Here is an article from a feller in the N-SSA who gave me some insights on how to make a replica shoot. Some of it's a bit detailed, but what he says is good info to have.
Kevin Dally
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Grouping Your Firearm
by Tony Bagdon
Here is a combination report on what I did and a general how-to-do what I did. Please don't think that what I accomplished is impossible for the average shooter to do. The only real complication was doing it for five different guns and duplicating each step as I went. Believe it or not, the worst part was buying adequate quantities of caps, powder, and lube ALL OF THE SAME LOT! Later on you will see why this is so important.
A couple of ground rules. I plan on going into detail on procedures as much as necessary. I do not plan on showing tables of velocities vs. powder charge vs. group size vs. point of impact. If I did, I'd have to hire a professional typist and charge accordingly. And if I did, you'd wind up with very specific data that would apply only to those five guns used in the test.
I listed 10 things in my bulletin board entry that you must do to get the best from any specific gun, be it musket, carbine, pistol etc. I'll take them one at a time and elaborate on what works for me. Feel free to disagree with me at any time, then let's get together out at the 100 yard benchrest. Please bring your wallet or checkbook with you. Everything I say I have proven more than once. Let's begin.
1. WEIGH EACH AND EVERY BULLET YOU CAST. HOLD YOUR BULLET WEIGHTS TO PLUS OR MINUS ONE HALF GRAIN. ANYTHING ELSE IS PRACTICE AMMO.
How critical a step is this? Mr. C.E. Harris of NRA technical staff was once asked this very same question. He replied that his idea of match weighing cast bullets was plus or minus one half of one percent of bullet weight. He was refering to match weight pistol bullets usually fired indoors at 50 yards or less.
The Hodgdon bullet averages about 405 grains depending on mould diameter, who's doing the casting and how. Let's use a figure of 400 grains. One half of one percent in this case is two grains. Plus or minus this gives you a total range of 398 grains to 402 grains, not much to worry about right? If your gun will shoot a 1.5 inch group using bullets weighed to plus or minus one half grain, if you randomly select five bullets spread from 398 to 402 grains your group will expand to five inches or more if everything else remains the same. I've observed this many times in many different guns and can reproduce this at will.
If you need further proof, go to your local sporting goods store and buy some commercial jacketed bullets made by Speer, Sierra, or Hornady (the brands I've tried) and weigh them. You'll be lucky to find a spread of plus or minus four tenths of a grain regardless of general bullet weight. These brands are noted for their accuracy and reliability; do you suppose there might be some reason for this? Remember, the guys who started these companies were shooters themselves who weren't satisfied with what was available on the open market at that time.
"Casting bullets takes a lot of time I'd rather spend doing something else. If it looks good. I'll use it. Say, did I tell you about the two eights I had last week that should have been right there?"
Ever heard that before in all its variations? As long as I'm up here on the pulpit, let's talk about casting good, consistant bullets. First of all, if you cast with a ladle and your bullets are consistantly good, stop reading right now. I freely admit that I can't begin to get decent bullets using a dipper and gave up trying a long time ago.
I recommend a bottom pour electric pot, preferably a 20 pounder and there is a reason for this. In order to get repeatability and consistancy with your bullets, you must ALWAYS maintain a constant lead level in your pot. I add a one pound ingot every twelve casts when casting .58s. I start with 17 pounds (weighed) in the pot and add as I go. When I finish and empty out the pot, I take out 17 pounds give or take a couple of ounces.
SAFETY NOTE - Never leave your pot full of lead. If you do, you risk winding up covered with lead when you reheat that pot. It's called the "Volcanic effect" and has been well documented. What causes it is the lead on the bottom becoming molten while the top is still solid. Pressure builds and at some point the top ruptures spraying molten lead all over. Never happened to you yet? Well, how many times would you like it to happen?
When I this method, my bullet weight is consistant from casting session to casting session. I normally average 85% or better match bullets each time I cast. Try it; you might like it.
2. WEIGH YOUR POWDER CHARGES TO PLUS OR MINUS ONE HALF GRAIN.
"Everybody knows that you have to vary your powder charge by at least five grains to make a difference in your pattern" This statement is probably true if your gun is shooting patterns. If your gun is capable of shooting good groups, this statement couldn't be further from the truth. If you believe otherwise, I have a wonderful deal for you on some swampland; cash only please!
During a discussion with a fellow skirmisher on this very subject, he commented that getting every granule in the gun during the heat of competition was probably impossible. I agreed with him but pointed out that if there was exactly the same amount in every tube every time, wouldn't it be more likely that the same amount would go in the gun each time.
I've also heard comments about granules remaining in the tubes due to "static cling". This problem can be pretty much resolved. Have your wife or someone who REALLY likes you buy two washcloths. Sew them together on three sides and put a zipper on the fourth.
Fill this bag with dirty tubes and throw in the wash with your everyday clothes. Throw them in the dryer together with those same clothes and add a fabric softener sheet. This will not only do a great job of cleaning your plastics, but will pretty much eliminate "static cling". A word or warning; use a safety pin to anchor that zipper in the closed position. If you don't, well, take my word for it, you don't want to go there...EVER!
I have seen substantial differences in groups caused by plus or minus one half grain of powder. If your gun is the exception to the rule, congratulations, but I'd be willing to bet that most are like the ones I've worked up loads for.
One more point before I leave this subject. When you are shooting individuals, especially at Nationals where there are no reentrys, can you think of any reason not to get every granule of powder down your barrel?
3. WHEN WORKING UP A LOAD, DON'T BE AFRAID TO TRY ONE HALF GRAIN POWDER CHARGES.
This goes along with the statement I made earlier concerning weighing all powder charges. I started skirmishing in 1968. In the years since then I've had the opportunity to work up loads for many different guns; some mine, but most belonging to others who wanted their guns to shoot better. I've yet to run into one that didn't show significant differences in group size with half grain charges. I had one gun that went from two inch groups at 50 yards to one ragged hole by increasing the powder charge by one half grain. Adding another half grain opened the group back up to two inches.
If this sounds like I am splitting hairs, you are absolutely right. The whole purpose of this report is to help you get the utmost in accuracy from your gun. If you are completely satisfied with a gun that shoots 4 to 6 inch groups at 100 yards more power to you. But if you aren't winning medals or are missing targets that you know you were "right on" when you pulled the trigger, go look in a mirror and meet the person responsible.
4. SEAT EVERY BULLET EXACTLY THE SAME.
Variations in seating pressure can cause wild swings in velocity, group size, and even point of impact. If you wish to prove this to yourself, you'll need access to a chronograph to measure velocity changes. Otherwise go out to that 100 yard benchrest and see what happens when you use different seating methods.
It's not hard to develop a good seating technique. You can seat the bullet with one good firm push, or "thump it" once to be sure. Maybe even thump it twice. It makes no difference what method you use as long as you use the same method all the time. As in all of these processes, consistency is the name of the game.
5. & 6. USE A CENTERPUNCH TO PUT A SMALL INDENTATION ON ONE SIDE OF YOUR MOULD IN THE NOSE SECTION. THIS WILL GIVE YOU AN INDEX MARK ON EVERY BULLET YOU CAST.
An index mark has many different uses. For example, if you size your bullets as many do, make sure that your index mark always faces the same way before you run the bullet into the die. If there is the slightest imperfection in your die, now you can be assured that you are compensating for it and minimizing its effect on your bullets flight.
Which leads to my next point. When shooting individuals, use the index mark to make sure that every bullet starts into the rifling exactly the same every time. Using the front sight as "l2:00 o'clock" while you are at the bench, try a group at 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, etc. and see the difference it will make in your group size. Hairsplitting again, but it does help.
I can't take credit for this idea; it belongs to every benchrest shooter I ever talked to. These are the guys who are trying to put 10 rounds into the same exact hole at 200 yards. The guys who shoot in the Cast Bullet Association feel that it is doubly important for them. They're trying to do the same thing using cast bullets only. Or you can ask the guys who are shooting blackpowder cartridge using iron sights at 1000 yards whether they use index marks. If it works for them, it'll work for us.
7. WHEN DEVELOPING A LOAD FOR YOUR GUN, DO YOUR SHOOTING AT 100 YARDS AND USE A SANDBAGGED REST.
Remember, you are testing different loads in your gun, you're not testing yourself. That comes on the firing line.
For instance, two different powder charges that show identical groups at 50 yards may vary greatly at 100 yards. You may also run into the group that shoots into an inch at 50 and opens up to 6 inches at 100. I had a .50 cal. flint that was really good at this and no one has yet come up with a satisfactory reason for this behavior.
Some bullets in some guns will not work at 100 yards. Wadcutter style bullets are known for this. The theory is that they are not aerodynamically stable over a long distance because of the large frontal area of the nose. As good an explaination as any I've heard.
The bottom line is: if a load is really good at 100 yards, it'll be better at 50 yards. If there are any exceptions to this, I haven't seen them.
8. & 9. AFTER YOU HAVE FOUND THE BEST POSSIBLE LOAD, IF YOU BUY NEW POWDER, CAPS, OR LUBE, HEAD FOR THAT 100 YARD BENCH IMMEDIATELY!
Many people believe that blackpowder is blackpowder with different granulations available. Some are willing to concede that different manufacturers make a slightly different product that may not give identical performances. But I've yet to talk to anyone who is willing to concede that different lots made by the same company can vary to any significant degree.
Let me tell you a true story that happened to me just prior to Fall Nationals 1997. I had purchased a new supply of powder at Spring Nationals and had no occasion to use it until fall. After loading 300 rounds to get me through Nationals and the preceding practice, I remembered that I had to redo my 100 yard sights I had changed my point of aim. After firing two fouling rounds, I very carefully fired five rounds using my new point of aim. Imagine my shock when my normal 1.25 inch group was now opened out to 8 inches.
Thinking that I wasn't holding my aiming point right, I switched targets fired 5 more rounds with the same result. What happened? To make a long story short, the only change in the load was the powder. The new batch of powder required 2.5 grains less to go back to the excellent groups the gun was capable of. I freely admit that I had never experienced this problem with this companies product before, but it was the cause.
I had run into this problem on occasion in the past, but usually it was a case of switching brands of caps or brands of lube, or going to a different bullet or a sizing the bullet to a different diameter. I guess that we are never too old to learn. Redoing 250 plus rounds of ammo is a time consuming job and it gives you time to reflect on the error of making assumptions. If you look at the word "assume" very carefully, you'll find that it usually makes an "***" of "u" and "me".
10. ALWAYS USE PURE SOFT LEAD WHEN CASTING BULLETS FOR YOUR RIFLE.
I can't really believe some of the things that I have overheard in many different conversations. I know of at least two guys in the same outfit that prefer to use wheelweights that a local tire store gives them just to get rid of them. The price is right and they cast into beautiful bullets. Now if they could only find a gun that was capable of shooting as good as those bullets....
How many people do you know that rely on "dug" lead from the N-SSA range? The theory here is that if other skirmishers are using it, it must be OK. "Everybody knows" that if you shoot blackpowder you must use only pure lead.
How can you tell if your lead is soft enough? The only positive way is to use a lead tester. LBT makes the best one on the market but they cost around $50 plus shipping. Each individual shooter may not want to spend this kind of money, but how about your team buying one or two for general use?
What other alternatives do you have? Well, how about relying on your local scrapyard dealer to sell you what you want? If a few guys or a team goes together you can buy in quantity and may get a discount. I buy 1000 lbs. at a time and get a 5% discount. If I am willing to buy a ton or more, I can get a better discount.
Tell him what you want when you call to check availability. You aren't the only one who buys lead to use for bullets. In fact, he sells a lot more wheelweights and linotype to shooters than pure lead. If you are dealing with an established business, he won't try to sell you "hard" lead when you want soft. He knows that you have a means to test what he sells, and besides, he wants your business.
The price of lead fluxuates greatly on the open market. Try to find three or more vendors within 100 miles of your location and periodically check the price with each. When it drops to a reasonable price (as defined by you) go buy in bulk. The last I purchased was about three months ago and I got it for .30 per pound plus tax. It was a combination of lead pipe and lead sheeting. My tester gave it a BHN (Brinell Hardness Number) of 5. Anything up to 6 is considered soft. Wheelweight normally rates a 9 and linotype rates a 22. I've heat treated lead to 38. I like to shoot cast bullets in every gun I own.
That covers my ten points and you're still waiting to be given my method of load development. OK, here goes. All of the following is based on meeting the ten points listed above.
Make sure you start out with a sufficient quantity of powder, lube and caps ALL OF THE SAME LOT. If you can't meet this criteria, don't bother; you'll be wasting time and components.
Start your powder charges at 30.0 grains and go to 60 grains in two grain increments. Load 7 rounds of the 30 grain load and 5 of each of the other 15 weights. Reason? If you start with a clean gun, you probably need a couple of fouling shots to dirty the bore. After firing each powder charge, brush your bore lightly; twice down and out is enough. This assures that there is approximately the same amount of fouling in the bore for each different powder charge. DO NOT PATCH THE BORE! Let it stay "dirty".
If you are one of those unlucky people whose bore fouls quickly, try changing your lube. I've used MCM lube for 20 plus years and though I've tried others, I've yet to find anything better. Besides, for the economy minded, it is cheap. Seems to me it sells for $2 per tub and I know that a tub will lube 450 plus rounds even when you are using it both inside the base and on the outside. How well does it lube? In my younger days when I was shooting 50 plus rounds per day, I only cleaned my bore on Sunday evenings. I cleaned it then only because I was feeling guilty. Other than under certain weather conditions, the last round went down as easy as the first. Admittedly, your gun maybe different than the ones I've used. During my test of the Hodgdon mould, I cleaned the bores only when I knew I wasn't going to be shooting the next day or when I switched from FFg to FFFg.
You should use a target backer about 4 to 6 foot square. Remember, it's not important where the bullet hits as long as they all go the same place. Sights can be adjusted later. Use regular N-SSA 100 yard targets for aiming points. Feel free to use whatever you wish, If your eyes are good enough, use smaller targets. By the way, a good spotting scope can save you a lot of walking.
You've now fired 82 rounds and you've got three almost identical groups at 38, 40 and 42 grains. Back to the loading bench. Load ten rounds at 38, 39, 40, 41, 42 and 43 grains. Back to your benchrest. This time fire 10 shot groups. (another 60 rounds).
Now you've narrowed it down to 40 and 41 grains. Load 10 rounds at 39.5, 40, 40.5, 41 and 41.5 grains. Some where in the next 50 rounds is your best load. If you followed the first ten points, this load should easily be 2 inches or less. At this point you have fired a total of 192 rounds. You can quit now or make one more refinement.
Remember the index mark on your bullet? Try five or ten round groups at 12 o'clock, three o'clock, etc. Odds are you'll take another one quarter inch or more off your final group size. Is it worth it? Anyone who looks at the Nationals results can find my name in the Striker class. Once upon a time I was in the expert class and I want to get back there. What I'm trying to say is that if you are as bad a shot freehand as am, every little bit helps!
Only you can decide if you want to put forth the effort required to obtain the greatest accuracy possible in your gun. If you are satisfied with what you are doing and want to stay where you are, feel free to ignore everything you have just read. If you are in my shoes and want to improve, try this method; it can't hurt (other than your shoulder).
If you don't have a range in your back yard like I do, you should still be able to accomplish this in two or three trips to your local range. If you are recoil sensitive, get a PAST Recoil Pad. They may not be legal for competition, but you can use them for practice. Besides, you may luck into a great group in your first 40 or 50 rounds. The first rifle I tried shot into less than an inch with a 38.0 grain charge of FFFg. If you think I tried to better that, you're nuts. I know enough to quit when I'm ahead!
Interestingly enough, the five guns I used all preferred FFFg. That doesn't mean your gun won't like FFg, so try if that is what you are currently using. I used RWS caps and as noted above, MCM lube. This lube is available from most sutlers or you can get it direct from:
John Dewald
North East Trade
RR 7 BOX 7012
Muncy, PA 17756
717-546-2061
Good shooting to all who are willing to invest some time and effort on their own behalf. Don't forget to PRACTICE PRACTICE, PRACTICIE, ETC, ETC...
THIS is that index mark he talks of:
View attachment 226155
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