T/C 32 is killin" me

[dubber123]

I inquired a while back about loads for my T/C Cherokee ML. I was pretty sure I was over loading it, and that may have been the cause of my accuracy issues. The consensus seemed to be 20 -30 grains of 3F with patched roundball was the "sweet spot". I got an unexpected day off today, and got to play some more. I tried 20 and 25 grain charges, 2 different patch thicknesses, and 2 different ball diameters. It still shoots the same, about 2" at 50 yards, at best. The looser the load, the worse it shot. I have a bullet I shoot in my 32-20, that shoots extremely well, I have only been to the range twice, and have shot 4 groups right around 1/2" at 50 yds., so yes, I can shoot OK. if you were wondering. Anyways, I was wondering if I sized this bullet to the same as factory maxi-balls, why I couldn't use them in the ML?. I really wanted to shoot round balls for nostalgia, but this things gonna give me an ulcer if I don't see some improvement. Any thoughts are appreciated.

[Junior1942]

Back the charge down to 12 -15 grs and see what happens. That'll give you 1100 to 1300 fps which is plenty.

[dubber123]

Junior it's worth a try, nothing else has made much of a difference. 11-1300 is certainly plenty for small game, I am not looking for power, I just really need to see consistant 1" or less groups to be happy. I'm a ways from that.

[Blammer]

I'd go for it!

[curator]

Little things make a big difference with muzzle loading round ball rifles of .40 caliber and under. Larger bores are more forgiving of imperfections in the ball, or patch thickness/lube. It took me a long time to figure out how to get my T/C Cherokee .32 to shoot as accurately as it's big brother Seneca .45.

If you're shooting buckshot, forget it. Buy a Lee .323 round ball mould and cast your own of pure lead. Weigh the balls and reject any that are 3-tenths of a grain lighter or heavier than the average. Measure the groove diameter and use a patch thickness twice the difference between goove measurement minus ball diameter. Yes, this is going to be very tight loading.

Patch lube needs to be very light and consistant from patch to patch. You might find that almost no lube shoots most accurately. Get or make a good ball-set and short starter--one that exactly matches the curve of the ball you are loading. Forget pre-cut patches--go with ticking or denim patch strips and cut patches at the muzzle. These are ALWAYS precisely centered. Use a SHARP knife--preferably one sharpened on only one side so you can cleanly cut the patch without scoring the muzzle.

Wipe the bore after every shot with a slightly damp (water only) patch to insure consistant bore condition. Your not cleaning, just wipe once down and up. This also prevents fouling buildup that severely affects accuracy.

Lastly, get an AMPCO replacement nipple (Track of the Wolf or Dixiegun) made for the T/C Cherokee. Regular steel nipples burn out very fast in the small bores and this also degrades accuracy. Yup, this is a lot of work, but you can always trade it in on one of those inlines if you're not up to it.

[mainiac]

Just bought a cherokee .32 myself, and i have got it shooting consistantly around .450-.550 @ 30 yards. Tried a bunch of lubes and patches, settled on musslin cotton fabric from walmart, .010 and t/c bore butter. With this set up, and the lee .311 round balls,it is a very easy push down the barrell, but is by far the most accurate set up,so far. I tried .015 pillow ticking,and the gun wouldnt do better than 1.5 inches! Seems to like a loose ball fit? Have to have a just barely lubed patch,or i get fliers. The balls cast out of this mold, will beat the hornady .315 hands down. Dont know how to figure any of it,but it works! Also, I found 23 grs of pyro P to be the load.

[dubber123]

Thanks guys, I have tried 20- and 25 gr. charges of Pyrodex P. Swaged balls, .315+ in diameter with a .005" patch, and with a .008" patch, all lightly lubed with bore butter. I also tried some .311 balls cast from a Lyman mold. The tighter combo, (pretty tight) shot better so far. The .315" balls with a .005" patch is pretty tight, so I don't think I could use a much larger ball. I found all my patches, and none were burned through. I'll try the lighter charge, and maybe some different patch thicknesses. Maybe a drier patch too. Thanks again.

[redbear705]

You dont mention the condition of your patch after firing.

My cousin is a country boy and has shot alot of guns.

When he got his 32 he was having all kinds of problems with it .....after checking out his barrel and balls he then checked his patch and found that it was cut on two of the lands. After checking consecutive patches he went and talked to a shop that dealt with black powder only guns. Upon inspection two of the lands had rough cut edges on them.

So the store owner told him to find an open range with no grass or shrubs that would catch fire...... He then told him to load 3-5 grns black powder.....and then put a wad of steel wool over the powder. Then to fire the shot....then spit patch it once and reload with 10gr 3fg and only use a patch of ticking that had spit on it for the ball.

It took five times doing this and the patch cuts disapeared and this accuracy improved alot. By the way I dont remember the size of the steel wool he used.

I have never had to do this to any of my bp rifles but then again I have never owned a .32 or .40 cal rifle either.


JR

[waksupi]

A friend had a .32 flinter. He would shoot 4f in it, and really make it crack. Don't kow his group sizes, but he did real well on gophers and such.

[KCSO]

The buytton rifled barrels sometimes seem to prefer a tight ball patch combo. I got one to shoot using a 318 ball and a 10 thou patch lubed with Ox Yoke. You had to use a hefty starter but it really cut the groups. I usually stuck with 12-20 grains for plinking and such and hit my sweet spot at 18 grains.

[straightshooter1]

Not certain, since I am no expert, but it sounds like maybe your projectiles are the problem. I have one, given to me by the owner of a gunshop because it had a cracked stock and "bullet" stuck in the barrel. The crack was bad, but I have a friend who is a wizard at fixing such things and the "bullet" turned out to be the head of the ramrod someone had broken off in the barrel.

With 20-30 grains of FFF it is a 50 yard tack driver:-D (I prefer 30), but I have only used Hornady's round balls in it so far. I have not tired anything less than 20 grains. Will pick up a mold in a few weeks and try to make something as good or better. Hornady's round balls are really good, though, IME, and I have used them in several front-stuffers of varous calibers.

Bob

[dubber123]

I have only tried my homecast smaller diameter balls, and the swaged .315's. I can't remember if they are Hornady or Speers. To answer Redbears question about patches, I found pretty much all of them in a small area, and none, even the thin .005" ones were cut or burned through. I can't feel any rough or tight spots in the bore. I will try some more fitting, and the lighter load, and then I'll have it recrowned if nothing else works. Maybe the crowns off, but I think T/C is generally pretty much on the ball about stuff like that, but who knows. Thanks.

[MT Gianni]

TC stocks are known for cracking at the wrist and covered by their lifetime warrenty. Gianni.

[waksupi]

Just for grins, check the barrel key. Loose? Tweak it a bit, and put some downward pressure on it. Already got pressure? Straighten it out. Never can tell, without trying.