Milsurp After Hours

Thanks Robert and Duncan for your replies.
I really enjoyed myself and I think muzzle loading is here to stay.
What a fantastic part of our hobby this is.

Met vriendelijke groet,

Martin

Been to the range this morning.
Tried the Hawken again but with two different loads.
Last week I started with 40gn of Pyrodex P.
Today I reduced that load to 39 and 38gn.
Results were a bit better.
Almost all shots were at the right height, but mostly to the right.
No cleaning until the 5th shot gave bad results
I noticed that after swabbing the bore every 2nd shot results got better.

So.............same player shoots again next week.
I will reduce the load further to 36 and 35gn of Pyrodex P.
I just love this muzzle loader.

I will also try Windex (called Glassex over here) to clean between shots.

I will keep you all posted.


Met vriendelijke groet,

Martin

Martin.
I always wipe my Remington revolver over with car screenwash between cylinders but having changed from Chasse powder (FF) to FFF I find the bore stays clean although I do pull it through a few times before going home.

DuncaninFrance wrote:Martin.
I always wipe my Remington revolver over with car screenwash between cylinders but having changed from Chasse powder (FF) to FFF I find the bore stays clean although I do pull it through a few times before going home.

Thanks for the info Duncan.
I tried windex(it's called glasex over here) after every 2nd shot with great results yesterday.
I have to try how WD-40 works for me next time.
After that I'll try some car screenwash.

Pyrodex P can be compared to a FFF powder.
I only need a couple of patches to clean the bore.

I reduced the load to 30 gn yesterday and results were much, much better then I expected.

Some data:

Powder: 30gn Pyrodex P
Bullet: 125gn .440 H&N bullet.
Patch: OX-YOKE pre oiled 0.01" thick

No picture of the target this time.
I had no camera with me.
Got some rangetime coming up next Thursday.
I'll post a picture of the target then.

What a fantastic hobby we have.


Met vriendelijke groet,

Martin

OK, it's been a while since my last post on the Hawken Woodsman.
Last week I loaded the weapon and it wouldn't fire.
Turned out that I forgot to fire 2 or 3 caps before loading it.
There was still to much oil in the nipple and maybe even a bit in the barrel.
I had to remove the bolsterscrew and put a bit of FFFFG powder in it.
That worked, but I can tell you that I will never forget to fire a couple of caps before I load the rifle.

Today was totally different.
I tried a new load and instead of just pushing the ball and patch down the barrel I pushed it down using a dry patch.
The pre oiled patches contain a lot of oil and the first shots were always on target, so I thought I'd use this dry patch when pushing down the ball and at the same time get rid of a bit of oil in the barrel.
That worked.
Results were much better compared to last time.

Here's today's target picture.
Some load data first.

Rifle: Ardesa(Traditions) Hawken Woodsman.
Caliber: .45
Twist: 1:66"
Bullet: 125gn .440" Roundball
Patch: OL-YOKE 0.01" pre oiled (thanks Duncan)
Powder: 26gn Pyrodex P
Distance: 50 meters




I just love this rifle.

Met vriendelijke groet,

Martin

Certainly killed that one Martin!

Very true Duncan, but I still want to try a .445 bullet instead of the .440 and see what happens.
After I have determined which bullet is best for my rifle, I will buy myself a LEE bullet mold and cast my own instead of buying the ones from H&N.
I've also ordered some patches that are slightly thicker then the ones I use now.
Maybe not necessary, but I just want to see what happens when I try a different patch bullet combo.
I'll keep you posted.

Met vriendelijke groet,

Martin

I took my Hawken Woodsman to the range today.
Been trying different kind of loads, patches and lube in the last couple of months.
In the end I only changed the patches from 0.010" to 0.012" and lubed them with a mixture of Nivea and Ballistol.
I used the target in the picture for an on line muzzle loader match on a German site.
13 shots, best 10 count (just just like the matches I shoot on Dutch ranges).
Shot number 13 landed in the 5 just outside the picture.
Results are not bad......I think.
I love this rifle.
Should have bought one years ago.

Load data:

Rifle: Ardesa(Traditions) Hawken Woodsman.
Caliber: .45
Twist: 1:66"
Bullet: 125gn .440" Roundball
Patch: 0.012"
Lube: Nivea/Ballistol mixture
Powder: 26gn Pyrodex P
Distance: 50 meters



Met vriendelijke groet,

Martin

Good shooting. Nice tight group for a muzzleloader.

You are certainly enjoying yourself Martin!

I remember back in the early 90's in the UK that a friend of mine had a BP rifle.
He used to save the old chip pan fat when it was done and use it as a lube.
He used to wrap the ball in a piece of IZAL Medicated toilet paper and then dip it in the liquid fat and then let it dry.

IZAL used to be included in 24 Rationpacks. I remember a National Guard Sergeant on exchange one year saying " Man, I want to wipe it not spread it!"

Later all military toilet paper became 'Cumfybum' but was pink! A great colour for DPM clad grunts