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Post by clubber on Jan 16, 2007 22:27:59 GMT -5
Hey guys I have been having a blast shooting my Thompson Center Black Diamond .50, except I can't get the darn thing to shoot accurate. i cant' even get a consistent group @ 25 yds! i have been shooting pyrodex RS w/musket caps. i amusing TC maxi ball pre-lubed 370 gr. i have experimented w/different powder loads, and i swab my barrel with a wet patch and a dry between every shot. i try to seat the maxi-ball the same every time. oh yeah i also shot several Hornady plains? (forgot the name) hollow point conicals, 485 gr. same result, no grouping. i need some help. i think maybe my techinique is at fault on some shots, but i have put around 60 rounds through the gun with no consistency. any ideas would be appreciated.
Brian
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Post by hunt4fun1 on Jan 16, 2007 23:25:03 GMT -5
Hey bro....welcome to SHF!! Glad to have you with us.
I'm gonna move your post to the Muzzle Loading section in Firearms. You will get more answers there than if I let it sit here.
Again, very glad to have you with us and good luck with the muzzy.
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Post by hunt4fun1 on Jan 16, 2007 23:28:31 GMT -5
K.....I'm not much of a front end loader but I know alot about firearms.
How long have you had the gun? Did you buy it new or pre-owned?
The reason I ask is because I know a bit about Thompson and I know they have a fantastic reputation for shooting MOA out of the box.
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Post by deerslayer11 on Jan 17, 2007 5:07:27 GMT -5
Have you tried any of the Sabot bullets?
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Post by noonebil on Jan 17, 2007 10:45:43 GMT -5
My suggestions:
Make sure you have a solid rest.
Make sure your sights/scope are tight & in good repair.
Have a friend load the gun for you & at random leave the percussion cap off (withot you knowing). This will tell if you are flinching.
Use a piece of tape on your ramrod (placed where the rod is in the barrel at the proper depth) to insure you are getting the same seating on your bullet every time. You may want to get a tee-handle ramrod for better seating of the bullet.
Start with the manufactures recommendations for powder & bullet, but experiment (keeping safety parameters in mind) to see what your smokepole likes.
Your problem sounds like operator error & a not defective gun. As stated before, this gun should get good accuracy out of the box. Remember though, this is a muzzleloader & not a sniper rifle. Don't expect clover leaf grouping at any distance. 2" groups for a smoke pole is usually very acceptable.
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Post by hunt4fun1 on Jan 17, 2007 11:35:36 GMT -5
Have a friend load the gun for you & at random leave the percussion cap off (withot you knowing). This will tell if you are flinching. Another suggestion is to actually have a friend try and group it, If he cvan get groups out of it and you can't than we'll know for sure what the problem is. |
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Post by NitroHunter on Jan 17, 2007 20:50:50 GMT -5
Welcome to the SHF.
Here's something to try. Shoot 3-5 rounds before you clean your rifle and then just swab the barrel out with a dry patch or two( don't clean it out perfect.)
It may sound a little off the wall but I'll bet it will shoot better groups with a little build up in the barrel.
I had a friend that had the same problem and this helped him. I always shoot a few rounds before our short ML season opens and don't clean it until season is over.......I've not run into any problems yet.
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Post by deerslayer11 on Jan 18, 2007 7:39:03 GMT -5
I cant remember the last time I cleaned mine. I lost my tools to take it apart. Im shooting 777 though.
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Post by NitroHunter on Jan 18, 2007 14:51:08 GMT -5
I was going to say that he should try 777 or pyrodex pellets.
777 is probabably the cleanest there is.
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Post by kodiakhunter on Jan 24, 2007 2:01:01 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum, and please don't get discouraged. I've been shooting front-stuffers since 1977, and have learned quite a few tricks. First of all, I found out right from the start, that a percussion, or flintlock (traditional, not quite so much in-lines) need to be "shot-in" before they start to pattern good. This merely knocks off the rough edges of the rifling lands. You can expidite this by using Iosso Bore-paste, say a dozen or so times the full length of the bore. In my early years, I took an under-sized bore brush & rolled 0000 steel-wool on it & scrubbed the bore to knock off the rough edges, instead of burning a hundred of so rounds through it to achieve the same results.
Another important factor is the rate of twist of the rifling, and the weight of the bullets used. If the rate of twist is, say 1 in 48", up to about, say 1 in 34", try a lighter bullet, say 200 grain, up to about 250, or even 270 grain. The point I'm trying to make, is that the faster rate of twist in the barrel, will stabilize a longer, or heavier bullet better. My .54 Kodiak has a twist of 1 in 24", and shoots a 405 grain Power-belt bullet tighter than a 300 grain. My little .50 caliber Pennsylvania percussion, has a 1 in 38" twist, and shoots a 245 grain tighter than a 345 grain. Those are all with the same powder charge. The type of powder that you use may make some difference, but personally, I don't think it's that significant. If any thing, it effects the velocity, more than anything, as some brands of powder burn a little faster/slower than others, of the same granulation. Some people will shoot "target charges", but when I target-shoot, I use the same powder charge that I hunt with, to help eliminate differences. Good-Luck & Good-Shootin'. Wayne.
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Post by clubber on Jan 27, 2007 12:56:25 GMT -5
hey guys thanks for all the responses. i think i took a big step in the right direction. first of all, i have been shooting every weekend, so i am getting used to how the gun shoots. second i quit swabbing my barrel with a wet patch between shots, and started using Hoppes #9 solvent/lubricant. what a difference! i think i was leaving a bit of moisture in the barrel at the breech, and my pyrodex was getting a little wet. what do you guys think? i could see how water could accumulate in the breech plug. anyway i'm havin a blast shootin my smokepole!
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