Thompson Center Scout

[Taylor]

Well, here we go,a lot of people here gave me a tremendous amount of help,and I thank you.I have spent hours working on this non shooter,6 hours a day on the range for the last 2 days as an example.Over the winter I spent about an hour each evening for a week with a rod,fine valve lapping compound and a bunch of patches smoothing everything out,it seems to have made a difference.So many combinations,I filled 4 pages of possibilities,and went thru each one until I had something to work with.( my new meds kept me calm and not fustrated,so I got stuff done.)Here is what we ended up with..the bore .509,the RB is .490.The RB is store bought,don't have a mould yet.I dug out some pillow ticking that I had been saving for about 30 years,keeping it mostly for my Kentucky.It is .020. Now we have .510 or 1/1000 over.This works the best,a little tight, but I am now on paper at 50 yards.Went to Walmart to look for more pillow ticking,the stuff they have is .018,it works well too and will go down the barrel alot easier.What I had been using is store bought,it measured out at .013,tooo loose!The gun did not like it at all.As suggested by one of the guys here,I backed off the charge to 60 grains (pyrodex RS),and worked up to 90. Between 70 and 80 grains the shot groups were good,at least I'm on paper.Anything past 80 everything went to..well everywhere.At 70 to 75 grains we are good,but settled on 70,it likes 70 grains better than anything else.I was cutting the patches at 1 1/2" square, backed off to 1" square,then went to a round patch,sure is time consuming-cutting all them patches!The lube was a basic recipe of beeswax,crisco and olive oil.Anything over 80 grains blows out the patch anyway.Now I don't intend to shoot squirrels at 200 yards with this,just a deer at 50 or so.All I want is to be in the black at 50 yards.I have done that!Now we work out the marksmanship part.I stayed to the left on my groups,a litte Kentucky windage helped out here.But after getting home yesterday,I paid close attention to the rear sight,to the naked eye it is centered,to the digital caliper it is .005 off center,I fixed that pronto,that should help some,we'll see.One other thing is that the scope is crap,will have to get another one.All testing was done with iron sights,just had to confrim on the scope.It will be Sunday before I can get to my range again to do some finish work,I still have some minor details to work out,but I am on track with my Scout and we are both happy. I have not tried the Lee REAL's at this point,I'll check in to that on Sunday with different size wads and see what happens.I think maybe the scope had alot to do with their inaccuracy before.Thats O K ,I have til October.Hopefully I have covered everthing here about my Scout.If I missed anything I'll post as it comes to me.My son says he can help me post some pics,hope so.

[eka]

You can cut those patches at the muzzle. I wash my pillow ticking, then cut it in strips approx. one inch wide. I then lube with a variation of moose milk: one part Napa brand cutting oil and ten parts water. It is white when mixed and looks like milk. You can mix up a batch to last a long time. It's cheap and works great. Lay the ticking strip on the muzzle, put the ball on top, sprue up and seat it with your starter. Then with a knife, cut the strip off. You have a perfectly cut patch every time. Any sharp knife will work, just be gentle around the crown. You can also buy or make a patch knife that is sharpened only in one direction, so its easy on the muzzle.

I figure you probably already know all this, being you shoot a Kentucky rifle and all. But, I thought I'd mention it. It would cut down on the patch cutting labor.

I wish you continued success on your project.

Keith

[Taylor]

You are correct,that was the way I was taught with the Kentucky,more traditional I suspect.I still do that technique,and I may do it with the other rifles.But with 2 sons,it is better to have everything pre-made and ready to go.

[northmn]

Sounds like you tried about everything. Before you buy a mold you may want to try 495 ball. Another trick with hunting loads if you are blowing patches is to place a wad in between the powder and the patched ball. Some folks used to put a patch over the powder and then seat the patched ball or cut 1/2 inch card wads out of a cereal box. 80 grains is not that heavy of load for a 50 as I have had good results with up to 90 (As in less than 2 inch at 100). As a rule patched ball ML's are pretty accurate and not that fussy. Lee REALS are made to be used without patching.

Northmn

[Underclocked]

the bore .509... land to land or groove to groove?

You might want to try some Hornady Great Plains bullets.

[alleyyooper]

Some use a over powder card with conicals too. Use a small bit of 1/2 inch copper water pipe sharpened to cut those over powder cards. If you can get it sharp enough the same thing only larger might cut the patches for you.

:mrgreen: Al

[35remington]

Taylor, excuse me as I am not up to speed on what you're trying and why. It may be that you like a challenge.

Anyway, if it hasn't been mentioned before, I'd just like to note that the Scouts have a fast conical twist and likely the heavier roundball charges will not give accuracy. I think you already know that.

I have the Scout pistol in .54 and it will shoot roundballs will light charges. The twist may differ from the rifle version but I do know both have faster twists than a roundball rifle. My pistol is rifled 1-20."

With a 435 conical and 120 grains of powder it will really part your hair. After I demonstrate a full charge load I ask them if they want to try it, and their answer is always NO!

After rereading your post I think you're just trying everything possible to see what can be done. I'm sorta that way myself.

[Alchemist]

For a few years I was using my brother's Scout with a store bought .490 RB and patches pre-lubed with bore butter (sorry I don't know patch thickness) over 90 gr Pyrodex RS (volume measured). Accuracy at 100 yards was great! Any higher on the powder charge made the group open up. BTW, that load would drive the ball about 2 1/2" deep into a solid oak stump. Never got a chance to test it on deer.

Alchemist

[shooter575]

I have told this story here before.A buddy of mine bought a used Scout from a co-worker.This was his first M/L.He went to the range and tried all the sabots and pellets that the former owner gave him.He could not hit paper at any range. So he brought it to my place and we tried messing with it.No luck from me ether.[this was my first time with sabots] As BP season started the next day he was upset.I then remembered I had some Lee .50 target minnes cast up some years ago. What the heck!!
So I dug them out,grabed a can of fff goex and we started over,In 1/2 hour we had it shooting 3' groups @ 50yd.I wanted to play some more but he said good enough and headed home.Anyway he had meat hanging next morning.He was happy.He had got a deer with that set up every year sence.
I think that minne will do a lot better with some range work out to 100 yd or so. ISTR the load we used was 85 gr with a homeade beeswax/olive oil lube in the base

[Taylor]

About 2 deer seasons ago I bought the Scout at a pawn shop.It was loaded with a sabot of some type,so I guess this is what they had been shooting in it.Myself I like what I can make.I believe that is the idea behind reloading and casting.So with my RB's and REAL's,with store bought(yeah I know) patches,I was able to stay in the black at 50 yards. Then while giving it a good cleaning I noticed that the barrel was really buggered up inside.It looked like someone had taken a ball peen hammer to the lands and given them a good pounding.So I called Thompson Center and they told me to send it to them and they would give me a new barrel. For free. Thus begins the issues,damn thing would not shoot!It's been almost 2 years since I bought this thing,but I like it and will make a shooter out of it ,if it takes me the rest of my life!I am back in the black now,just have to work out the last details.Once I get the 50yard line down pat,then I can go to 100 yards and play.

[Taylor]

Forgot to mention it is a 1:38 twist.

[Taylor]

1:38 is not a PRB rate,can we find target at 50 yards? Yes we can,not too good ,but we can.100 yards? I think it would be a waste of good lead. Power Belt bullets are too expensive to practice with.Lee REAL,Great Plains?Can I get a mould for other bullets to cast without having to buy already cast. I don't care for sabots. My son's rifles are 1:48 (line riders),what I need is something that will work for mine and thiers. An all purpose if you will.

[MT Gianni]

Taylor, does the bbl feel a consistant push with a tight load or is it harder or easier as you load? It may have some tight spots or worse a reverse taper so that the muzzle is slightly larger than the breech. This would size things too small to grip the lands other than at the tight spot. I have an old TC Maxiball mold that throws boolits with a .504 base, my Lee combo mold throws a .505 base. I would consider getting one of those molds and "Beagling" it to get the base you need. I have never owned anything with that fast of a twist but believe you need something with a longer bearing surface than a rb. Good luck with it and keep us posted. Gianni

[MT Gianni]

So I dug them out,grabed a can of fff goex and we started over,In 1/2 hour we had it shooting 3' groups @ 50yd.

I hope that you mean 3".

[Taylor]

I'm going out to do some shooting this morning and try some different things.Re-check what I have already done to see where I am.But now that you mention it,there does seem to be a tight spot right under the front sight.I will look into this a little further today.I bought some sabots yesterday for the longer bearing surface,and looked at Great Plains.The great Plains were 410 grains,big bullet,a pretty bullet,but I don't think I want to mess around with that big of load.

[Taylor]

Sunday's results----really wasn't a bad day,took with me Lee REAL,PRB,and Knight sabot(I think these where too big).The Scout is shooting fair now with the PRB,at least I can hit paper,did not get a chance to try anything else.I had 2 sons to shoot also.(that wanted to shoot).We ran out of powder,I switched to a can that I had picked up at a gun show in February.Opened a new tin of Remington caps.One of the two are bad,no kaboom!Nothing would fire.I don't know if the powder was bad or what.Chris had issues with an owl while putting up a new deer stand.It did not attack,but if looks could kill,poor kid.So we cleaned up and went home.I poured 2 small piles of powder,one from a known good one.Both seemed to burn at the same rate.I will get some different caps and try that with the powder before I toss it.We did take lots of pictures,to include the Owl,but Chris screwed them up while down loading them to the computer.Good pics too,gone forever!The best one was where I was shooting at one target and hit the one 3 feet to the right,and 2 foot low.I do know the REAL's are not stabilizing,they are hitting broad side,I sure do like this little carbine,just wish it would shoot.

[7br]

I had pretty good luck with my Scout carbine with the 245 gr Real bullets. I don't think it has enough twist for the 350's. I also had pretty good luck with the buffalo Ball ets.

[Taylor]

I can shoot 3' groups,my picture proves it!

[Maven]

Taylor, You may want to look at the T/C Scout manual (link provided below), especially the section on Loading Data. E.g., T/C doesn't recommend using [jacketed] bullets heavier than 200grs. & 240grs. (either .429" or .430") with "Break-O-Way" sabots and given charges of BP or Pyro. RS. Is it possible the CB's you're using are too heavy to be stabilized by the 1:38 twist rate? Also, is it possible that you have one of T/C's poorer quality bbls. on your Scout? If so, why not return it to T/C for an evaluation and maybe a replacement/rebuild?

[url]http://www.tcarms.com/assets/manuals/noncurrent/Scout_Rifle_and_Pistol_Manual.pdf

[Taylor]

You are correct in that, what the manual states. I have a copy of it.I have moved to a lighter bullet,at 240 grains.It does shoot straighter.But will not group well.I did send it to TC for a barrell replacement,that's when tha trouble started.The test done on this barrel,according to TC grouped 1 1/2 at 50 yards using a PRB.