Smoothie accuracy???????

Well I got a chance to shoot a bit, so naturally I fired up the .62 G.M. smoothie.
I bought some tight weave all cotton cloth at Wal-mart, about .005 to use with the .600 balls. It made for a snug fit and I lubed with Criso.
At 25 yard I kept all shots in a 1.5" group, not all that shabby for shooting a mere 105 grains of Elephant 2fg. (ooooooouch! that hurt!)
Why so much powder? 'Cause if it don't kick it ain't real! ::
Alright so the load is too hot!. O.K. I give, up so I'm a recoil junkie. :shocking:
Next I tried the 105 grain load at 50 yards. Lousy. 10" spread. That sucks.
I backed off and shot a puny, weakling load of 80 grains and still got 10" groups. That sucks. :curse:
Any suggestions?
Maybe the thing will make an o.k. shotgun?

 

[Rebel]

My .62 seems to do the best with 70 grs of Goex 3f powder. Also idon't use a patch. I use the powder, a thick overshot card wad, a half a fiber cushion wad started about 3/4" below the muzzle, then the rd. ball sprue up on top of that and then an overshot thin card wad. I seat the fiber wad, ball and card wad all at once. This works good for me.

 

Reb:
Sprue? Wassat? :: ::
Just kiddin'. I ain't got time to cast, though I have all the goodies including pure lead. I have cast, done plenty of it, but time is a major concern so I buy the little round thingies.
Maybe there is something to this over powder wad technique, I'll try it.
Perhaps less powder would be helpful. That 105 grain charge gave me a case of "blue shoulder." :boohoo:

 

[Rebel]

N/T.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Any suggestions?

Stand closer to the target. ::

Try a thicker patch. I use the same 0.017" tick for my smoothies that I use for my riflies.

 

[Deadeye]

I also use a thicker patch, .015 and also a 1/8" over powder card wad. I believe the over powder card has improved my accuracy.

 

[Rocky Johnson]

Over powder card helps mine. Rocky /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

Been getting 1.5" to 3" at 25 yards with 4 different smoothies and 4" to 6" at 50yds. One Mod.-D French cloverleafed at 25 yds!!

 

At 50 im in the 4 to 6 myself.
.600 RB spur up .70 grains of 2F with a tick patch, the same patch I use for my 54 cal rifle .15 to .18 depending on where I get the cloth.
She holds true to where I place the bead, if I move she move. We go out what we call whistle pig hunting. They are small ground squirrels that are about 5 inches around and stand no more the 10 inches high. Most shots are in the 15 to 20 yard range and out. My 62 will gut em clean em and hang em in the bush all in one shot. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[RussB]

"At 50 im in the 4 to 6 myself."

Yep, don't seem to do much better. But there is still about three months left for me to refine this a bit....if I can.
I couldn't make paper when I first started with my smoothie. Now she can find black, not everytime, but enough to keep me going back.
It may have something to do with the fact I don't have a good flint, or a good flint adjustment. I think the gun just might be able to do better if the shooter was just smart enough to see the "why" of all this.
Sooo much to learn, so darn little time.
Russ

 

Fowler, the French fowler shoots well, but about as well as any really good, smooth barrel, I think. My Bro's .77 colraine barrel shoots just so, and into around 4" at 50yds. We found last time out, that loose fitting .715 ball paper cartidges would still hold into 2 1/2" at 25yd. and about 6" at 50yds.
; He normally shoots .735's with a .030" patch. This combinaton loads easily and needs no cleaning for a day's shooting, except for after shooting dry paper ctgs. & wanting to shoot some more patched balls.
; This barrel had to be bent to shoot straight, which was done on two shot bags using a lead hammer. It has a groove at the tang/breech junction which helps as a legal rear sight. Out to 45yds. or so, it does shoot like a rifle and Taylor has won several trail walks with it, with gong targets ranging to 100yds in the bush. Very few are 8" in dia. or 8" long as most are smaller, except for the scale -sized snowshoe hare at 100yds. There are two pipe targets, 1" in dia. at a mere 25/30yds. which never escape the big ball, just the small ones from my rifle.- HA!

 

[cayugad]

I want you fellows to know that now I do not feel so bad about the accuracy I get with my smoothie... :winking: Everything you have described is almost identical to my .62 caliber GMB with a .600 cast ball.

I have tried with patch and without. I have tried different thickness, and different lubes. The best combo I have is still the nitro card, then a lubed fiber wad, the ball and a over the shot card.

As for loading my GMB with a .015 thick patch and ball, well not without a hammer. That is one tight and I mean tight fitting load that way. I ordered some thinner patches and maybe that will be the trick. I also have some real thin pure cotton cloth I am going to give a try after I grease them with some of Stumpkiller's Moose Snot.

As I said in an earlier post, I am still determined to shoot a deer with the thing this year. I have one stand that if I can shoot 35 yards, I will be eating venison... So far I can make that shot ever time...

 

What ball diameter do you use? I've been shooting for years with cut rifling, GR & GM barrels, balls .005 to .010" under and .020" patches. With .005 under balls, a thinner patch can be used with 2F and never have I needed a hamemr, the short starter being plenty for starting. I find the factory crown to be a bit sharp, and round the inner edge a bit more. This allows swaging the ball/patch into it without tearing the patch. I use denim pant meterial moslty, in both .015 and .020 thicknesses.
; Most of the guys up here are now using .010 under balls with 20 thou patch without trouble. It does take a smack to start the ball level with the muzzle, but doesn't cut the denim if the crown is correct. I think a too-abrupt crown is the culprit for most hard starting.
The crowns we use don't seem to hurt accuracy as 2MOA is typical average out to 100 meters for .50's and above. Mt .45 flinter will do that, but takes more concentration. I think many people use sights that are too coarse, factory sights are that way, especially the adjustable ones. It is difficult to shoot close with poor or coarse hand-gun-type sights.

 

I have used barrels form the old T.V.M.,Bag and mold in Jackson Ohio,Colerain,Getz,Ed rayl West Virginny and a Kentuckey made Barrel turned from Hi-pressure tube after it was milled Oct. then turned round. Darn barrel shot good at 50yds 3-"4" and it was a 11-bore. Strong tube would hold smokeless pressure, 3 times a overload fffg and 3-balls held together. I find that a fiber wad over the powder and pacthed ball over that holds the ball concentric to the barrel and keeps it stable down the tube. A old Fred Martin trick from the former Olymlic smoothbore team member.