80 yard targets

[Wagon Box Willy]

Howdy,

Went out in the back yard this morning and shot off 10 rounds loaded with 70 gr by volume of KIK 2f, compressed .110, .025 card wad and a MBW 535gr Postell.  I threw out the bad readings.  Also, I wiped between every shot....I think I like that better than the blow tube.

fps =  1123,1134,1121,1146,1116,1110,1133

std dev = 12.26687

So how bad is my std dev and does the fps look about right?

I need a lot of practice so I'm going to go shoot off all mt "learning" loads after I warm up a bit.

Thanks
Willy

[Ranch 13]

Velocity looks about right.
Now just need to see how they group.

[Wagon Box Willy]

I bet they'll group great if you shoot them

[Wagon Box Willy]

Here's the group I just shot at 80 yards sitting at a table using the table cross sticks I made.  I was definitely swinging through the target so I think my lack of skill at this point is the issue and not the load.

[Ranch 13]

Looks to me like if you get things steadied up a touch, that rifle and load will amaze you.

[Wagon Box Willy]

Ranch 13,

Thanks.  Yes, I feel pretty good about the rifle but worry a bit about my capabilities at longer ranger.  I guess once it warms up I'll find out

Willy

[Ranch 13]

Good loads and plenty of trigger time, you'll get there in fine shape.

[Wagon Box Willy]

Bummer, looks like it will be warm this weekend and the wife's away...perfect for shootin' in the back yard.  Unfortunately I had sent my trigger off to Lee Shaver a few days ago.....shudda waited a week but it is supposed to be winter

[Wagon Box Willy]

Since no shooting today I decided to load up a few rounds by weight instead of volume.  Interesting enough my measure threw all 10 rounds to +/- 0.1 grain so I'm not going to use the scale again except for setting the initial charge.

Here are the Saeco 645, 480gr bullet (left) and the Lyman Postell, 535gr bullet (right) loaded over 70 gr of 2f KIK (by weight).  Both bullets are seated to achieve a COAL of about .020 under the max COAL for each bullet.

[Ranch 13]

Any idea when you'll get your trigger back?

[Wagon Box Willy]

Should be about a week turn around, it got there yesterday.

Edit:  Lee Shaver does a $35 trigger job.  You send in your trigger and he works on it and sends it back with a new trigger spring, it should be under two pounds pull and much smoother than factory. 

Plus my CAS pistols are out being worked on....I feel so naked

Willy

[cpt dan blodgett]

Since no shooting today I decided to load up a few rounds by weight instead of volume.  Interesting enough my measure threw all 10 rounds to +/- 0.1 grain so I'm not going to use the scale again except for setting the initial charge.

Here are the Saeco 645, 480gr bullet (left) and the Lyman Postell, 535gr bullet (right) loaded over 70 gr of 2f KIK (by weight).  Both bullets are seated to achieve a COAL of about .020 under the max COAL for each bullet.

Have had the same experience with my lyman powder measures.  Used to be paranoid about checking every 10 - 20 rounds on the scale.  Never had significant variation.  What is even more surprising is after being used for 17 years including being knocked over several times, but never knocked to the floor, when I weigh a charge on the old lyman scale, then weigh it on my new digital, the lyman scale is dead on.

[Wagon Box Willy]

Cpt Dan,

What surprise me is that I'm not using anything as sophisticated as a Lyman Powder measure, I'm using a simple Thompson Powder measure.



My method for loading this case is to fill up the powder measure with a Lee dipper and drop it into my drop tube with vibration.  The powder get's vibrated until I get another load ready, then I take it off the drop tube and insert a card wad.

After that I place another shell on the tube and repeat.  I give each case about the same amount of time for vibration using the process of filling the measure as the gauge.

What I did was take a $5 Walmart aquarium pump and screw it to the base of the drop tube.

Willy

[Wagon Box Willy]

Any idea when you'll get your trigger back?

I disassembled my rifle and mailed off the trigger and check to Lee, he received it on a Friday the 10th and must have done the work and mailed it out the same day because I received my trigger back on the following Monday the 13th (today).  So he had it and returned it to my door steep in two working days, one of which was a Saturday.  Pretty impressive.

I added a pictorial of how to remove and replace the trigger to my BPCR web page for anyone who's interested.

I still won't get to shoot it for a couple of week because I'm heading off to Australia on a business trip

Oh, it measured out at 2 pounds pull.

Willy

[Wagon Box Willy]

I did get to shoot at the 80 yard target off hand just before dusk.  The trigger certainly makes hitting the target whilst the barrel is sweeping through it a lot easier.  I was a tiny bit out of breath from running to get everything set up before it got too dark and I still hit the black (albeit a large black) 4 out of 4 times.  I'm happy with the way the trigger feels.

Willy

[Wagon Box Willy]

I wanted to get in a little time on my new trigger so I set up a target I downloaded from the Long Range BPCR website.  It is an 800 yard target scaled down for use at 100 yards.  I used it at 80 so I guess it was a little big but it was still pretty small at 5.5" of black.  I didn't bother to change the front sight insert but I know I would have benefited from that as the black was very small and left a lot of white between it and the round insert I was using.

I also wanted to shoot all my old bullets and test loads which is what I did.  I took 11 shots.  The flier to the far right was the fouling shot and the two fliers to the left I knew when I pulled the trigger that I yanked the rifle.  The rest seemed to hit in the same ragged group hole so I'm pretty happy with how both my trigger and how I shot in the test.

I shot sitting on a 8" tall stool using my cross sticks and a blow tube between shots.  Temp was 40.0°F, wind SSW @4.6mph and 47% humidity.  I was shooting north.

[Wagon Box Willy]

I have started to cast my own, beginning with the Lyman 457132 Postells

It took about 15 to get the hang of it but then I did 50 out of 53.



And then my first attempt at pan lubing.



It'll be a week or more before I get a change to load these up and shoot them.

Willy