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Oh, rats ... I just put my muzzle loader questions
andersk
Member Posts: 3,627 ✭✭
Oh, rats ... I just put my muzzle loader questions on the general topic.
I am going to build a muzzle loader kit gun ... what is the best sight configuration? Is a peep sight for target shooting or hunting? [?]
What is the best calibre for target shooting? .50 calibre? or .45 calibre or .36 calibre? [?]
Should the rear sight be mounting midway up the barrel or as far back as possible? [?]
I am going to build a muzzle loader kit gun ... what is the best sight configuration? Is a peep sight for target shooting or hunting? [?]
What is the best calibre for target shooting? .50 calibre? or .45 calibre or .36 calibre? [?]
Should the rear sight be mounting midway up the barrel or as far back as possible? [?]
Comments
Your club may have separate shoots for different types of sights (traditional, open, or aperture for example), or they may not permit certain types. It's probably best to ask. For 50 yard shooting, properly adjusted fixed open sights are most likely more than adequate. For a little accuracy edge, an aperture (peep) sight will suffice. Either will do fine for hunting, if game laws permit.
The peep rear sight should be close to your eye. The open rear should be farther down the barrel for best results.
Experiment with different loads of powder, different powder brands and granulation, patch thickness and lubes to find a combination that's accurate in your rifle and adjust or modify your sights to coincide with the point of impact. Remember, moderate loads are usually the most accurate. If you shoot patched round balls, the rifling must be a slow twist for best accuracy (usually slower than 1-in-48). Maxi Balls or other conicals require a faster twist to stabilize.
The rest is learning to shoot a flintlock or percussion rifle. Both have slightly longer ignition times than modern cartridge firearms, so you have to follow through after squeezing the trigger.
.45 caliber has a reputation for accuracy and has mild recoil, but .50 and .54 will do just fine if you prefer slinging bigger chunks of lead (I have rifles in all three calibers and they all shoot well).
My first BP gun was/is a T/C Omega 50, and it is a sweet shooter, but in Stainless Steel and Camo it just doesn't look like a gun! I got the gun before I moved here to Massachusetts, since I wanted to hunt ... and rifle hunting in this state is a no no!
Most of the folks in the BP crowd at our local club are more into the more primitive type of guns, and I'm wanting to join (not "whomp up on them all the time" with my very accurate T/C Omega 50 ... when I use conicals. I have used round ball in it, but as you say it is kind of irratic with round ball because the twist is too fast)
We can use any open sight ... I'm just trying to decide which way to go before ordering my kit gun. (I am going with the underhammer since I shoot left-handed and don't enjoy all the stuff going on in front of my face and on my right wrist when I've shot other folk's sidelocks. I guess I could go with the furniture on the LHS, but that just seems real wierd ... plus, I'm kind of caught by the design and the look of the Hopkins and Allen Underhammer percussion cap BP gun.) [:D][:D]