Traditional rifle with a twist

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cayuga

In Remembrance
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Semisane kind of got me excited about shooting this rifle again. A week or more ago, he'd posted some pictures of his outing with a .50 caliber GMB with a fast twist. In that range session he was shooting 3f Goex and some 250 grain Gold Dots I believe. Since I have the same rifle, powder, and projectiles, I wanted to see what mine would do.

I started off at 30 yards just to make sure I was on target. I was having a ball shooting with the scoped rifle at that distance.

4-26-11.jpg


I was swabbing with spit at first every other shot (forgot the cleaner) and it was laying them in there pretty good. I finally went and got some cleaner and swabbed the barrel clean.

I then moved the target back to 75 yards and since I had shot off all the 250 grain Gold Dot projectiels I changed over to the 300 grain 454 Casull Gold Dot. I was using the short black sabots and still kept shooting 90 grains of Goex 3f.

4-26-1050GMB010.jpg


The first four shots kind of surprised me. I was swabbing with Rusty Duck Black Off solvent. Then I realized I had change a few things in the manner I had addressed the rifle and the bench rest. I had lowered the chair, and was leaning into the rifle a lot more. So before I changed any scope settings, I cleaned the rifle again, and went back to the old style of the bench rest and the old seat height.

Well it sure made a difference on the target. Something that simple. That might explain why at 30 yards they were high and right also. It also tightened up the group and put it where it should be. I knew this rifle was sighted in at 75 yards as that is standard for me.

Does this load have power? I believe it does. Muzzle loaders are powerful rifles. If you need a reminder, here is a 1/2 inch steel plate I used to shoot into.

4-26-1050GMB004.jpg


Those holes and dents were not caused by birds. Because I could shoot through that plate I went to some 3/4 in thick plate. That has been stopping the bullets I shoot, real well.

4-26-1050GMB012.jpg


A 1-28 fast twist barrel on a Traditional muzzle loader, with a scope mounted. That is kind of a twist. But it is a good shooter.
 
Good shooting Cayugad. How much does that big old hunk of steel plate weigh anyway?

It's a sin to scope a sidelock. (But, like many sins, is sure is fun. :lol: )

6.jpg
 
If that rifle were a turkey, it would weigh just under nine pounds, scope and all. According to my turkey scale.
 
Yes they are drilled and tapped. You take the rear sight off and then there is a small screw in front of the tang you remove. Lay the mount (off set) on there and use the screws that come with the mount to set it. The hammer then misses the whole thing.

I was shooting 90 grains of 3f and the recoil was very comfortable.


Semisane.. as for that sheet of steel.. I had to pull it into the woods with my ATV. The stuff I have further back is even more massive. Its the shoes off a road grater.
 
Yeah, if I could see, I guess I wouldn't need a scope, but don't forget, a lot of those old mountain men were long dead before they reached my age. The target with 2 holes is at 150, the other at 100 yards. Love those sidelocks! 240 gr. XTP over 100gr. 777.
jan-feb2009muzzleloader2.jpg
 
That is some great shooting there. I want to get out to some of the longer distances with my rifles this summer. But it is so dry right now, there is no way they would let me in the hay fields..
 

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