patent 257584

[bruce moulds]

a 10 lb rifle with 100+ gns of powder and a 550 gn bullet would take the edge off a lot of shooters' precision capability.
while no rest was allowed, the back position was prominent, and this is very steady when mastered. it also has a long sight radius.
re comparing scores then and now. on today's target, you can drop 1 point per shot and still score a possible on the old target.
we should be aware that long range muzzle loaders also used wrapped patches.
the long range game was only 40 to 50 years, so the learning curve would have been pretty steep.
most of these machine rely on some form of glue to stick the patch on the bullet. this would have hindered accuracy. would the top shots have patched their own using the hyde base for an advantage?
keep safe,
bruce.

[J.B.]

All way above my paygrade I think I'll just sit back and read . I managed to sample some O.E. whilst at the Quigley and would dearly love the opportunity to experiment with it down here but its not likely to be . Hardly an in depth experience..but it bulks higher than Swiss for its weight and yet apparently delivers similar power levels. It burns well and the fouling is definately easier to contro/ softer. ( or it was for me) .. Perhaps this incarnation from Goex...is closer to the 'premium powders' that were apparently available to the top shooters in the late 18 - early 1900's. I dont know... just putting it out there. I know I'm not missing because of the powder I'm using

[Don McDowell]

Bruce many of the top shooters used bullets from Winchester and Remington , according to the equipment list in Perry's book. Some were Hyde based, some Hepburn and most were described as "long pointed".

JB that's the way OE works for me clean burning, and what little fouling there is very easy to deal with.