Hello everyone, got a few questions for you. Despite having some black powder weapons for many years I'm still very much a novice that just enjoys the hell out of shooting these things.
This morning I was playing with loads for an upcoming short range hunt next month. Boomstick in question is a Traditions G4 Pursuit Northern Magnum in 50 cal. I didn't stretch it out too far today because I found out in a hurry last year a scope is just about useless where we hunt and this was an irons test day. Great irons though! Williams fire sights I believe they're called and what a lovely picture. So at only 40 yards or so I'm shooting sub inch groups with Barnes 290gr T-Ez saboted bullets. For whatever reason (sabot thickness?) these are loading slightly easier than the 250gr version from Barnes and I wanted to see if I could get a second sabot down without swabbing the bore. Did it snap the ramrod or give me a hernia or really open up the group? These are what I aimed to test out but encountered something else along the way I wanted to ask you guys about. Oh, and yes, you can absolutely get a 2nd round down the barrel without swabbing. It's only barely more effort than the first one, which isn't inconsiderable, but nothing that led me to think I was on the verge of snapping anything. Follow up shot landed within an inch of the first clean bore shot. Granted it took me two minutes to reload for that follow up shot, which is what prompts this long winded rambling.
So. What are your procedures for a follow up shot? Is it even realistic? Is the follow up shot the .44 on my belt because it's faster than a two minute reload and it's right there and we're inside a hundred yards anyway? I'll tell you how mine goes, deliberately skipping spit swab for speed's sake, and you are invited to poke holes in the method and steer me to smarter pastures.
Kablooey!! ... and now let's assume I need a second shot on an animal. Break weapon, pull primer. Pull ramrod from under barrel. ** Surely you guys are using the ramrod supplied and not dragging around a second range rod with you hunting??** Unscrew, flip, and screw back on extender/jag part of rod to make it longer. Screw on T handle because I can't imagine another way to seat a saboted bulled without a T handle all the way down to the charge. Pour speed loader tube of 777 FF loose powder in. Send bullet down the tube with rod. Unscrew T handle. Unscrew, flip, and re-screw extender jag part of field rod back on to itself and put back in home under barrel. Put T handle in pocket. Place 209 primer in breech plug. Look up and wonder where deer went in the half hour that's gone by.
This system has to be badly flawed. I notice even in the videos online guys are using field rods to mark charges but range rods to actually do the loading. What about hunting situations? Don't miss? Don't make a bad shot? How do you guys do the second shot and what steps can I improve on or eliminate to get back in the game quicker?
I hope that's not impossible to follow and I appreciate anyone who took the time to read it. Thanks guys and gals.
This morning I was playing with loads for an upcoming short range hunt next month. Boomstick in question is a Traditions G4 Pursuit Northern Magnum in 50 cal. I didn't stretch it out too far today because I found out in a hurry last year a scope is just about useless where we hunt and this was an irons test day. Great irons though! Williams fire sights I believe they're called and what a lovely picture. So at only 40 yards or so I'm shooting sub inch groups with Barnes 290gr T-Ez saboted bullets. For whatever reason (sabot thickness?) these are loading slightly easier than the 250gr version from Barnes and I wanted to see if I could get a second sabot down without swabbing the bore. Did it snap the ramrod or give me a hernia or really open up the group? These are what I aimed to test out but encountered something else along the way I wanted to ask you guys about. Oh, and yes, you can absolutely get a 2nd round down the barrel without swabbing. It's only barely more effort than the first one, which isn't inconsiderable, but nothing that led me to think I was on the verge of snapping anything. Follow up shot landed within an inch of the first clean bore shot. Granted it took me two minutes to reload for that follow up shot, which is what prompts this long winded rambling.
So. What are your procedures for a follow up shot? Is it even realistic? Is the follow up shot the .44 on my belt because it's faster than a two minute reload and it's right there and we're inside a hundred yards anyway? I'll tell you how mine goes, deliberately skipping spit swab for speed's sake, and you are invited to poke holes in the method and steer me to smarter pastures.
Kablooey!! ... and now let's assume I need a second shot on an animal. Break weapon, pull primer. Pull ramrod from under barrel. ** Surely you guys are using the ramrod supplied and not dragging around a second range rod with you hunting??** Unscrew, flip, and screw back on extender/jag part of rod to make it longer. Screw on T handle because I can't imagine another way to seat a saboted bulled without a T handle all the way down to the charge. Pour speed loader tube of 777 FF loose powder in. Send bullet down the tube with rod. Unscrew T handle. Unscrew, flip, and re-screw extender jag part of field rod back on to itself and put back in home under barrel. Put T handle in pocket. Place 209 primer in breech plug. Look up and wonder where deer went in the half hour that's gone by.
This system has to be badly flawed. I notice even in the videos online guys are using field rods to mark charges but range rods to actually do the loading. What about hunting situations? Don't miss? Don't make a bad shot? How do you guys do the second shot and what steps can I improve on or eliminate to get back in the game quicker?
I hope that's not impossible to follow and I appreciate anyone who took the time to read it. Thanks guys and gals.