Paper patch and steel

[Eric Johanen]

Managed to fit into my schedule another gong match in Merrill, WI. today. Used my Shiloh Rough Rider 30 inch standard barrel that I have shot on steel twice before with the semi buckhorn rear and blade front. This time out I had the globe front and tang sight installed from testing some paper patched loads last week. Load used was fired/neck sized Winchester brass, 2.100 length, CCI BR primer, 78 grains of OE 1.5 fg compressed with a .060 poly wad to allow seating the Sagebrush 535 grain money bullet to .140 in the case. .444 dia. bullet patched to .4515 with Southworth 9# onion skin 25% rag bond paper. My 200 yard zero is 41 up and it shoots really great. Started at 300 yards and put 53 on the sight, just over the top of the largest gong. Dropped down to 51 and had 4 very nice hits on steel. Moving to the smaller middle gong and coming up 1.5 minutes I was rewarded with 3 solid hits and last shot a close miss at 4 O'clock. 1 hit on the smallest gong. 3 close misses. (front aperature was just a little too big to center up and I should have switched to a smaller one). 220 yards off hand I could not find my ass with both hands! Just plain poor performance. I got close but no dings. 220 prone went well with 4 hits on the large disc, 3 hits on the smaller diamond (1 very close miss off at 2 O'clock and no hits on the small 8 inch disc. Again, should have switched to a smaller front. 600 prone I guesstimated sight setting at 95 up. Several shots and no indications of where it was hitting. Dropped down to 91 again no hits. Up 97 and no hits. About ready to surrender but thought give it 1 more and raised it up to 100. Hit followed by 3 more. Smaller middle gong 3 hits by adding 1.5 minutes. Smallest gong at 8 inches came up another.5 and had close misses. Should have used a smaller front again! Light was good and did not need more that 1.5 wind changes for the match. Very hot and humid. Wiped with 1 damp and 1 dry with a good cleaning between stages. Not too bad first time out with this load. The load shoots very well out to 600 yards and would like to give it a try on the Creedmoor range. Had way too much fun!

[Kurt]

Eric.
I almost came up there to try out the new .44-75 but the little cookie munchers where here for a couple days and I didn't get any rounds loaded or get away.
I been wanting to make Arnies shoot.

Kurt

[Don McDowell]

I'm really liking 82 grs of 1.5 with patched bullets in the 2.4 case. 81 with greasers.
Sounds like you've got things working pretty well.

[Eric Johanen]

Kurt,you should make the trip it is really shooting laid back fun! Arnie runs a good match. Targets between 220 yards and 600 yards. I found good zeros for those distances with both greasers and paper patched loads using both target and barrel mounted iron sights. The match in Merrill, WI. runs them out from 200, 300, 400 and 500 yards. Between them I can test loads and zero the sights. Between Creedmoor and these steel matches, only thing missing is 700 yards. With this paper patch load shooting really well at 200 and good solid strikes at 600 I feel this load is looking very good! Don, I have a nice load using 82 grains of Swiss 1.5 with the paper patch bullet and tried 78 grains of OE 1.5. Both shoot pretty good! Difference is due to the density of the powders. With a .060 wad inserted and squared up prior to compressing it levels out at 1/16 inch below the case mouth. Both loads are compressed to seat the bullet .140 into the case. Powder column is the same in the case before compressing. Have not yet checked them for velocity but I will.

[Kurt]

Eric.

I just spent time in the Chequamegon (SP) Nat Forest Chippewa campgrounds coming home from PA. Arnie sent me a E-Mail reminding me for the shoot, but I didn't have enough loads for the new rifle with me. I will make it to that shoot some time. It's only a 250 mile trip.

Are you using a .45-70 or 90 with the 82 gr load?

Kurt

[Eric Johanen]

I'm shooting the 45-70. With the 90 I have been using 98 to 100 grains of Swiss 1.5 an d have tried 97 grains of 1.5 OE. not enough to select the load yet but they shoot ok at 200 and I have shot the Swiss load at Lodi Creedmoor matches. Some good days and some bad days. Will need more work with the 45 90 for sure. I'm using the same bullet: BACO .444 dia. Money Bullet, 527 grs weight from my alloy patched to .451-.4515. I might try a .445-.446 dia. patched with thinner paper and see how that works out.

[Eric Johanen]

I got crossed up! Match was in Wisconsin Rapids not Merrill. Both are nice shoot venues and great bunch of riflemen!

[Eric Johanen]

Just back from another range session with the left over ammo from the Wisconsin Rapid match. This load shoots better than I can see. X's and inside 10's on the SR target. 2 10's together at 8 O'clock and 3 inside nines between 5 and 8 O'clock were result of bad sight alignment and called as such. Will not be changing this load anytime soon. Run over the chrono they go 1241 fps. Now back to work with the 50 70 and start with the 50 90 when it arrives.. Great summer!!!

[Lumpy Grits]

What distance?
Gary

[Eric Johanen]

LG, the SR target is the standard 200 yard target. I was bench shooting and working on sight alignment and sight adjustments. Sliding those bullets around the X ring I'm using pretty little changes. In the past I was way over correcting and chasing shots out on either side of the middle. My brain is starting to get a handle on changes on the sight and impact on the target. Still more work to do on the mechanics of shooting now that the load development is turning in solid results.