Still shooting right

[KHickam]

Well, I finally got to SD and shot my fowler from a bench - elevation was good - but I was still shooting right of the target about 1-2" I tried a bunch of stuff - different loads and holding for about 3 different groups - still right.

:cursing:

 

[torn moc]

Hmmmm..I always pull to the right when I use too much of my trigger finger. I I pull the trigger with just the very tip of the finger the POI goes back to center.....you might consider this...

 

[whummell]

I second what scalper says.... My US Army Drill Sergeant experience says to check how much finger you are putting on the trigger... that is if your right handed.. Dont want to insult you I dont know how much shooting experienece you have.. But if you know your "stuff" then your gonna have to adjust your sight picture or bend the barrel since its a smoothie.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

No that one CAN'T put too much finger onto/into the trigger ... in your case, that supposition is pure BS ... your barrel is hitting right and that's all there is to it. Bending the barrel is your only choice other than Kentucky windage.

 

[KHickam]

Not sure I want to bend the barrel - this fowler is consistently shooting right.

Today, with sand bags and dead on - I was shooting right - right - and more right - grouping was good however.

If I had been shooting at a deer, antelope, elk, or bear - it would have been dead, dead, and dead. All 15 balls were on an 8" target - ranging from 35 to 50 yds - but only 2 were touching the 9 or 10 ring - all others were just outside the 5" bull.

Assuming I want to bend the barrel - how is this best accomplished?

 

[paulvallandigham]

Don't bend the barrel until you have checked the muzzle to see that the crown is concentric, and that the muzzle is square to the bore. You can probably move that ball over by simply filing a bit of metal off the right side of the muzzle, so that its released on that side first, and gas blowing past the right side will move the ball to the left. It doesn't take much to move that windage, so take a few strokes with a file, then fire a couple of shots, and then take a few more, and check it until you move the ball where you want it to go.

If you do have to bend the barrel, then try to find a gunsmith to do that for you.

Does this fowler have a rear sight? If so, try drifting the sight to the left to see if that won't move the ball. If you were pulling the shot a couple of inches off center at 50 yards shooting from a rest, I would think it has to do with your finger control. put the bottom side of your finger against the trigger guard, and use the trigger guard to help stabilitze the finger as you squeeze the trigger. This will put the pad of you index finger on the bottom of the trigger, rather than the center, and you will have the most movement with the least amount of trigger pull weight to fire the gun( leverage). By indexing your finger on that trigger guard, you are much less likely to jerk the trigger, or pull the gun towards your right hand side, thus moving the ball to the right. Some shooters will put their right thumb on the back side of the trigger guard to create a pinching movement to fire their guns from a bench rest. This technique also will eliminate the tendancy to flinch, or pull the trigger in anticipation of recoil.

 

[KHickam]

Paul - You could be right - but if it was a trigger control problem - wouldn't it be pulling left since I shoot left handed?

Fowler has no rear sight - but I am considering putting one on the gun.

 

[shortstring]

Barrel bending is really not that spooky. More barrels than you might imagine have been straightened. One thing I will say is you might want to step out of the room when the barrel maker/ gunsmith is doing this as it's not for the weak of heart to watch.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I am one of those advocates that say that you have to think of your eye as the rear sight on a fowler. You have a target with a group that is just to the right of the center. Go back to the range and with your fowler settled in take a look at the sight picture with the front sight on the target. Without moving the fowler adjust your cheek to stock and visual reference until the sight is centered verticaly with the group. That combination of cheek to stock and eye position is the new zero for your gun. So, instead of holding directly down the center slot of the tang bolt, you are holding slightly to the right side.

Good shooting.

 

[Mike Brooks]

Bend the barrel, no big deal. I use the crotch of a tree, pull untill you feel it give, put it back in the stock and see where it shoots. It may take a couple bends.
Always bend in the same place, somewhere between 1/2 and 2/3rds. Have a 4' straight edge with you too, to see how far you're bending.
Hey , I'm a moron, and bending barrels is easy. :youcrazy:
If it isn't shooting too far off you may consider resoldering the front sight over a bit. That's even easier than bending.

 

[paulvallandigham]

A left handed shooter who is shooting right may be " Pushing " the trigger by putting too little finger on the the trigger. Again, using the trigger guard as an index to keep the pull moving straight back is the way to diagnose this problem and to fix it. As long as the sides of the trigger guard are at right angles to the path of the trigger when its pulled, you are not going to either pull or push the trigger, and throw it off.

Try that technique first, before doing anything with the barrel, either with a file, or bending it.

You might also check the stock mortise for the barrel to see if any wood is rubbing up against the barrel on the Left side of the barrel. That can also contribute to throwing the shot.

 

[redwing]

I would have some one else shoot the gun. If it's a flint lock new shooters glance at the lock. Its very common for folks new to M/L to look at the lock when they pull the trigger. Right handed shooters will look and shoot right time after time.It is hard to catch your self doing this. Before bending or cutting the barrel get some one else to shoot it. See if they get the same results. It may be how you cheek the gun, shooters with out a rear sight often keep their head to far from the stock, pushing it away.

 

[paulvallandigham]

It the gun does not have a rear sight, then put some kind of white mark with Liquid paper, or a white wax pencil, or something in the center of the barrel at the tang, so that it will catch your eye in the lower peripheral vision, and help you align the front site with your eye and cheek, which are really your rear sight on any kind of shotgun or fowler.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Now I ain,t no expert and I approach humbly but I have recently got a Pedersoli 12 double to shoot to aim via filing the muzzles. I did conduct most of the above tests first and when I decided to file it only took an hour in the field and I was done- I wonderd why I worried so much about doing it Now I have not tried ball since but before it would mimick the shot pattern centers so it will be interesting if all of a sudden it is capable of harvesting deer. This gun had its muzzles finished I should guess with a 45 degree countersink bit and way off centers thus venting gas uevenly on leaving the barrels. Since filing I am convinced of this.
Good luck :v

 

[Britsmoothy]

Sorry guys I forgot to say that I also had to alter the stock to bring my eye into the center of the rib every mount with out having to bare heavily onto the comb of the stock :thumbsup:

 

[KHickam]

Well, since grouping is good - I think I will rule out trigger control. Just don't think I could "push" the group - THAT - consistently to the right.

As to "new" could be - I been out of it - long enough to be considered "new" to shooting a flintlock - however, I didn't flinch or pull on any of the - hammer falls - when the gun didn't go off.

Think I will try Mike's suggestion and have the front sight moved a bit - see if that helps

 

[KHickam]

Took the fowler to a local gunsmith I trust - will get a dovetail put in and rear sight - see where we go from there. :wink: