What group size makes you happy?

[Crow-Feather]

If ypur patches are being "blown to snot", its likely to be something other than the patch lubricant. Lubricant is generally the most forgiving of the variables in shooting. Most often its sharp edges on the lands or at the crown along with too thin a patch.

Since you've been on the forum for a while, you have experience shooting muzzleloaders and you might have shot your rifle enough to break it in. Has your rifle ever shot good groups without blowing patches? Speculation leads me to suggest a smaller ball and thicker patch. You may benefit from an over powder wad. Tell us all about your rifle, Age, bore diameter, groove depth, ball size, patch thickness, powder, granulation, charge

If ypur patches are being "blown to snot", its likely to be something other than the patch lubricant. Lubricant is generally the most forgiving of the variables in shooting. Most often its sharp edges on the lands or at the crown along with too thin a patch.

Since you've been on the forum for a while, you have experience shooting muzzleloaders and you might have shot your rifle enough to break it in. Has your rifle ever shot good groups without blowing patches? Speculation leads me to suggest a smaller ball and thicker patch. You may benefit from an over powder wad. Tell us all about your rifle, Age, bore diameter, groove depth, ball size, patch thickness, powder, granulation, charge

If ypur patches are being "blown to snot", its likely to be something other than the patch lubricant. Lubricant is generally the most forgiving of the variables in shooting. Most often its sharp edges on the lands or at the crown along with too thin a patch.

Since you've been on the forum for a while, you have experience shooting muzzleloaders and you might have shot your rifle enough to break it in. Has your rifle ever shot good groups without blowing patches? Speculation leads me to suggest a smaller ball and thicker patch. You may benefit from an over powder wad. Tell us all about your rifle, Age, bore diameter, groove depth, ball size, patch thickness, powder, granulation, charge

OK, it is sideways. Three shots from my Lyman 54 Deerstalker, benched, at 70 yards with moose milk patched round ball. I did not take pictures of the group fired with the 3:1 dried Ballistol:water. The patch was torn apart. I just wanted to forget.

 

[ugly old guy]

What group size makes me happy?
1 MOA and under. (with open sights.)

I don't know if my eyes are good enough for that now that I became a vintage antique and require bifocals.

 

[Crow-Feather]

I try for two inches at 50 yards with elbows braced but three inches is more realistic. My muzzleloaders are excellent but this is me shooting so realism keeps creeping in. I'm a casual shooter so that's good enough even for silhouettes. BTW, I generally get my best groups with the Traditions Crockett 32 caliber rifle. It's a sweet shooter.

Jeff

I have a 32 Crockett and I agree that it is a nice accurate rifle

 

[fire bear]

Quit tweaking, how is that done?

 

[Mark Herman]

Here is a montage of "over the log" targets shot in the 30's. Note some of the witness' names. Targets are 60 yards.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Quit tweaking, how is that done?

The tweaking or slight changes in loading is sometimes called "load development ". One component of the load is changed, such as a few grains of powder, testing and analyzing the target. Development ends when the acceptable group is attained and logged for repeatability.

The 94 page version is available from Dutch Schoultz, Black Powder Rifle Accuracy.

Blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com

 

[Capnball]

My over the log rifle has a 54” long, 1 3/8” diameter barrel. It weighs about 23#. We shoot 10 shots at 60 yards from a prone position with the rifle rested on a “ chunk” or log. One shot at each of 10 cards and several minutes between shots while everyone retrieves their card and pins another in its place. Each shot is measured to the thousands of an inch from the center of the score card. The “string” of 10 shots added together for the total score.

Chunk guns must have open sights with the rear sight at least 8” in front of the breech. The front sight can be a blade or pin type. Round ball only.

I shoot a .48 caliber with 110 grains Old Eynsford or Swiss 2F. Depending on the wind and sun, a 3”-5” string might be required to win a big event. That means the average shot is less than 1/2” from center. A group like the one in the picture is “competitive“ but might not win.View attachment 29405

Like to see that gun!

 

[tenngun]

What group size makes me happy?
1 MOA and under. (with open sights.)

I don't know if my eyes are good enough for that now that I became a vintage antique and require bifocals.

When I was 36 I had 20/15 vision in my right eye. Now I’ve got 20/25, and even corrected I can’t get the sight picture I could thirty years ago. I still use a v/ blade set of sights, but can’t shoot anywhere near as well.
I think that’s why God in his ultimate wisdom made smooth bores.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I can see the front sight as well as when I was younger, the only problem now is deciding which one to use.

 

[Rodd Boyer]

My trouble is when I find which trifocal to see my front sight, the target simply dissappears...

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

Ben:

Short answer: never. I have a .62 flint rifle that will shoot 3-shot cloverleaf groups at 65 yards. Any sane person should be happy. Problem? Flintlock shooters are not SANE.

I have a .50 flint Early Virginia (TVM) that has shot one hole groups, offhand, at 25 yards for three shots. I always shoot that load (70 grains FFFG Goex, my cast .490 (weighed, sorted) and .018 pillow ticking with Bore butter lube. I win a lot of matches with that gun/combo. But when I am not in a match, "well, may be if I adjust this, or that, or something,....." Never.

It's the illness.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[Griz44Mag]

Today - This is good enough to make me happy.....
Pedersoli Frontier. 54 cal. .535 homecast ball, .010 minked cotton patch, 75gr 3f O.E. 50 yards
This is 5 rounds. The backstop was pretty tattered, so the paper did tear a lot, otherwise it would have been even better.

 

[Whitworth]

I like that, the backstop is "a little tattered".

 

[user 43911]

Most distances posted are kinda short for rifle ,
how about throwing in What group size makes you happy? with pistol

 

[Rodd Boyer]

25 yards
20 gr fffg

 

[SPQR70AD]

When I was 36 I had 20/15 vision in my right eye. Now I’ve got 20/25, and even corrected I can’t get the sight picture I could thirty years ago. I still use a v/ blade set of sights, but can’t shoot anywhere near as well.
I think that’s why God in his ultimate wisdom made smooth bores.

if you have trouble getting a sight picture with 20/25 vision better get one of those 4 gauge rifle/shotguns they used if Africa fill it with birdshot

 

[Grenadier1758]

When I was 36 I had 20/15 vision in my right eye. Now I’ve got 20/25, and even corrected I can’t get the sight picture I could thirty years ago. I still use a v/ blade set of sights, but can’t shoot anywhere near as well.
I think that’s why God in his ultimate wisdom made smooth bores.

The lack of a good sight picture is due to a condition called presbyopia or old eyes. You may still have 20/25 vision, but only in you optometrist's office. We just no longer have the ability to focus at those distances. I know that when I aim my front sight will sometimes disappear. The lack of an ability to focus at multiple distances and cataracts have taken a lot of the joy of shooting away. I can restore some of the function by putting a pin hole aperture on my shooting glasses. This acts somewhat like a peep sight to sharpen the focus. Hoping to get cataract surgery, but that may be slightly more difficult in this time of isolating and limits to elective surgery.

 

[tenngun]

Yup, vision declines. You have to concentrate on three spots. My rear sight becomes blurry, so am I in the v or a little right or left of it. Is my front sight ( sharp) level with the blurry rear or just a smidge high or low. I can bring the target pretty sharp but both sights then become blurry.
Someday I may have to change my sights. Someday a peep may end up on my more traditional guns.
I think it was Daniel Boone that glued white paper to his front sight.

 

[tenngun]

Most distances posted are kinda short for rifle ,
how about throwing in What group size makes you happy? with pistol

A rifle can well do at a hundred yards, and boys shoot two hundred with ball and do well. Three hundred? I think we have boys on this forum that’s been there done that.
Should you hunt with your gun and shoot ball a hundred yards is around the longest shot many will take.
I posted a shot of a fifty yard target with a .45. That’s about as far as I would shoot at a deer around this country with that gun.
I hunt with mostly smoothies so fifty is my max range even thought my .62 or .54 should be more then enough to a hundred but not accurate enough for me.
I live in the ozarks and fifty is a long shot for me.
what group are you happy with was the theam of this thread, so I have to look at the range I would shoot.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I also find when shooting I do fine for s few shots but as my eyes become fatigued it is harder to focus on the front sight. Also being outside tends to dry my eyes and that adds to the difficulty in focusing. I use eye drops sometimes but eye fatigue isn't helped much by them. I was always very near sighted and wore glasses, but with a good correction shooting came easy. Not so much any more with tired old eyes that have even been corrected after cataract surgery.