The .45 at the Range

[Hanshi]

I finally got out to the range with the new .45 barrel that used to be a .40.  Only got about 16 shots and came on home for the cleaning task.  After I got there I realized I had only three of my preferred patches - heavy canvas (.024") - with the rest being cotton duck and mattress ticking (.018").  So results are probably not as good as I'd like since I had mixed patches that I don't normally use in the flintlocks.  And only two powder charges were fired, 60 grns of 3F and 5 shots with 70 grns.  Twenty five yards with 60 grns and mixed patches performed rather lousy.  I set up another target at 50 yards and the 60 grn load was still lousy.  Deciding to fire 5 more shots and go home I upped the charge to 70 grns.  Again the patches were whatever I found in my gear and lubed with Hoppes.

The shots were fired from the bench with me holding the rifle rather than sandbagging it; didn't have any sandbags anyway.  The 50 yard 70 grn group was 2"; not bad considering the situation.  The bulk of my ammo is still in Va. and and only around 40 .440" was my total stash (gotta get busy casting).  I do have a Lyman .445" mold I use sometimes that drops ball closer to .443" average.  But they load the same, ballistics are virtually identical and so is accuracy.  The "new" barrel appears to have its own personality and still  might like one size over the other.

I'll take it out again when I cut some canvas patches.  But the next trip will be with the little .36 and the .45 will have to wait a bit.

[Watauga]

Sounds like a good time Hanshi!  Make sure to enjoy those 2 weeks of summer all you can! 

[Hanshi]

Two weeks of summer?!  It's always been a one day season in the past.  Our summer did span from 12:00 am July 12th to 11:59 July 12th.  A couple of weeks ago we had several days in the90s!  Normal for this date is 74^o..  Global warming has truly wrecked havoc up here.  Last winter we had less than half the snow we got 4 years ago.  It decreased each season.  So, we may indeed have a multiple-day summer.

I'm very happy with the .45 barrel; it's almost like getting a new rifle and it does handle a bit differently.  I need to get out and shoot as much as possible now.  70 grains of 3F showed great promise; that's my .50 load and it does masterful work in my other three .45s.  With my former go-to .45 flint Lancaster I killed a dump truck load of deer using 80 grains.  It laid them low real quick but 70 has the accuracy edge.  Sixty grns is a great load in the other .45s but obviously not in the new barrel.