Trapper's of Starved Rock
St. Charles, Missouri
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| sighting in your Muzzle loader |
Black Powder
I use Goex FFg black powder in all my long guns. In general the rule is to use FFFG in pistols and long guns up to 50 caliber and FFg in
larger calibers. (See the article on muzzle velocity) I recommend you start by following this rule. Keep your powder in a safe, handy
container. I use a John Adams powder horn and I recommend them to you. Whatever you use, horn, flask or can, never pour powder directly
from the container into the barrel of your gun. There could still be a spark from your previous shot in the barrel and you have a BOMB in
your hand. Pour the powder from the horn into a powder measure and then into the gun. That way you only have a little bomb in your hand.
I have never seen or heard of this happening, but it could. I’m not trying to scare you with all this talk of the dangers of muzzle loading. In all
my years of shooting I have only seen three potentially dangerous gun accidents and only one of those hurt someone. That was on the
bench rest firing line at the NMLRA National Championship matches in Friendship Indiana. That’s where the real pros shoot. HA. A bench
rest shooter was ready to shoot, but when he looked down his sights he saw that he had not removed the false muzzle from the end of his
rifle. A false muzzle is used to protect the mouth of the barrel when loading. So this foolish person reached up to pull off the false muzzle.
The rifle must have been cocked because it went off and removed the shooter’s finger.
OK here we go. You are at the range. When the range is safe, place your target at 25 yards from your shooting bench. With your cleaning
Jag on your ramrod or loading rod run a dry patch down the barrel to clean out any oil and ensure it is clear. You need an adjustable
powder measure. If you have a small caliber gun and are using FFFG start with a load of powder equal to your caliber, e.g. 45 grains of
FFFG in a 45 cal gun. If you are using FFG in a larger bore gun, start with 120% of the caliber e.g. 60 grains of FFg in a 50 cal. gun. Pour it
down the barrel.
Select the thickest patch material that you think will work and wet a patch strip with lube as described above and center it over the bore.
Place your ball sprue-up centered over the bore. Place your short starter on the ball and give it a sharp rap with the heel of your hand. If the
ball doesn’t begin to enter the bore, your ball/patch combination is too large/thick. Repeat the patch ball process above with thinner patch
material till the ball enters the barrel. Remember you want the thickest patch that will load easily. The top of the ball should be level with the
muzzle. Cut the excess patch off level with the muzzle using your sharp patch knife. Use the short starter to shove the ball down the barrel
as far as it will reach. Place your ram rod in the barrel and grasp the ramrod about a foot above the muzzle. Push the ball down a foot and
repeat until the ball is seated on the powder. Always take short strokes to push the ball down. Right, Tom?
When you think the ball is seated, pull the ramrod out ¾ of the way and throw it back down the barrel. If the ball is seated the ramrod will
bounce back up the barrel.
Make sure the range is hot/open. Place the balance point of the gun on your sandbag rest and sit down and look along the sights at the
target. Get comfortable with your elbows on the shooting bench. Prime or cap your gun. Cock the gun and aim at the center of the cross.
The front sight blade and the rear sight horizontal top edge should be right on the horizontal bar of the cross. The front blade is right on the
vertical of the cross. Take a deep breath, let it half out, refocus on the target and when the sight picture is perfect, squeeze the trigger.
BOOM. Hole in the target.
Wet a cleaning patch with cleaning solution- wet but not dripping and run it down the barrel with the ramrod. Pull out the patch, turn it over
and run it down again. Next do the same with a dry patch, then another dry patch to make sure the bore is dry.
Do the whole process over again 4 more times. You should have 5 holes in the target, or one big ragged hole where 5 balls hit. (If any of
your shots missed the target, move the target closer to 15 yards and start over.) Go get your target and put up another one just like it.
Now document your target for the record. Write on the used target the following: date, weather, gun, yardage, bench rest or offhand, ball
size, patch material, lube,
powder brand, granulation, and charge size. At this point we are not concerned with where the holes are with respect to the center of the
cross. We are looking for the load that minimizes the group size – the smallest variation shot to shot. Group size is measured by the
maximum distance between hole centers both vertically and horizontally. Keep this document for your records. Figure 1 is an example of a
target record. Five shots in one elongated hole is about the best I can do because of my eyesight these days.
Obviously the gun is shooting much too high, but this is at 25 yards.
Tip #2 each time you walk out to change targets look for your patches and pick them up. If your patches are ripped or burned through they
will harm the accuracy. You may need a stronger weave or thicker patch. Always check your patches.
Now change one of the variables. In this case increase the powder charge by 5 grains and do it all again. Then add 5 more grains and do it
all again. If things follow the normal mode the group size will get smaller as the powder charge increases. If you reach the point that there is
just one rather large hole, you should move the target out to 50 yards and repeat the last charge size series and move on from there.
At some point you will exceed the best charge for your gun and the group will get bigger. At this point you can decrease the charge by two
and a half grains to see if the best load is between the last 2 series.
Now you know the best powder charge for your gun- in combination with all the other conditions you fixed- patching, ball size etc. Now place
a target out at 50 yards if you haven’t before. Fire your 5 shots as before, and if you are satisfied with the accuracy you have there, you are
done working up a load. If not then you can use the above process to find a better patch or lube or??
When you are satisfied with your load, load your gun and mark a second ring around your ramrod or loading rod as before. This is your
“Full Load Mark”.
Changing the Sights
If your best group isn’t on the vertical axis of the cross you may need to move your sights. But don’t do it right away. Your eye alignment with
the sights while you are sitting at your shooting bench may not be the same as when you are standing. Set out a target at 50 yards and
shoot 5 shots at it from a standing position with the gun resting on a tree limb or held against a post. If the holes still are in the same area as
before you can try moving the sights – a little at a time. Move the front sight toward the holes. If your ball holes are left of the target vertical,
move the front sight left. Move the rear sight in the opposite direction. Be careful to not mar the barrel finish.
Figure 2 shows my first target with my 62 cal. smoothbore. I got a fair group but it is 2.75 inches left. I gotta work on that.
Now set up targets at 25, 50, 75 and 100 yards. Shoot 5 shots from the bench at each of these targets just as before but with your “Best
Load”. Aim at the center of the cross. At long range you may need to put a sheet of paper below your target because the ball may drop
enough to miss the target paper. Now you know where the ball hits at each range. You must decide the range where you want the sights to
be dead on. What range will you do most of your shooting? At all other ranges you will need to shoot a little high or low to hit the bull’s eye. If
you decide 50 yards is your dead on target distance look at the 50 yard target you shot from the bench. Measure how high or low from the
center of the cross the balls hit. If the balls hit low, you must reduce the height of your front sight- move the sight to the impact point. If the
impacts are high you can reduce the height of the top edge of your rear sight, or you can replace the front sight with a taller one.
Take it slow. Move the sight a little and shoot another target as before to see where the holes are. For example if the front sight is 36” from
the rear sight and you move the front sight to the left 1/16 inch, the impact point at 50 yards moves 3.125 inches left. It’s simple geometry.
Take it slow.
When you have you gun sighted in dead center where you want it, you must find where it shoots at all other ranges where you may want to
shoot. Set targets at 10, 25, 35, 75, 100, and ?? yards and use the same shoot, clean, shoot process at each range. Keep the target
records. Measure how high or low the center of the group is at each range, write it all down and memorize it.
Good Luck. If you want to be a good shot there is only one way I know to do it. It’s the well known “way to Carnegie Hall”.
I use Goex FFg black powder in all my long guns. In general the rule is to use FFFG in pistols and long guns up to 50 caliber and FFg in
larger calibers. (See the article on muzzle velocity) I recommend you start by following this rule. Keep your powder in a safe, handy
container. I use a John Adams powder horn and I recommend them to you. Whatever you use, horn, flask or can, never pour powder directly
from the container into the barrel of your gun. There could still be a spark from your previous shot in the barrel and you have a BOMB in
your hand. Pour the powder from the horn into a powder measure and then into the gun. That way you only have a little bomb in your hand.
I have never seen or heard of this happening, but it could. I’m not trying to scare you with all this talk of the dangers of muzzle loading. In all
my years of shooting I have only seen three potentially dangerous gun accidents and only one of those hurt someone. That was on the
bench rest firing line at the NMLRA National Championship matches in Friendship Indiana. That’s where the real pros shoot. HA. A bench
rest shooter was ready to shoot, but when he looked down his sights he saw that he had not removed the false muzzle from the end of his
rifle. A false muzzle is used to protect the mouth of the barrel when loading. So this foolish person reached up to pull off the false muzzle.
The rifle must have been cocked because it went off and removed the shooter’s finger.
OK here we go. You are at the range. When the range is safe, place your target at 25 yards from your shooting bench. With your cleaning
Jag on your ramrod or loading rod run a dry patch down the barrel to clean out any oil and ensure it is clear. You need an adjustable
powder measure. If you have a small caliber gun and are using FFFG start with a load of powder equal to your caliber, e.g. 45 grains of
FFFG in a 45 cal gun. If you are using FFG in a larger bore gun, start with 120% of the caliber e.g. 60 grains of FFg in a 50 cal. gun. Pour it
down the barrel.
Select the thickest patch material that you think will work and wet a patch strip with lube as described above and center it over the bore.
Place your ball sprue-up centered over the bore. Place your short starter on the ball and give it a sharp rap with the heel of your hand. If the
ball doesn’t begin to enter the bore, your ball/patch combination is too large/thick. Repeat the patch ball process above with thinner patch
material till the ball enters the barrel. Remember you want the thickest patch that will load easily. The top of the ball should be level with the
muzzle. Cut the excess patch off level with the muzzle using your sharp patch knife. Use the short starter to shove the ball down the barrel
as far as it will reach. Place your ram rod in the barrel and grasp the ramrod about a foot above the muzzle. Push the ball down a foot and
repeat until the ball is seated on the powder. Always take short strokes to push the ball down. Right, Tom?
When you think the ball is seated, pull the ramrod out ¾ of the way and throw it back down the barrel. If the ball is seated the ramrod will
bounce back up the barrel.
Make sure the range is hot/open. Place the balance point of the gun on your sandbag rest and sit down and look along the sights at the
target. Get comfortable with your elbows on the shooting bench. Prime or cap your gun. Cock the gun and aim at the center of the cross.
The front sight blade and the rear sight horizontal top edge should be right on the horizontal bar of the cross. The front blade is right on the
vertical of the cross. Take a deep breath, let it half out, refocus on the target and when the sight picture is perfect, squeeze the trigger.
BOOM. Hole in the target.
Wet a cleaning patch with cleaning solution- wet but not dripping and run it down the barrel with the ramrod. Pull out the patch, turn it over
and run it down again. Next do the same with a dry patch, then another dry patch to make sure the bore is dry.
Do the whole process over again 4 more times. You should have 5 holes in the target, or one big ragged hole where 5 balls hit. (If any of
your shots missed the target, move the target closer to 15 yards and start over.) Go get your target and put up another one just like it.
Now document your target for the record. Write on the used target the following: date, weather, gun, yardage, bench rest or offhand, ball
size, patch material, lube,
powder brand, granulation, and charge size. At this point we are not concerned with where the holes are with respect to the center of the
cross. We are looking for the load that minimizes the group size – the smallest variation shot to shot. Group size is measured by the
maximum distance between hole centers both vertically and horizontally. Keep this document for your records. Figure 1 is an example of a
target record. Five shots in one elongated hole is about the best I can do because of my eyesight these days.
Obviously the gun is shooting much too high, but this is at 25 yards.
Tip #2 each time you walk out to change targets look for your patches and pick them up. If your patches are ripped or burned through they
will harm the accuracy. You may need a stronger weave or thicker patch. Always check your patches.
Now change one of the variables. In this case increase the powder charge by 5 grains and do it all again. Then add 5 more grains and do it
all again. If things follow the normal mode the group size will get smaller as the powder charge increases. If you reach the point that there is
just one rather large hole, you should move the target out to 50 yards and repeat the last charge size series and move on from there.
At some point you will exceed the best charge for your gun and the group will get bigger. At this point you can decrease the charge by two
and a half grains to see if the best load is between the last 2 series.
Now you know the best powder charge for your gun- in combination with all the other conditions you fixed- patching, ball size etc. Now place
a target out at 50 yards if you haven’t before. Fire your 5 shots as before, and if you are satisfied with the accuracy you have there, you are
done working up a load. If not then you can use the above process to find a better patch or lube or??
When you are satisfied with your load, load your gun and mark a second ring around your ramrod or loading rod as before. This is your
“Full Load Mark”.
Changing the Sights
If your best group isn’t on the vertical axis of the cross you may need to move your sights. But don’t do it right away. Your eye alignment with
the sights while you are sitting at your shooting bench may not be the same as when you are standing. Set out a target at 50 yards and
shoot 5 shots at it from a standing position with the gun resting on a tree limb or held against a post. If the holes still are in the same area as
before you can try moving the sights – a little at a time. Move the front sight toward the holes. If your ball holes are left of the target vertical,
move the front sight left. Move the rear sight in the opposite direction. Be careful to not mar the barrel finish.
Figure 2 shows my first target with my 62 cal. smoothbore. I got a fair group but it is 2.75 inches left. I gotta work on that.
Now set up targets at 25, 50, 75 and 100 yards. Shoot 5 shots from the bench at each of these targets just as before but with your “Best
Load”. Aim at the center of the cross. At long range you may need to put a sheet of paper below your target because the ball may drop
enough to miss the target paper. Now you know where the ball hits at each range. You must decide the range where you want the sights to
be dead on. What range will you do most of your shooting? At all other ranges you will need to shoot a little high or low to hit the bull’s eye. If
you decide 50 yards is your dead on target distance look at the 50 yard target you shot from the bench. Measure how high or low from the
center of the cross the balls hit. If the balls hit low, you must reduce the height of your front sight- move the sight to the impact point. If the
impacts are high you can reduce the height of the top edge of your rear sight, or you can replace the front sight with a taller one.
Take it slow. Move the sight a little and shoot another target as before to see where the holes are. For example if the front sight is 36” from
the rear sight and you move the front sight to the left 1/16 inch, the impact point at 50 yards moves 3.125 inches left. It’s simple geometry.
Take it slow.
When you have you gun sighted in dead center where you want it, you must find where it shoots at all other ranges where you may want to
shoot. Set targets at 10, 25, 35, 75, 100, and ?? yards and use the same shoot, clean, shoot process at each range. Keep the target
records. Measure how high or low the center of the group is at each range, write it all down and memorize it.
Good Luck. If you want to be a good shot there is only one way I know to do it. It’s the well known “way to Carnegie Hall”.
