some questions for the .62 colerain shooters

[dave61965]

On my annual Oct.trip to the great smoky mtns. I always run up from the in-laws to see Tip to visit and look at some rifles, I was kinda looking for a deer/hog gun but I didn't want a super long barrel, I handled some jaegers but they just didn't fit for me, so Tip shows me a lancaster style of some sort I believe with a colerain 38" OTR .62 cal. nice maple stock,brass hardware, felt good on the shoulder which sold it for me, so I had him box it up and ship it home so I wouldn't have to drag it around for a week or so in the truck, so he sends me some .600 balls and some jags and a note saying start at 80grs of 2f so I grabbed some goex today and loaded her up, first patch, too thin, I dug around and found some denim that measured about .025 really tight to start and the first few looked cut when I recovered them, I shot 25 rounds at 25 yrds used beeswax/olive oil lube that works in my other guns, but the grouping seemed large and inconsistent, I know I have more shooting and tweaking to do but please share your load combos and advice, I know these deep grooves need a thick patch but this would be tough in the field if a second shot was needed quickly, what's your experiences with a new barrel of this type?

 

[mike garner]

i use that same combo in my 62 colerain jaeger except i use 110gr. of goex ol ensford it took me a wile to find the right load. i had wide groups until i went to 100gr. and then they really got tight at 110. you need to shoot your gun a bit to get the bore smooth. you can also polish it up with 3x brass wool.

 

[BrownBear]

i use that same combo in my 62 colerain jaeger except i use 110gr. of goex ol ensford it took me a wile to find the right load. i had wide groups until i went to 100gr. and then they really got tight at 110. you need to shoot your gun a bit to get the bore smooth. you can also polish it up with 3x brass wool.

Much the same with mine, but it liked 120 grains of 2f Goex even better. The twist is slow enough that it just doesn't come alive till you pass 100 grains. Haven't tried 130, but that might be even better.

I "shot mine in" to get past the bit of bore roughness, rather than brass wool or any other abrasive. Took about 300 shots to really settle in. If that's a little daunting with 120 grain loads, read up on other ways to smooth the bore. Even now, it basically doesn't shoot worth poop below 100 grains.

 

[jamesthomas]

I would have gotten a smooth bore myself if I went to that caliber (20 gauge). That way I could shoot shot (squirrels and rabbits) and use a ball for deer or hogs. A 120 grns. would put me on the ground looking for where my shoulder went to! :surrender: . :2

 

[faste350]

i'm putting one together now, but it will be late winter before it is finished. it is the 38" long barrel also. i have hunted with a smooth bore for 25 years and wanted a .62 rifle for a little better accuracy at longer ranges. can't wait to get it done!

 

[dave61965]

I would have gotten a smooth bore myself if I went to that caliber (20 gauge). That way I could shoot shot (squirrels and rabbits) and use a ball for deer or hogs. A 120 grns. would put me on the ground looking for where my shoulder went to! :surrender: . :2

I have a .54 carolina fowler I can use for squirrel and rabbits, I don't bird hunt at all so the 28ga is plenty for my smoothie needs, I just like the idea of throwing that big lead, and it should work for anything I want to hunt in the future, plus its a .62 cal rifle that Tip built that fits me like a glove so I just had to have it rite :grin:

 

[Bob J]

My .62 jeager has a Rice barrel, but similar deep, round-bottom grooves as your Colerain. It took me a while to find a load for really tight 50 yard groups, but was worth the effort: 110 grains 2f Goex, .610 ball (the Colerain .62s like a .600 ball from what I've heard), and a .020 Wonder patch. But I also got pretty darn good groups with chamois patches which I cut from the 100% real buffing chamois purchased from the auto parts store (thanks to Wes/Tex for sharing this with me :hatsoff: ). It's more compressible than cotton so really easy to load. I use 50 grains 3f for offhand practice and have found 100 grains 3f to work as well as 110 2f.