Original paper patched bullet designs?

[Distant Thunder]

Don,

I have shot my .50-70 in a few silhouette matches and many gong matches out to 500 yards. Two years ago I had Steve Brooks cut an elliptical grease groove mold and he did a great job. I shot it at a gong match at 200, 300, 400, & 500, 10 at each so 40 possible and I hit 35. I missed 3 of 5 offhand at 200, screwed up on one at 200 and 300 off sticks, cleaned 400, and cleaned 500. I used the 515141 at 200 & 300 and the Brooks bullet at 400 & 500. The rifle shoots pretty well.

I have not tried the 575 grain Brooks bullet in a silhouette match and probably won't get to it now, but I think that one would handle rams well. I did work for a few years trying to get a paper patched bullet that would do well at the rams. I tried a 520 grain paper patched bullet and that would kill turkeys very well, but I could hardly hit a ram with it.

I went to a 545 grain ppb and that was a little better on the rams. Then I tried a 595 grain ppb and I don't recall that working all that well either. Those last two did well on gongs out 500 yards, but it just seems I can't more than luck into a ram now and then with my .50.

Then late last year I got that .40 caliber ppb working well and I took that to a silhouette match and I don't see any point in looking any further. I put a scope on my .40-65 and got sub MOA out of the little ppb and shot my first ever master class score with it back in May this year. I have never cleaned the rams before with any rifle/bullet/sight, but I cleaned them both days in May. In a few weeks I'll shoot my second silhouette match of the year and I plan to get that 3rd master class score. The .40-65 is working well and I love doing it with ppb!

So now the .50-70 will be a gong match rifle, which is really a good thing 'cause it's so darn much fun to shoot. I just need to come up with a suitable paper patched bullet around 473 grains. I'll draw up a couple more versions and pick the one that I like best. Any of them will shoot well I'm sure. This .50 loves ppb.


DT