KirkD
10-06-2008, 03:32 PM
Well I was all in a lather to try out the Winchester Model 1892 38 W.C.F. (38-40) that I had acquired back early last spring. I'd been waiting for a mould, then mould handles. I finally cast up a bunch of bullets on Saturday, using wheel weights and an RCBS mould. The bullets, lubed and sized to .401, weighted 188 grains.
When I arrived, I took a single shot at 50 yards. about 7" high and 5" to the left. The rear sight was as low as it would go, so looks like I'll be needing to swap the front sight for one that is a bit taller. I got a few here in my office. I tapped the rear sight to the right a bit and put a target up at 100 yards.
First 5 shots using 17 grains of 5744:
This load chrono'd at 1,291 fps with an E.S. of 62 fps and an S.D. of 24 fps. The very first shot was high for some reason. The next four were pretty close together, with three very close and the fourth just a half inch off the paper. The group of four measured just under 3". This load looks promising except for that dadgummed flyer.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/3855Win/Range%20Results/38-40-17-grains.jpg
Second 5 shots using 19 grains of 5744 and nice flat bottomed bullets:
The previous five shots were too far to the right, so I tapped the rear sight back left a wee bit. I put up a new target and sent another 5 rounds down range. This load chrono'd at 1,417 fps with an E.S. of 44 fps and an S.D. of 16 fps. I went down to take a look. It was awful. The holes were spread out over a whopping 6 & 3/4". I wouldn't call that a group. I'm not sure whether it is me just not used to the notch/front bead combination, or if it is the load, or both. Anyway, here's the target:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/3855Win/Range%20Results/38-40-19-grains-sharp.jpg
Third 5 shots using 19 grains of 5744 under bullets with a rounded bottom edge:
Due to me just learning how to cast, a number of my bullets came out with a rounded edge on the base, rather than a nice, sharp one. I figured I'd try these out just for curiosity to see what affect the rounded base edge had on accuracy. I held a bit lower this time on a new sheet of paper and let 'er rip. I walked down to see the target and was surprised to see that this group was way better than the one with the nice, sharp base edge. It's still nothing to write home about, but it is starting to resemble a group, except for the proverbial flyer. Perhaps I was getting a bit more used to these particular open iron sights. Here's the target
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/3855Win/Range%20Results/38-40-19-grains-round.jpg
I'm thinking of trying a faster powder, 2400 and a slower powder, 4198 next time. Also, I'll be trying some unsized bullets to see how they do. An investigation of the bore showed that there was no leading at all by the time I finished the last shot of round edged bullets. That tells me those bullets are probably sealing the bore reasonably well. Here's a photo of the old rifle:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/3855Win/temp-38-40.jpg
When I arrived, I took a single shot at 50 yards. about 7" high and 5" to the left. The rear sight was as low as it would go, so looks like I'll be needing to swap the front sight for one that is a bit taller. I got a few here in my office. I tapped the rear sight to the right a bit and put a target up at 100 yards.
First 5 shots using 17 grains of 5744:
This load chrono'd at 1,291 fps with an E.S. of 62 fps and an S.D. of 24 fps. The very first shot was high for some reason. The next four were pretty close together, with three very close and the fourth just a half inch off the paper. The group of four measured just under 3". This load looks promising except for that dadgummed flyer.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/3855Win/Range%20Results/38-40-17-grains.jpg
Second 5 shots using 19 grains of 5744 and nice flat bottomed bullets:
The previous five shots were too far to the right, so I tapped the rear sight back left a wee bit. I put up a new target and sent another 5 rounds down range. This load chrono'd at 1,417 fps with an E.S. of 44 fps and an S.D. of 16 fps. I went down to take a look. It was awful. The holes were spread out over a whopping 6 & 3/4". I wouldn't call that a group. I'm not sure whether it is me just not used to the notch/front bead combination, or if it is the load, or both. Anyway, here's the target:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/3855Win/Range%20Results/38-40-19-grains-sharp.jpg
Third 5 shots using 19 grains of 5744 under bullets with a rounded bottom edge:
Due to me just learning how to cast, a number of my bullets came out with a rounded edge on the base, rather than a nice, sharp one. I figured I'd try these out just for curiosity to see what affect the rounded base edge had on accuracy. I held a bit lower this time on a new sheet of paper and let 'er rip. I walked down to see the target and was surprised to see that this group was way better than the one with the nice, sharp base edge. It's still nothing to write home about, but it is starting to resemble a group, except for the proverbial flyer. Perhaps I was getting a bit more used to these particular open iron sights. Here's the target
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/3855Win/Range%20Results/38-40-19-grains-round.jpg
I'm thinking of trying a faster powder, 2400 and a slower powder, 4198 next time. Also, I'll be trying some unsized bullets to see how they do. An investigation of the bore showed that there was no leading at all by the time I finished the last shot of round edged bullets. That tells me those bullets are probably sealing the bore reasonably well. Here's a photo of the old rifle:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/3855Win/temp-38-40.jpg