Another Tuesday with the .45

[Richard]

Today started out in the mid 40's with no wind. It was cloudy with some sun by mid morning. Herman never made it to the range Maybe turkey hunting?
I started the day off by firing a fouling shot at a clay bird on the 100 yard berm........Dang! wasted a good shot (dead bird) So here is the load: I had had some pretty good success with 71 gr. N-120 and a 200 gr. bullet getting speeds in the 2900+ range. So, if 71 did good.........than 72 should be better? No? Well, the first shot on my target did not go where I suspected it should go----kind of off to the right. Shot #2 when where it should have. But now I had the makings of a 2" group However, #3 was touching #2 and then #4 touched those two! Which gave a tidy little .419" three shot group. Not too shabby!
With target #2 at 200 yards, I shot the same load. I missed the velocity on shot #1? But #2 was right where it should be. Then #3 dropped about 150 fps slower and out of the group. My thought was that I stressed a sabot? #4 was right back up in speed and into the group but then the same phenomena occurred on #5. Only difference was it shot into the group? I felt shots 150+ fps slower should have impacted much lower than they did. %^&#@*
Target #3 was a duplex that I tried tweaking by dropping a grain on the booster and going up one on the main charge. No real radical change and only a so/so group.
On target #4 I shot the same load as above only substituting the SST for the XTP and jumped out to 200 yards. I managed to salvage a 1.7" three shot group
And finally, shooting the same duplex only going sabot less and using the 200 gr. FTX I shot the remainder of my pre-loaded charges..............(9) Taking Shot #1 out of the equation, 8 shots in 3.7" at 200 yards is definitely "deer-worthy?"

Next up was playing with one of my LR pistols
Richard

[ET]

Richard

I still enjoy following your weekly range endeavors and expect you’ll narrow some of the groups even more eventually. Just the nature of the beast for obtaining accuracy.

But I have a simple question (not a suggestion) to ask. I know you really clean the bore after each shot but was wondering if you ever tried just dry swabbing between a 5-shot group and doing the actually bore cleaning between groups?

Ed

[deadon]

Richard, another great post ;D

[Richard]

ET............I may call it clean between shots, but it is not really cleaning? A single patch with four small drops of
Rem bore cleaner being run in and out one time, is hardly cleaning? Followed by a dry patch.........and then using those same two patches for five shot? I think that all I am doing is picking up the loose carbon or residue from the powder. I am hardly removing any plastic or copper with that simple procedure. It just allows the next shot to load/feel smoother then when no cleaning occurs? I may give the simple dry patch a try next week!
Richard

[ET]

Richard

Thanks for the quick reply.

Dry swabbing with a fresh good fitting patch seems to work for me up to a certain point before needing a semi bore clean with solvent using just a patch.
But I also have a rough bore compared to the PacNor and may not make a difference in your case. Was curious if you ever tried it.


Ed

[boarhog]

I plan to try the shoot dirty method with the loose bore 50 thumbhole I have been working on, but I think that 5744 is too dirty. The 4 dot patch was really tight after 1 shot. Maybe with a cleaner burning powder?