BCRider
Member
I found out just how important the lowly patch is to accuracy this past weekend.
I was walking the black powder trail at my club's big summer shoot doing the pistol targets with a caplock .45caliber Ardessa stubby pistol.
The first 7 targets I only hit 3. Then I switched over to a slightly thicker patch to try it out. Suddenly I was Deadeye Dan, Eagle Eye Earl and Sharpshooter Sam all rolled up into one and hit all nine of the remaining targets on the course.
I'd previously also noted that my accuracy with my .50cal Lyman GPR had fallen off badly. Which, as it happens, coincided with the switch from .490 ball with thicker patching over to using the 4 boxes of .495 balls I'd bought on sale with a thinner patch. Now I'm thinking that it isn't me so much as the switch to the new combo.
Apparently I need to spend a couple of quality afternoons at the range on a quiet day where I can just play with combinations until I find a couple of options that the rifle likes.
Like I said, it's slow going but I AM learning.....
One question. Did I go a little too far in trying to use .495 balls with a thin patch in the .50 bore?
I'm also starting to feel like there's a "happy" feel on the ramrod when things are going right. Like the rod shouldn't be able to ram the PRB home too easily but at the same time I shouldn't have to use a handy trail side rock as a hammer to "pile drive" the PRB home. Thoughts on this?
I was walking the black powder trail at my club's big summer shoot doing the pistol targets with a caplock .45caliber Ardessa stubby pistol.
The first 7 targets I only hit 3. Then I switched over to a slightly thicker patch to try it out. Suddenly I was Deadeye Dan, Eagle Eye Earl and Sharpshooter Sam all rolled up into one and hit all nine of the remaining targets on the course.
I'd previously also noted that my accuracy with my .50cal Lyman GPR had fallen off badly. Which, as it happens, coincided with the switch from .490 ball with thicker patching over to using the 4 boxes of .495 balls I'd bought on sale with a thinner patch. Now I'm thinking that it isn't me so much as the switch to the new combo.
Apparently I need to spend a couple of quality afternoons at the range on a quiet day where I can just play with combinations until I find a couple of options that the rifle likes.
Like I said, it's slow going but I AM learning.....
One question. Did I go a little too far in trying to use .495 balls with a thin patch in the .50 bore?
I'm also starting to feel like there's a "happy" feel on the ramrod when things are going right. Like the rod shouldn't be able to ram the PRB home too easily but at the same time I shouldn't have to use a handy trail side rock as a hammer to "pile drive" the PRB home. Thoughts on this?