What Did You Shoot Today?
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Snakeoil
Well-Known Member
Today was our VT Match since this was a 5th Sunday in the month. They changed it a bit to help the iron sight guys. Reduced targets were set at 500 for the scope guys and increased targets were set at 400 for the iron guys. It's only a 30 round match. Only 5 sighters allowed per distance and no convertibles. Conditions were pretty decent. Very cloudy so light stayed consistent. Wind did come and go, but when it blew, it blew consistently and in more than one instance was the same as no wind for some lucky shooters.
I had one errant round at 400 yds that I can only attribute to a bad bullet. I sometimes have the lead spill from the puddle over one cavity into the next before I start to pour that cavity. It make a quasi-two-piece bullet. I normally find them and chuck them into the pot. But I suspect that one got by me because the shot broke dead nuts in the center and yet went over 2 feet low and right. Oh well. I know at least two guys shot perfect scores.
But I saved my pride when I managed to hit the coyote offhand at 500 yds. That put another coyote pin on my shooting box and that's always a good thing.
Spotting was tough today with the light so low. Probably one of the best offhand shots in the club shot a score of zero off the bench because the guys he was shooting with could not see where his misses were going. The snow was deep enough that the bullet would simply make a .30 cal hole in the snow. You might see it later. But if you don't happen to be looking at that spot when it hits, you'll never know if was there before. They made no splash of any kind. And the hits on the black targets at 500 were also hard to see. Mirage coming out the windows or spotting thru two panes of glass with low light made it suck. Poor Paul never got on the target at 500 and 300 and just gave up and did not shoot 400. I put 2 rounds on the target at 500 when I was shooting sighters and Steve could not see them thru his Kowa and I couldn't thru my 20X Unertl. So, cranked the scope down 1 MOA and punched it in the middle. All good after that. The other problem was that 26 inch gong did not even twitch when hit with a 200 gr .30 cal bullet doing under 1500 fps. We might have to rethink the VT match for the winter months.
Still had a great day. Don't think I've ever had a bad day shooting.
I had one errant round at 400 yds that I can only attribute to a bad bullet. I sometimes have the lead spill from the puddle over one cavity into the next before I start to pour that cavity. It make a quasi-two-piece bullet. I normally find them and chuck them into the pot. But I suspect that one got by me because the shot broke dead nuts in the center and yet went over 2 feet low and right. Oh well. I know at least two guys shot perfect scores.
But I saved my pride when I managed to hit the coyote offhand at 500 yds. That put another coyote pin on my shooting box and that's always a good thing.
Spotting was tough today with the light so low. Probably one of the best offhand shots in the club shot a score of zero off the bench because the guys he was shooting with could not see where his misses were going. The snow was deep enough that the bullet would simply make a .30 cal hole in the snow. You might see it later. But if you don't happen to be looking at that spot when it hits, you'll never know if was there before. They made no splash of any kind. And the hits on the black targets at 500 were also hard to see. Mirage coming out the windows or spotting thru two panes of glass with low light made it suck. Poor Paul never got on the target at 500 and 300 and just gave up and did not shoot 400. I put 2 rounds on the target at 500 when I was shooting sighters and Steve could not see them thru his Kowa and I couldn't thru my 20X Unertl. So, cranked the scope down 1 MOA and punched it in the middle. All good after that. The other problem was that 26 inch gong did not even twitch when hit with a 200 gr .30 cal bullet doing under 1500 fps. We might have to rethink the VT match for the winter months.
Still had a great day. Don't think I've ever had a bad day shooting.
Ian
Notorious member
Spent the day shooting up a bunch of different black powder through my flinter and some caplock Kentucky pistols at JimE's private range. Also got to shoot his Colt officer's model match .38, first of its kind I ever got to shoot, boy was I impressed and I see what all the Colt lovers wax on about. I'm not much of a Smith & Wesson revolver fan to begin with, but if I had a nice old Colt like that I'd throw all my Smiths away except the JP Saur & Sohn K38 target masterpiece clone.
We shot a lot over a chronograph, just set it up and left it on. Very handy. So the verdict is in: From my .47 caliber rifle, Graf's house-brand 2F is about 100 fps slower than Goex 2F and very hard to light as a main charge with a flint lock regardless of priming powder used. Goex does its flaming dirt thing quite reliably and with good power. My ho-made, screened but not corned green powder 1.5-2.5F mixed was about 200 fps slower than Graf's 2F, and my ho-made 3F was about 150 or so FPS slower.
In the .45 pistols the Graf's did fine, didn't chrono. So did my ho-made. In the .50 pistol my ho-made 1.5-2.5F made almost 50 fps MORE than Graf's 2F.
My ho-made 4F with the dust screened off made the cleanest, flashiest pan powder, but all grades worked great in the pan, likely due to 11% sulfur and no graphite. My powder was more dry, less crusty, and much cleaner than either Graf's self-labeled or Goex.
I need to refine my processes a little more and figure out why my powder granules are so soft, but I'm pretty happy with the results for a first go.
We shot a lot over a chronograph, just set it up and left it on. Very handy. So the verdict is in: From my .47 caliber rifle, Graf's house-brand 2F is about 100 fps slower than Goex 2F and very hard to light as a main charge with a flint lock regardless of priming powder used. Goex does its flaming dirt thing quite reliably and with good power. My ho-made, screened but not corned green powder 1.5-2.5F mixed was about 200 fps slower than Graf's 2F, and my ho-made 3F was about 150 or so FPS slower.
In the .45 pistols the Graf's did fine, didn't chrono. So did my ho-made. In the .50 pistol my ho-made 1.5-2.5F made almost 50 fps MORE than Graf's 2F.
My ho-made 4F with the dust screened off made the cleanest, flashiest pan powder, but all grades worked great in the pan, likely due to 11% sulfur and no graphite. My powder was more dry, less crusty, and much cleaner than either Graf's self-labeled or Goex.
I need to refine my processes a little more and figure out why my powder granules are so soft, but I'm pretty happy with the results for a first go.
Ian
Notorious member
Making black powder is inherently dangerous to both make and use, but with care and awareness small batches can be safely managed. The risk of explosion can never be reduced to zero, but the risk of injury and major property damage can be virtually eliminated if you have your poop in a group.
I think I figured out where I screwed up an got soft grains. Must use water instead of 91% Isopropyl (or at least a higher percentage of water) to dampen it when screening or corning, otherwise the KN03 won't glue it together. I also ordered a couple of binding agents to try out, one the pyros use a lot but is reported to foul guns badly, the other I'll just have to try and see because my research hasn't turned up a use in sporting-grade powder. I'd much prefer to screen and take the 25% loss in energy per grain than to corn and grind. Something about pressing a very slightly damp puck of low explosive to 40,000 PSI in a metal cylinder gives me the heebeejeebees even with a 1/2" AR-500 steel plate between me and it.
I think I figured out where I screwed up an got soft grains. Must use water instead of 91% Isopropyl (or at least a higher percentage of water) to dampen it when screening or corning, otherwise the KN03 won't glue it together. I also ordered a couple of binding agents to try out, one the pyros use a lot but is reported to foul guns badly, the other I'll just have to try and see because my research hasn't turned up a use in sporting-grade powder. I'd much prefer to screen and take the 25% loss in energy per grain than to corn and grind. Something about pressing a very slightly damp puck of low explosive to 40,000 PSI in a metal cylinder gives me the heebeejeebees even with a 1/2" AR-500 steel plate between me and it.
Ian
Notorious member
Tell me how it works in a flintlock
Ian
Notorious member
Yeah, yeah I know, I never think twice about touching off a big charge of nitro 6" from my face with nothing but a thin sheet of brass and a couple bits of 4140 steel holding it together but a heaping spoonfull of damp gunpowder pressed in an aluminum cylinder freaks me out....
Does the heebeejeebees ever have to make sense?
Snakeoil
Well-Known Member
I was just empathizing. Not sure I'd have the cojones to make my own gun powder from scratch. Plus I live in NY. I'm sure it is illegal.Yeah, yeah I know, I never think twice about touching off a big charge of nitro 6" from my face with nothing but a thin sheet of brass and a couple bits of 4140 steel holding it together but a heaping spoonfull of damp gunpowder pressed in an aluminum cylinder freaks me out....
Does the heebeejeebees ever have to make sense?
RBHarter
West Central AR
If you are compressing over about 1200# you're over compressing and there's nothing gained past 1500# .
Corn starch is the binder ticket for screen powder .
It's not needed for corned powder .
The alcohol blended damping agents were a modern solution to drying times .
BP is a propellant unless it's not , but so is smokeless powder.
My screened needed 140 gr volume to equal 80 gr of T7 ,90gr of Pyro RS , or 100 gr of Goex FFg in a 28" TC Hawkin cap lock .
Chambers filled flush with my screen powder in a 58 Rem 44 gave 860 fps MV vs 980 for 25gr volume T7 . I could get 920 if I filled the chambers tamped 50% topped level and seated a .454 RB on them .
That particular 58' had a .426×.440 barrel and chambers matched at .448 .
I have more like grapewood is cleaner than sweet gum but equal in energy . I haven't gotten enough alder or black willow together to make a batch of charcoal .
My screen powder has about 8% not nert stuff in it plus the corn starch.
My batches were pretty small , about 2 oz at a time. I used lead balls in the mill because they were handy and when the .490s got down to .453ish I washed them and shot nice round pretty RB . Pretty is a reach ........
Ian
Notorious member
I'm still brand new to this, all the input is greatly appreciated.
Finally found the nugget I was looking for with the soluble glutinous rice starch as a binder in screened powder intended as a muzzleloader propellant. 3% by mass makes rock-hard grains that will withstand polishing and being rammed without slowing the burn rate much more than the inert volume it displaces and without worsening the fouling of a given mix. My screened is down 25% velocity of Goex at equal granulation and volume in the 44" .47 caliber (about what I expected) but my main concern is deterioration, flow through a horn, and being able to stand having a ball pressed firmly on top without collapsing into dust. If the starched, screened version and some ball mill improvements don't keep it at at least 75% of commercial corned I'll probably have to corn and grind it. That would be OK because I have the equipment but for target use (99% of my intent), quick and simple with low recoil and good accuracy wins so I'm going to try and perfect screened powder first.
Finally found the nugget I was looking for with the soluble glutinous rice starch as a binder in screened powder intended as a muzzleloader propellant. 3% by mass makes rock-hard grains that will withstand polishing and being rammed without slowing the burn rate much more than the inert volume it displaces and without worsening the fouling of a given mix. My screened is down 25% velocity of Goex at equal granulation and volume in the 44" .47 caliber (about what I expected) but my main concern is deterioration, flow through a horn, and being able to stand having a ball pressed firmly on top without collapsing into dust. If the starched, screened version and some ball mill improvements don't keep it at at least 75% of commercial corned I'll probably have to corn and grind it. That would be OK because I have the equipment but for target use (99% of my intent), quick and simple with low recoil and good accuracy wins so I'm going to try and perfect screened powder first.
Snakeoil
Well-Known Member
I'm totally ignorant on this subject and suspects others may be. So, here's a link to a quick explanation so we are all on the same page with Ian and RB.
pyrodata.com
If you click on DEFINITIONS on the left side of the screen, you'll find the definition above and explanations for other types of BP and all kinds of other stuff that will probably get you into all kinds of trouble.
Black Powder (Corned) | PyroData
If you click on DEFINITIONS on the left side of the screen, you'll find the definition above and explanations for other types of BP and all kinds of other stuff that will probably get you into all kinds of trouble.
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Michael
Active Member. Uh/What
Some folks use it to keep garden pests away, the older the better, mix it with dish soap and spray it around the garden. Be sure to keep it in a clear bottle, not a colored one like Mtn Dew, which my wife refers to as Bear Whiz anyway.
If used for making BP would it make a "whiz bang" sound when fired.
Or doesn't shoot worth a _ _ _ _.
Or have to shoot the _ _ _ _ out of it to get it to work.
Ian
Notorious member
Filled a bunch of scrap .45 ACP cases with wheelweight alloy and crimped them, put those in an airsoft BB jar to the point that they throw to the other side when it's rolled (about 1/3 full), put that in my big SSTM tumbler drum with towels packed around it and just the rubber gasket to hold it in the drum (explosion mitigation) and let 'er run with 3000 grains of mix for 12 hours. MUCH better! The dust is slick between the fingertips, not gritty at all like before with the brass balls and little rubber rock tumbler drum. Dust trail just whoofs up instantly in smoke, no burning trail. Rice starch isn't here yet (everything is glazed in ice, mail won't run for a day or two) but I may try dampening with water and corning to see how hard the grains will get.
I guess with the weather as it is all over the country there aren't many of us shooting today!
I guess with the weather as it is all over the country there aren't many of us shooting today!
Winelover
North Central Arkansas
Heard several gun shots yesterday, while walking Bella in the 1"+ of slippery crap we have on the ground. Still require ice creepers on shoes/boots when going outside. PITA. Been like that since Monday afternoon. Not yet, melting. No mail delivered, yet. Currently, 27 degrees, occasionally partly cloudy. Promising, 36/37* later this afternoon, but cloudy. Back to highs in the 50, starting Saturday, for the foreseeable future.
462
California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
Ninety-two rounds through the Randall, this morning, and its newly installed conventional/ G. I. guide rod and plug, that replaced the factory full length rod and plug, and a new ejector worked perfectly.
Th Lee 452-230 TC occasional feeding hiccup continues to baffle me, especially that I'm far from being a 1911 troubleshooting expert. What happens is, a round will leave the magazine, partially chamber, then the feeding process stops, but pulling the slide back and releasing it usually chambers the round. It's not magazine related, because it's happened with both Randall and Check-Mate magazines, nor is it due to the recoil and main springs, because it's happened with both Wolff reduced power springs and factory originals. Lyman's 452374 ball clone has always fed flawlessly, though its 452460 SWC brother hiccuped too.
Th Lee 452-230 TC occasional feeding hiccup continues to baffle me, especially that I'm far from being a 1911 troubleshooting expert. What happens is, a round will leave the magazine, partially chamber, then the feeding process stops, but pulling the slide back and releasing it usually chambers the round. It's not magazine related, because it's happened with both Randall and Check-Mate magazines, nor is it due to the recoil and main springs, because it's happened with both Wolff reduced power springs and factory originals. Lyman's 452374 ball clone has always fed flawlessly, though its 452460 SWC brother hiccuped too.