New TMA Smoothbore Match (Trial Run)

[amm1851]

I had a great day shooting but a poor day hitting,  so let's just assume that I came in last in the smoothbore shoot.  I did fine hitting my metal target at around 40 yards using the side of a  tree for support,  but when I  shot the paper target offhand at 25 yards, things fell apart.  But the weather was perfect and it was wonderful to be back in the woods for a few hours. 

Here's where I like to shoot :

[Maven]

Like you amm, I experience paper target woes a tad too often for comfort too!  On the other hand, we should be overjoyed not to have to shoot at the well known (and aptly named!) "nightmare target" pictured in the link:  http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=45270.0  Can you imagine if Ohio Joe uses that one for next year's silhouette match?

Joe, After you get used to the missing rear sight, things fall into place rather nicely.  With smoothies, it's more a question of determining what your gun prefers:  patched RB?  OP wads + bare ball + OS wad?  tow wadding + bare ball + tow wadding? rather than presence or absence of a rear sight.  Ball diameter is the common denominator in all 3 of these as is a consistent sight picture and cheek weld.

And yes, I'll take the blame for the SB Match!   Thanks for running it!

[Ohio Joe]

Like you amm, I experience paper target woes a tad too often for comfort too!  On the other hand, we should be overjoyed not to have to shoot at the well known (and aptly named!) "nightmare target" pictured in the link:  http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=45270.0  Can you imagine if Ohio Joe uses that one for next year's silhouette match?

Joe, After you get used to the missing rear sight, things fall into place rather nicely.  With smoothies, it's more a question of determining what your gun prefers:  patched RB?  OP wads + bare ball + OS wad?  tow wadding + bare ball + tow wadding? rather than presence or absence of a rear sight.  Ball diameter is the common denominator in all 3 of these as is a consistent sight picture and cheek weld.

And yes, I'll take the blame for the SB Match!   Thanks for running it!

I think we'd all want some younger eyesight id we were to shoot that nightmare target.  I have to say, that whoever shot that one in the picture "link" above, did pretty darn good!    And don't worry about the blame, Maven... It's a good kind!!!

[Ohio Joe]

I had a great day shooting but a poor day hitting,  so let's just assume that I came in last in the smoothbore shoot.  I did fine hitting my metal target at around 40 yards using the side of a  tree for support,  but when I  shot the paper target offhand at 25 yards, things fell apart.  But the weather was perfect and it was wonderful to be back in the woods for a few hours. 

Here's where I like to shoot :

That's a nice shooting area, amm1851.  You've gotta love the privacy of it. 

[amm1851]

I had a great day shooting but a poor day hitting,  so let's just assume that I came in last in the smoothbore shoot.  I did fine hitting my metal target at around 40 yards using the side of a  tree for support,  but when I  shot the paper target offhand at 25 yards, things fell apart.  But the weather was perfect and it was wonderful to be back in the woods for a few hours. 

Here's where I like to shoot :

That's a nice shooting area, amm1851.  You've gotta love the privacy of it. 

Thanks Joe. It's a dispersed camping site off a logging road in north central Idaho. A nice little creek flows through it, and I typically set my target on the far side of the creek and use the tree in the left foreground to rest against. I have been shooting there for years. If that tree could talk, it could tell some stories, but I have sworn it to secrecy. 

[Ohio Joe]

I had a great day shooting but a poor day hitting,  so let's just assume that I came in last in the smoothbore shoot.  I did fine hitting my metal target at around 40 yards using the side of a  tree for support,  but when I  shot the paper target offhand at 25 yards, things fell apart.  But the weather was perfect and it was wonderful to be back in the woods for a few hours. 

Here's where I like to shoot :

That's a nice shooting area, amm1851.  You've gotta love the privacy of it. 

Thanks Joe. It's a dispersed camping site off a logging road in north central Idaho. A nice little creek flows through it, and I typically set my target on the far side of the creek and use the tree in the left foreground to rest against. I have been shooting there for years. If that tree could talk, it could tell some stories, but I have sworn it to secrecy. 

I really like those kind of area's to go shooting. A person has a lot of privacy, and the setting is just perfect! 

I'm headed to my local Range in an hour or so to see how/what I can do with my smoothie. I don't have high expectations, but it's sure fun to shoot! I'd settle for at least one hit in the Scoring Rings for this month's match. It keeps a person coming back and always hopeful they'll be some headway made on improvements from the practice... Great fun! 

[Maven]

"I'd settle for at least one hit in the Scoring Rings for this month's match. It keeps a person coming back and always hopeful they'll be some headway made on improvements from the practice...."

OJ, Sort of like a slot machine, but more fun and more user control!

[Ohio Joe]

"I'd settle for at least one hit in the Scoring Rings for this month's match. It keeps a person coming back and always hopeful they'll be some headway made on improvements from the practice...."

OJ, Sort of like a slot machine, but more fun and more user control!

You betcha Maven, and low and behold I did better then 1 Scoring Ring,,, I got 2 Scoring Rings! 




At least I didn't hit my target rack for a change, and I actually hit the paper 3 times along with two outer right side cardboard hits, so I'm plumb pleased as now my next goal is three counters out of five shots on our next Smoothie Match!  Small steps...

[Uncle Russ]

LOL, I know exactly what you mean Joe!
When I am trying to make paper for the first time, with any of my rifles, the first thing that goes through my mind is, "God, I hope I don't hit my target frame"!

Same thing with the Chronograph .....I get it all set up, the target looks good when looking through the sky screens for alignment, and then, just seconds before I touch one off, I'm thinking, "God, I hope I don't hit my Chronograph"....

Joe, I'm no expert when it comes to PRB in a smoothie, far from it.
But from what I see, and assuming your hold was the same each shot, my impression would be that that ball needs more speed, and a wee bit of left windage.
A tighter patch might help, but I would definitely try FFg and use a hard / harder to start PRB.

I've seen similar patterns and they don't come from sight pictures.....try changing powder first.

Uncle Russ...

[rollingb]

Joe,.... what was your load on that target, and ball size? 

[Ohio Joe]

Russ, I was aiming left edge center, but can't be sure with the alignment without a rear sight. I'm still working on this. 

Today's load was a .580 ball atop 90 grains 1fg w/ 4f prime, (powder - wad - ball - wad... (Oh, I bet you see that 80g wrote in blue at the lower left corner of the target behind my official target, That was from when I was working on loads when I first got this smoothie from Rondo).

In any event (and you are correct) I need to continue my research practice sessions with different load combo's. I'm thinking my next practice session will be with the 2f rather then the 1f, and I'll go 100g 2fg w/ wad - .580 ball - wad... See what it does.

I did try a patched ball several times with different charges, and had no good results at all. Of course that was with the 1fg, but it wasn't until I started using the newspaper wadding that I saw improvements.

Now I'm going to test a larger ball and 2fg powder, though to my feeling of the ignition of this smoothie - I don't feel I'm getting any hesitation in ignition, but the only way tell is to try the 2fg and see.

This morning's shoot is a big win for me as I don't have to repair my target stand.  I get a'lot of enjoyment out'a this smoothie. 

[Ohio Joe]

Joe,.... what was your load on that target, and ball size? 

I was using; 95g 1fg - wad - .580 ball - wad, this morning Rondo. 

[Maven]

Let's see, 3 hits on paper, 2 in the scoring rings, and 0 in the target frame.  I'd call that good, Joe.   Three questions for you: Have you bench rested the gun with the same load combination @ 25 yd.?  If so, did it group well?  If not, it may suggest a change is needed.  Are you open to trying a patched RB with an OP wad over the powder charge?  For openers I'd use the same RB you're presently using and patching that will allow only modest effort to start and seat that combination.


P.S.  I replaced the cardboard backer on my target frame the other day, but left the hole left by a .60cal. RB alone as it affects nothing.  The cause was a hang fire, which my trade gun is prone to unless I dry swab the breech area after ~20 shots:  Now I know better!

[Ohio Joe]

Let's see, 3 hits on paper, 2 in the scoring rings, and 0 in the target frame.  I'd call that good, Joe.   Three questions for you: Have you bench rested the gun with the same load combination @ 25 yd.?  If so, did it group well?  If not, it may suggest a change is needed.  Are you open to trying a patched RB with an OP wad over the powder charge?  For openers I'd use the same RB you're presently using and patching that will allow only modest effort to start and seat that combination.


P.S.  I replaced the cardboard backer on my target frame the other day, but left the hole left by a .60cal. RB alone as it affects nothing.  The cause was a hang fire, which my trade gun is prone to unless I dry swab the breech area after ~20 shots:  Now I know better!

I've not benched the smoothie as yet. Was kinda thinking just getting familiar with it before I headed off to the bench and was hopeful that some load might just show up promising ('course we know that seldom happens), and really I've just been having some fun with it.  I had not thought of a "powder - wad - patched ball" combination. It's certainly worth checking out. 

[Bigsmoke]

Guess my eyes are not as quick as they used to be.
When I glanced through the subject lines, for some reason I read TMA Smoothbore Match as TMA 4 Bore Match.
First thought was, "WOW, when did the big boys come into the room?
Then I read it again and I thought, Oh well, it could have been nice to see some awesome fire power here.  Maybe next time?  Anyone shooting something like that?  4 bores?  2 bores?  even an 8 bore?  Sorry to say, all my big guns have migrated to new homes.  In one way, I really miss them, but at 400 grains of powder and 1,500 grains of lead, the 4 bore was kind of expensive to feed.  And I am getting too old and feeble to carry a 20 pound rifle around very long.
John