Finally!!!!!!

[Swamp]

Well, I have spent 3 days out back on the range burning powder, and trying to find a good accurate load for my Centermark Tulle. I burnt thru 2 lbs of powder, only to have very poor results. I have tried every combination you can think of, and I just couldn't keep the group any smaller than 6" at 25 yds! Yes, it just was not shooting worth a darn, and I gave up on it!

Well, last night I did some looking online to see if I could find anything that I haven't tried yet! I read on another forum about a guy who has a Centermark, and the load he uses! He likes to use a lubed fiber wad between the powder and patched ball. I thought, what have I got to lose.

So today, I headed out back and set up. I shot a fowling shot, then loaded again. The load is 80grns of FFF, olive oil lubed fiber wad, and a .010" patched .600 cast ball. I took careful aim, and squeezed it off! Bullseye! I loaded up again, 1/2" from the first shot. I shot a dozen more times, and all were within a 2" group! FINALLY!!!!!!!!

It does like the fiber wad for sure.

anyway, I wanted to share my sucess (Finally) with the gun!

[Uncle Russ]

Swamp, I am truly glad you stuck it out and finally got around to trying the wad.

I have said, no less than dozens and dozens of times.......try a wad before you just throw your hands up in the air, walk away,  and say to-heck with it!
I also know it is not necessarily "traditional" because I have never read of anyone doing this in all my years of reading, plus I don't know of anyone else who has actually read that it was an accepted practice during any time period, or era, but I do know that it works.
Not only on just my guns, but it has worked on many other folk's gun as well, and it worked when it appeared NOTHING was going to make the gun shoot like it should.

Many of us are often found of the saying that "every gun barrel is a science within its own self" and for every person saying this, there are likely two more that don't, and will never fully understand, that this is one "old wives tale" that is a cold hard fact.

What's good for the Goose is certainly not always good for the Gander, especially when the Gander turns out to be a more Common Duck.

I don't even want to get started on this, but I am sure glad to hear you have things worked out, that you feel good to have the gun shooting an acceptable group, and I honestly feel the rest of the journey will be all downhill from here.

 

Uncle Russ...

[pathfinder]

And the .32? I could only get the rasp down @ 7" in the bore,so I guess it's a "semi smoothbore"! LOL

[Swamp]

Thanks Russ! It was really frustrating me. I was glad I read about someone shooting with a fiber wad in their Centermark, cause that made all the difference in the world! So not only you, but you have seen others have success with this loading method?

I don't really care whether it's PC/HC or not. If the gun shoots better with it, then I'm going to use them. We owe it to the game we hunt for a well placed shot to make a clean kill.

Yeah yeah I know Path, I haven't pulled the 32 out yet! Deer season is around the corner, so I wanted to get this Tulle ready. Now that I have it shooting the way I want, I will now start shooting the 32.

BTW - Multi-Lakes has a shoot this weekend for they're Winter Woodswalk League, and I'm going! I have lots of ground to make up since I havent shot woodswalk all year. Hope to see you there.

Thanks guys!

[Roaddog]

Sure glad to hear ya got it shootn on mark. I think that's why we name our firearms after woman folk.

[prairie dog]

Glad to hear you got your Tulle shooting to your liking.  Isn't it nice when you solve the puzzle and get a finicky gun performing.

[Swamp]

Boy aint that the truth!  

I named this gun Ol' Red when I first made meat with her. I was shooting shot out of it at our first TRR, and it's first kill was a Red Squirrel. The name stuck!

Prairie Dog, you are so correct. I was just frustrated beyond belief, and had given up on this gun for shooting a RB. Then, after reading about a fella using a cushion wad between powder and PRB, I tried it, and was a happy man! It felt really good to finally figure it out.

Here's Ol' Red.

[Buzzard]

That's right Swamp, lubed fiber wads can have a real difference in smoothies, espicially with those higher powder charges. Both my 20ga and 28ga shot OK with PRB at 40-50gr. but when i upped the charges for hunting loads, accuracy went to heck. A lubed wad fixed that problem quickly. I use 60gr-3f in the 28ga for deer, 80gr for elk. The 20ga uses 75gr-3f for both. Gotta have that wad in there though. Buzzard

[rickevans]

Good on you there Swamp. Now get that .32 kitted up and join me and Pathfinder for an election day squirrel hunt.

I have been using a wad of wool fabric scraps over the powder, a .610 Rb and a wad of tow over top. Works for me. I have a Jackie Brown .20ga barn gun on the way, I will try both methods on the new one.

[pathfinder]

You'll like the J.Brown gun! I have a "Carolina Barn gun"and LOVE it! So much so,I sent a blank and barrel to him to rough out as a "Carolina" gun.

[rickevans]

I should have it before the Election Day Squirrel Hunt. Might bring it with and use it with some #6 shot...
It is in-the -white, I'll see how she fits and functions.

[Hanshi]

I started using a1/2" cushion wad op with a patched round ball early on.  It did tighten things up but also brought in consistency in the groups.  My smoothbore is a TVM so it must be somewhat of a universal cure.

[rickevans]

Hhhhmmmmm....data.

[Swamp]

One more thing! For those of you who use the fiber wads, those things shoot a ways!

As I was on the range, I kept seeing more holes, outside of the paper plate target. I thought, what the heck are these from? They looked funny, some were oblong thru the cardboard backer I use between the 2X4 target frame. Then it dawned on me, these are holes from the lubed fiber wads I'm using behind the PRB!

WOW, these things travel farther than I thought. So, just be careful if your using anything like this for squib loads or any shooting demo's.

[Buzzard]

Swamp; those wads that are putting holes in your target will also put holes in your shot pattern. I always break the wads in half horizontally. Make 2 out of 1. They'll only carry half as far and don't affect patterns nearly as much as the full wad. This is especially true with prelubed wads. My theory on half wads with PRB is that at firing, the half wad partially disintegrates as it wraps itself around the ball and fills in the pinch point where the patch contacts the barrel, thus sealing the bore and preventing burn through of the patch. With shot however, you'll need to use an OP card under the half wad to prevent the same disintegration that helps so much with the PRB. These theories are based on my experience with a 20ga and a 28ga smoothbore. It may not work for you but it sure did for me!!!   Good Luck and keep experimenting, that's how we learn!!  Buzzard