Ugly Sauce
Member
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2020
- Messages
- 6,250
Yep, I slapped on some bling. I kind of like it, might not be your piece of cake. !!
Anyhow, range report, probably/maybe might get long. Dang, it DID get long!
This is the best I could do with it, at 50 yards. The Miroku lumpy bore just don't want to shoot. I did, do want to use it as a trekking gun, as it's powerful, relatively light, shoulders fast, 100% reliable, and carries well. This best target was with 100 grains 2fg Goex, single 570" ball, and .015" patch. Wax wad over powder, and a felt wad over that. Some of the patches were blown pretty bad, so one last thing I can try is going back to the .565" ball and use a thicker patch. But by this time, I figured I had made enough noise for the day. The Short Snorter does have a bark as bad as it's bite.
I started out with the double-ball load, which was 100 grains 3fg Swiss, wax wad, patched .565" ball, felt wad, second patched ball. With that load she printed high and right, I mean real high, but only a 4.75" spread between the balls at 50. One load I forgot the wad between the balls, and that opened the spread a lot. Like a foot. Recoil was "serious".
Well, printing so high was not what I was really looking for, so I thought I'd re-visit some slugs. First the REAL 440, which comes out of my mold at 456 grains. 100 grains 3fg Swiss. SPG lube. Just as in the past, two shots would show promise, then a wild flyer to the right. I tried it with some different wad combinations, but same results. Boy, those REALs sure cut the cleanest holes. Those things are stable. The holes look like they were cut out with a punch or razor of exacto knife or something.
Then I went to some .575" Minne' balls, 525 grains. Hollow base filled with bondo, and then bullet dipped in hot bee's wax. I had experimented with these in my 1861 last year, with mixed results. They were left-overs from that. These bullets are too undersized, and will drop right down the bore. The thick wax coating keeps them centered, and "fits" them to the bore. Same thing, high and right, (real high) and after couple of promising shots, wild flyer way right. Bullet holes showed they were flying stable and nose first. No signs of tipping. Flyers were cutting clean holes.
So...I don't know. At 25-30 yards or closer the double ball load would provide good bear defense, but I would not trust it for subsistence deer hunting over 40 yards in an emergency. If her only talent is 25 yard blasting, I might as well take my short little (legal) 12 gauge double. At least it will take small game with shot loads. If I was Mr. Money bags, I'd have that barrel smooth bored out as far as possible, and it would shoot better at 50 than what it is doing now.
The slug loads I don't trust, as I don't know when a wild flyer will happen. It's funny that the REAL will not shoot consistently.
I know some will say if I throttle back the powder charges she may shoot, but as a defense gun in grizzly country I just can't justify less than 100 grains. Other opinions will vary, for sure, and that's okay.
Next shooting session, I'll try the .565's and a thicker patch. In the mean time, the Short Snorter says "thanks for listening", and she hopes you like her BLING. !!!
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