MCgunner
Member
Just got the guns cleaned up, major job in itself. Bein's I've been planning this hog huntin' thing, I wanted to take the ol' smoke pole out and shoot it. I haven't messed with it in literally years. Yakkin' on this forum and reading about the black powder only hog hunting area I wanna try out got me back into the smell of sulfur.
I put up two targets at 50 and one at 100 and cleaned the bore with a bore brush and soapy water every two shots. I was able to keep 'em all inside 3 1/2 inches at 100 yards centered fine except the wind was carrying it to the left. Had about a 25 mph cross wind. At 50 I had a 2" five shot group. So, I figure that's good enough for hogs. I took an off hand shot on the fifty yard target and got it well into the kill zone. It was cutting the 8 ring of a 100 yard small bore target. So, I was happy with that.
Then, I whipped out the back up, my Old Army and put five shots into four inches using a field position sitting with my elbows on my knees. All shots at 50 yards were in the black. I have to use a strange sight picture to shoot that thing, front sight ain't tall enough, but it gets 'er done.
I got to lookin' and I've got six or seven boxes of those 385 grain Hornady conicals. Then I remembered, some years ago during inventory time Walmart had a stack of five of 'em left on sale for a buck fifty a box and I picked up the whole mess. Not too many black powder shooters in this little town, not sure why they were carrying the things, but I was greatful to find 'em.
I put up two targets at 50 and one at 100 and cleaned the bore with a bore brush and soapy water every two shots. I was able to keep 'em all inside 3 1/2 inches at 100 yards centered fine except the wind was carrying it to the left. Had about a 25 mph cross wind. At 50 I had a 2" five shot group. So, I figure that's good enough for hogs. I took an off hand shot on the fifty yard target and got it well into the kill zone. It was cutting the 8 ring of a 100 yard small bore target. So, I was happy with that.
Then, I whipped out the back up, my Old Army and put five shots into four inches using a field position sitting with my elbows on my knees. All shots at 50 yards were in the black. I have to use a strange sight picture to shoot that thing, front sight ain't tall enough, but it gets 'er done.
I got to lookin' and I've got six or seven boxes of those 385 grain Hornady conicals. Then I remembered, some years ago during inventory time Walmart had a stack of five of 'em left on sale for a buck fifty a box and I picked up the whole mess. Not too many black powder shooters in this little town, not sure why they were carrying the things, but I was greatful to find 'em.