I took the Rector rifle to the range today.
My load was a .389 ball in a 0.018" pillow ticking patch lubed with Hoppe's No.9 BP Lube and Bore Cleaner, on top of 50 grains of Goex 3Fg. This seated easily with only thumb pressure in the muzzle. It shot several inches high at 50 yards from the bench but unfortunately did not group well. I think it's too loose a patch/ball combination.
So I decided to try a thicker patch on my 12th shot. I had some 0.020" patch material with me. I loaded it up and it was noticeably more snug. However, on this shot, the cleanout screw blew out.
The screw didn't go far, landing on the shooting bench. This obviously put an end to shooting the rifle for the day so I cleaned it up and put it away.
After getting home and inspecting the screw closely it looks like the threads stripped out. I think what happened is that was undersized and let go with the higher pressure with the tighter patch.
It looks like I can retap the hole for the cleanout screw hole to accept a 10-32 screw to get the gun back into shooting condition.
Aside from being a bit undersized, the .389 balls didn't look so great. I've had excellent results from Rush Creek balls previously but these didn't look good. I got a Lee .390 mold in and will cast up a bunch to try.
If I can't get the rifle grouping well I'll probably send the barrel to Bobby Hoyt and have it rebored to .45.
Anyway, aside from the Rector rifle I also brought my Numrich Arms H&A Heritage Model underhammer .45. I've always shot .440 balls from it since that what my dad used when he taught me to shoot with it. I decided to try .433 balls for easier loading because I want to shoot it from woods walks without using a mallet to start the balls. With the .433 balls in ticking over 50 grains of Goex 3Fg, all the holes were touching from the 50 yard bench. After I got home I ordered a Lee .433 mold.
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2 comments:
That underhammer looks like just the medicine for whitetail! looking forward to future reports on the other rifle. Tighter ball/patch combo should tighten things up, but we won't know 'til you try. I've lately been reading Samuel W. Baker's works again and have a serious urge for shooting black powder. Still haven't located a source for the powder here though.
Thanks, Paul.
I'm actually planning to use a couple .54s for deer this year. The deer in northern PA get very big and the one I shot 2 years ago with a .50 ran too far for my tastes, even though the shot wrecked the lungs. I didn't get a full passthrough and the blood trail was poor.
I bought a .54 barrel for that rifle (a caplock Cabela's Hawken) to use during the October antlerless-only season, and at the beginning of 2024 I got a flintlock Investarm Gemmer Hawken .54. That's the current incarnation of the Lyman Great Plains rifle. I'll use that in the late season after Christmas, which is flintlock only.
A 230 grain .530 ball pushed by 80 grains of FFg should give me complete penetration and a better blood trail.
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