durable than the new brass alloy Pietta started to use , at whatever point in the 90s or 2000s . But for using conversion cylinders with smokeless powder "cowboy loads" wear would be accelerated in a brass frame. It's just not designed for that kind of use.

The brass alloy is more than hard enough for blackpowder use.

People have reported firing several 1000 full power loads in new brassers with no problem. The brass frame revolvers aren't even that much less $ than steel anymore . I just think they're neat looking

 

[user 48679]

They way one holds a handgun whilest shooting can change the POI

 

[BullRunBear]

I never had a brass frame shoot loose but I tend to stay with medium loads because they give me better accuracy. All my percussion revolvers are steel frame these days because I gave the brassers as gifts to beginners. And yes, they are still being used.

I generally do a quick cleaning after four or five cylinders so haven't run into the shooting left situation mentioned. I would like to get consistent enough where the gun's condition makes a noticeable difference.

Jeff

 

[Stantheman86]

In this case I did everything the same as I have been doing since forever ago, was hitting normally at the Center of the target

I moved over to a spot at that range where I normally shoot from, and those 2 or 3 cylinders hit off to the left

I cleaned all the fouling out of the bore, reassembled the gun , and loaded up

Boom, right back into the Center for the rest of the range day

I've had accuracy fall off from a dirty revolver bore , from "shooting dry" etc but it seems that a fouling caked bore can change the POI?

It's happened before, I rested the gun on a rifle rest and I had the same result. It takes a good number of rounds before I've seen it , close to 100 on the times the POI has drifted , always to the left

Increased fouling causes the ball to spin more? Or less? I don't know. That's too much science for me. I just clean the guns when they start shooting weird

 

[DixieTexian]

Do you use any kind of lubrication when loading?

 

[TFoley]

Your 30+ grain loads of Pyrodex P are the equivalent of about 35gr of 3Fg. With your added 'little extra', who knows? Ease up a little, friend, and your brass frame revolver with thank you in ten years time.

 

[TFoley]

They way one holds a handgun whilest shooting can change the POI

View attachment 210867

It should be pointed out that this chart is intended for use with bulls-eye one-handed pistol shooting - NOT any kind of two-handed or rested hold.

 

[Stantheman86]

Do you use any kind of lubrication when loading?

I used those magical grey wool wads I got for a .45 Pedersoli Kentucky pistol that work for revolvers . It feels like a BP revolver could shoot all day with them

 

[Stantheman86]

Your 30+ grain loads of Pyrodex P are the equivalent of about 35gr of 3Fg. With your added 'little extra', who knows? Ease up a little, friend, and your brass frame revolver with thank you in ten years time.

I need to stop using this one as a "test bed" because with my luck it will get nicely broken in , I'll get attached to it and the frame will stretch

With my other pair of .44 brassers I use 20gr of 3f which is plenty of pop for brassers and is a good, accurate load

 

[jdesro]

If it was consistently left, it could be a change in the lighting (shiny brass front sights aren't ideal in bright sunlight for precise shooting), or it could be the way you were holding it for those particular cylinder-fulls, and didn't notice a slight change in your grip. I doubt fouling would shift the whole groups impact point like that.

Try again on a more overcast day and see if the phenomenon repeats. You know, for science, or something .

 

[Vtmountaindeerhunter]

I had heard that the brass used in the golden boy rifle was is stronger than steel

 

[Stantheman86]

I had heard that the brass used in the golden boy rifle was is stronger than steel

It may be "YouTube lore" but some people believe the alloy in the newer Pietta brassers is the same alloy Henry uses .

Pietta isn't really chatty about stuff like this and will just tell you generic load data if you ask them about their frames . My theory is, after decades of people complaining about frames stretching , Pietta made the "lower cost " brass frame revolvers with better brass and just raised the prices on them a few bucks. Kind of a "soft update" so they actually hold up to use, and people stop bashing them for frames stretching.

 

[Pete453]

Stan, are you sure you were holding your mouth right?
Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason to it, who knows.

 

[No second place]

Might try "Carbon Black" on front and rear sights to rule out sun glair drift
Colt open top types also show drift from the wedge moving. Loading the cylinder off the gun or just removing the wedge each cylinder solved this problem in my Colt types. A rubber mallet or soft dead blow hammer six easy wedge taps seems to be enough. Wiping barrel each cylinder also helps.Have found all this extra effort nessary for match use...

 

[45D]

Might try "Carbon Black" on front and rear sights to rule out sun glair drift
Colt open top types also show drift from the wedge moving. Loading the cylinder off the gun or just removing the wedge each cylinder solved this problem in my Colt types. A rubber mallet or soft dead blow hammer six easy wedge taps seems to be enough. Wiping barrel each cylinder also helps.Have found all this extra effort nessary for match use...

A wedge driven in shouldn't move . . . especially with light target loads.

Mike

 

[nick_1]

I find that with long range sessions I can slip into bad habits at the end of the day when I am tired. Primarily flinching.

 

[Stantheman86]

I find that with long range sessions I can slip into bad habits at the end of the day when I am tired. Primarily flinching.

It's probably this , I just thought it was weird that punching the bore brought the impact back to the right

Cleaning the gun probably just was a time to "re-focus" and it just happened to stop my trigger push off.

I'll see if it keeps happening, further research is required

 

[nick_1]

I had a black plastic pistol that i had not shot in a decade or so. At one point I had been a dead ringer with that thing winning a few nine pin trophys. pulled it out of the far corner of the safe a few years ago and low and behold it shot really low? wonder what happened? i shaved down the front sight a bit with a razor knife and it still shot low. Benched it with a bag and guess who the real culprit was...... ME....