Shot round 4 of the Kent winter black-powder leagues with another exactly on average score of 80. This is the third card in a row with the same score.
Managed to get 5 shots inside the 9-ring, but still letting off some flyers. Again I used the previous setup with the Ballistol lube 17 recipe.
Stats
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Detail score: 80.0
Running average: 80.03
Barrel count: 509
Cards: 39
Next weekend it is the Trafalger Meeting down at Bisley. I am not shooting this year, but will be going to see the other Club members efforts, as well as spending some money at the trade fair. Hopefully I'll find some .354 balls!
Today the range was VERY busy, but managed to get on my favourite firing point and shoot rounds 2 & 3 of the Kent winter black-powder leagues.
This time the group was very slightly to the right. Shot an 80.1 Again I used the previous setup with the Ballistol lube 17 recipe.
The round 3 card was also an 80.1 A much better grouping position wise, but needs tightning up. Not sure how to achieve this. Again I used the previous setup with the Ballistol lube 17 recipe.
Stats
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Detail score: 80.1 + 80.1
Running average: 80.03
Barrel count: 496
Cards: 38
Arriving late at the range, I was the only person to shoot in the last detail of the morning, the other two shooters having slready started to pack up. In a bit of a rush to finish, I shot an off-center 76.0 for round 1 of the Kent winter black-powder leagues.
The group was about 3" to the left. Used the previous setup with the Ballistol lube 17 recipe.
Stats
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Detail score: 82.2
Running average: 80.03
Barrel count: 470
Cards: 36
I will repeat this setup on the next few competition cards.
Shot another practise card with the same recipe 17 lube. Very pleased with the loading and cleaning during the detail
Shot poorly though: only managed a disappointing 72 ex 100 with no v-bulls and no X's.
Opened another box of Hornady .350 balls. Only 300 still to go until I need to start casting my own .354 balls. Still trying to get a secondhand camping stove and a cast iron pan to melt the recycled lead with.
Stats
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Detail score: 72.0
Running average: 80.15
Barrel count: 457
Cards: 35
I think I have found my choice of patch lubricant to use in future! It's my recipe 17 - Ballistol:water 1:2. I wet the patches just before shooting the detail, then squeezed out any excess liquid. I then pull apart the damp patches and placed them, spread out, in an old percussion cap tin.
Although I dropped a couple of flyers, I started to get a good group in the center of the target, with two 'V-bulls' forming the score of 82.2 - I might need to drift the foresight slightly to the left.
Stats
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Detail score: 82.2
Running average: 80.39
Barrel count: 444
Cards: 34
The loading was very easy and the swabs came out dirty, but not excessively so. I think I will stay with this lube, unless someone can show me something better!
Yet more practise with the Mortimer. Using the same setup as before:
Set-up used
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Mortimer pistol in .36
0.015 patch [from JT Tanner]
6:1 olive oil:tallow lube [homemade - recipe 14]
0.350 lead balls [from Hornady]
10 grains Swiss Number 1 [from Starley]
Number 11 percussion caps [from Remington]
The result was a reasonable group, slightly to the right, but with none in the 10-ring.
83.0 ex 100
Ran in to several problems with loading. Found that the swab between shots was not clearing the soot properly; the short starter was difficult on several reloads, also the ball was not always seating fully home every time.
I am not happy with this, so will look at practising with other lubes, probably recipe "03" the Ballistol:water 1:1 mix which I noted "seems to work well, expensive though".
Stats
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Detail score: 83.0
Running average: 80.33
Barrel count: 431
Cards: 33
The first card of the session was an 82.0 with no 'V' bulls. Using 10gns of Swiss No.1 with a .350 Hornady ball on top of a 0.015 patch lightly lubed with Olive Oil:Tallow 6:1. I threw a couple of flyers, but managed a fairly good group about 2" to the right.
 |
| 82.0 |
The patches came and dirty and the balls were easy to load. Although I had problems with this lube 'splattering' last time, I kept the tin with the unused patches from last time, and just added another 50 or so patches to soak up the excess lube. This made all the difference. DO NOT OVERLUBE YOUR PATCHES!
For the second card I swapped over to 0.012 patches lubed with Water:Aqueous Creme 4:1. The patches and ball loaded a lot easier, although the patches were for a larger calibre (.45), so the excess patch around the edges did make it harder to use the short starter (the excess had to be tucked in). The result was a 77.0
 |
| 77.0 |
The down side is that the group has opened up quite dramatically. The combination in future will be .350 ball and 0.015 patch. The only question to be decided upon is the lube to be used.
Stats
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Running average: 80.15
Barrel Count: 418
Cards: 32
