Paper patch load development

[bodark]

Ok have only done about 150 rds of paper patch my best load is shooting sub minute vertical and about 1.5 minute horizontal at 200yds this may be as good as it gets, everything I've tried to improve just opens up. I would like to have the opinions of you more experienced paper patch shooters. Shiloh sharps standard chamber 30"heavy # 3 45/70 with mva sights. Starline brass necked only .200, exp back to.450 dia., cci br2 primer,under powder news wad, swiss 1F 85gr, 1 milk carton 2 .030 walters, about .200 compression, sagebrush elliptical 530 gr .443, baco paper to .449.5, seated .125 snug in case, and a snug fit into bore. Opinions appreciated Danny Norris

[country gent]

200yd testing is good 300 or farther is better Aiming error is about the same at the farther ranges as 200 helping to show actual loads performence. Testing diffrent paper for the wrap and or compression of powder might show a diffrence. Your load sounds like it is performing well as is.

[Don McDowell]

From the sounds of it, I'ld leave it alone and just shoot it for a while.

[Keith]

I agree.
If I could work up a consistant load that shot like that I would be very happy.
Well Done.
Keith

[semtav]

You haven't told us what you tried that is just opening it up. that would help.
Sounds like a good load already, but if you are wanting to get the last bit out of it, some things you could try are: different primers, ( a lot of them) different wad stack ( I like an .030 ldpe over a .030 walters but I'm shooting groove dia bullets.), different brass, (a friend tried remington and Starline with his groove dia pp loads and the starline was way better but yours might be just the opposite) brass stretched to fit the chamber exactly, brass annealed, different paper, different alloy, different powder (1F wouldn't be my choice) etc, etc

[BrentD]

If you are getting a consistent minute or less vertical, I think you are doing very well. about as well as you could hope for actually. The 1.5 MOA horizontal might be operator issues But with that in mind, some things you could consider
1. Seat the bullet less deeply in the case. try 0.1"
2. Try 1.5 fg powder or even 2f
3. Try one 0.060" LDPE wad instead of the load stack you have now
4. 85 grs with my batch of Swiss is pushing the max that I can fit in the case. I settled on 82.04 gr. If you haven't tried lesser amounts, you should, but 80 grs may be about as low as you can go and still have the bullet supported where it needs to be.
5. That bullet might be a bit of an issue at long range if shot in an 18 twist in a strong wind.
6. Drop the newspaper primer wad.

None of those things are going to make any major difference and may be as likely to have a negative effect as a positive one. In fact, one of the nice things about shooting a load like this is that it is particularly forgiving with a large window of good or even excellent accuracy. That you have it shooting this well in only 150 rounds of effort is pretty indicative of just how easy paper patch shooting can be.

[kokomokid]

Fouling control? My 80 plus grain test so far have shown heavy powder fouling.

[bodark]

Thanks for the info gives me a few things to think about and try have not tried ldpe its pretty sensitive to wads ( It likes 2-30 walters better than 1-60 probably because of the way it fits in the tight case neck). Danny