missionary5155
10-09-2012, 04:54 PM
Good afternoon
Got back from Pennsylvania yesterday afternoon so got the gear ready for an outdoor excursuion this morning. Woke up to 34 degrees and a 10 mph plus gusting wind but the promise of warming temperatures.
Arrived at opur local range about 8:30 and the wind was really scooting in from the southwest. The Range Shed gave a bit of protection and it was a good thing. Several times as I was trying to prime the pan a gust would wip through blowing the priming away.
The enclosed picture is the results. The target was placed at 25 yards. I did "cheat" with the first two shots as I had no idea where they would print. Learning two locks at once is a new experience. The left lock likes the flint seated "upside down". The right lock has a much stiffer main spring. But both like at least one half pan of primer. I think this is due to the long vent hole that pases into the breach plugs.
I experimented with 4F and 3F as priming and they both fired equally well.
Started the loading at 70 grains 2F. These are heavy thick walled barrels so it seemed to start with 60 grains to be beyond safty. 70 grains 2F under the .645 patched ball was a very mild shooting load. The two barrels did not disappoint either as they shot where they were pointed.
Decided to move up the load to 90 grains 2F. Fired the next two shots and was rewarded with a descent recoil and two more holes near the inverted T. Fired two more .645 balls and was able to finally recover a patch before the wind blew the fired patch to some other county. The thin cotton patch was burned through so switched to a .625 ball with a heavy canvas cotton type patch.
Fired my remaining .625 balls with 90 grains 2F. 16 caliber .62 and .64 shots total on the target. There are two other caliber .45 holes included as I was trying to get my 1911 resighted with a new adjustable site. Shots were a mix of me standing and sitting. Triggers are somewhat heavy shotgun triggers. No rear site just a screw head to use as a registration point for the front bead.
Maybe next week I will have time to do some pattern with #6 shot. Seems as though the barrels are reasonable well regulated already.
During the shooting I checked the unfired barrel to discover if the unfired ball had moved under recoil. Never did. I varied which side was fired first. Possibly a heavier 2F charge will unseat the unfired ball. A shot load may also and I wil be checking for that.
But if I had to run out the door tomorrow and engage a run away burrow I have complete confidence the double flinter with round ball is ready to do battle.. at least out to 25 yards with 90 grains of 2F. Now I must go clean the new addition to the frontstuffer group.
Mike in ILL
Got back from Pennsylvania yesterday afternoon so got the gear ready for an outdoor excursuion this morning. Woke up to 34 degrees and a 10 mph plus gusting wind but the promise of warming temperatures.
Arrived at opur local range about 8:30 and the wind was really scooting in from the southwest. The Range Shed gave a bit of protection and it was a good thing. Several times as I was trying to prime the pan a gust would wip through blowing the priming away.
The enclosed picture is the results. The target was placed at 25 yards. I did "cheat" with the first two shots as I had no idea where they would print. Learning two locks at once is a new experience. The left lock likes the flint seated "upside down". The right lock has a much stiffer main spring. But both like at least one half pan of primer. I think this is due to the long vent hole that pases into the breach plugs.
I experimented with 4F and 3F as priming and they both fired equally well.
Started the loading at 70 grains 2F. These are heavy thick walled barrels so it seemed to start with 60 grains to be beyond safty. 70 grains 2F under the .645 patched ball was a very mild shooting load. The two barrels did not disappoint either as they shot where they were pointed.
Decided to move up the load to 90 grains 2F. Fired the next two shots and was rewarded with a descent recoil and two more holes near the inverted T. Fired two more .645 balls and was able to finally recover a patch before the wind blew the fired patch to some other county. The thin cotton patch was burned through so switched to a .625 ball with a heavy canvas cotton type patch.
Fired my remaining .625 balls with 90 grains 2F. 16 caliber .62 and .64 shots total on the target. There are two other caliber .45 holes included as I was trying to get my 1911 resighted with a new adjustable site. Shots were a mix of me standing and sitting. Triggers are somewhat heavy shotgun triggers. No rear site just a screw head to use as a registration point for the front bead.
Maybe next week I will have time to do some pattern with #6 shot. Seems as though the barrels are reasonable well regulated already.
During the shooting I checked the unfired barrel to discover if the unfired ball had moved under recoil. Never did. I varied which side was fired first. Possibly a heavier 2F charge will unseat the unfired ball. A shot load may also and I wil be checking for that.
But if I had to run out the door tomorrow and engage a run away burrow I have complete confidence the double flinter with round ball is ready to do battle.. at least out to 25 yards with 90 grains of 2F. Now I must go clean the new addition to the frontstuffer group.
Mike in ILL