first shots/anybody chrono bp & subs?

[moooose102]

i went out yesterday and shot my optima for the first time. started sighting it in, and realized i wasnt going to be able to do it. i bought a set of leopould see through scope mounts, and the scope sits right over the adjusting screw for the rear open sights. so i am going to have to remove the scope, sight in the opens, and then reinstall the scope and adjust the scope. always something. anyway, it doesnt have as much recoil / report as i had expected. i thought it would be much worse, especialy with 150 grains. either it has a much better recoil pad than my last bp rifle ( a knight bk-92) or i have gotten used to my .300 win mag and marlin 45/70. and, for what its worth, i shot 3 of loads of 7 year old real bp, and 10 shots of triple 7. unless there is a HUGE difference in velocity, i will NEVER shoot real bp again! triple 7 smells much less, is much easier to clean between shots, i just like it a lot better. if somebody has done a chrono test between bp and triple7, please post your results, i AM curious.

 

[Seancass]

i would think you could make a small tool that could reach under the mounts and turn the screw. something like a modified kitchen knife, ground to shape and possibly bent.

 

[Mark whiz]

mooooooooose,

I have chrony results for all my good loads with substitute powders at home. I'll post them for you sometime tonight.

 

[Mark whiz]

As promised, here is the data I obtained using my Chrony and Knight USAK rifle:


Bullet Charge Muzz. Velocity Muzz. Energy
1) 300gr XTP Mags 80gr 2fg 777 1501fps 1501 ft lbs.
2) 300gr SSTs 80gr 2fg 777 1490fps 1479 ft lbs.
3) 300gr Precision QTs 80gr 2fg 777 1477fps 1454 ft lbs.
4) 300gr Precision DCs 80gr 2fg 777 1400fps 1306 ft lbs.
5) 300gr Barnes MZs 80gr 2fg 777 1452fps 1405 ft lbs.
6) .490 Round Ball 70gr 2fg 777 1544fps 953 ft lbs.
7) 348gr Aero Powerbelt 90gr 2fg 777 1403fps 1521 ft lbs.
8) 348gr Lead Powerbelt 90gr 2fg 777 1425fps 1570 ft lbs.
9) 350gr PrecisionExtreme 90gr 3fg 777 1485fps 1714 ft lbs.
10) 350gr Precision QTs 90gr 3fg 777 1563fps 1899 ft lbs.
11) 360gr Prec. Plinker 90gr 3fg 777 1509fps 1821 ft lbs.
12) 385gr GreatPlainConical 85gr 2fg 777 1343fps 1542 ft lbs.
13) 460gr NoExcuses Con. 90gr 2fg 777 1259fps 1619 ft lbs.
14) 385gr NoExcuses 85gr 2fg 777 1384fps 1638 ft lbs.
(.45cal in sabot)
15) 400gr Precision QTs 100gr 3fg 777 1519fps 2050 ft lbs.
16) 400gr PrecisionExtreme 100gr 3fg 777 1474fps 1930 ft lbs.

All this data pretty much confirms what I had thought all along. This rifle has a sweet spot where it prefers its loads around a certain velocity. In this case, it likes its sabots running around 1500fps, conicals around 1325fps, and its PowerBelts around 1400fps. I can only ASSUME that other muzzleloading rifles will react this way too – having a preferred velocity sweet spot. Hopefully some of you here can apply this data for your own work ups in the future. Also as a reference, I should note that these 1500fps loads are listed as 1600fps loads on Hodgdon’s Load Data for 777 – I reckon that difference is probably caused by my shorter 22” barrel.