I took MY bullets to the range today

[Idaho Ron]

Here is the first test of my bullets I poured. Last week I poured some Lyman 395 real weight was 398 and some LEE REAL 320 real weight was 325 gr. The weather was getting crappy so I had to cut most of the shooting to 50 yards. Since I was shooting like crap, it was a good thing I did.
 The first 6 shots I took were with the Lyman 398 gr Great Plains bullet. I never even hit the target. I could not tell where it was hitting.  I saw some dig into the dirt in front of me then behind the target. I cleaned the gun and used a felt wad under the bullet.



Well at least it hit paper. I was out of the 398 so I went with the 399 Lyman. I used a felt wad under these as well.




I was not happy with this at all. I was changing the sights to try to hit paper and it was just a struggle to do anything.
Well I needed to get to the LEE REAL bullets before it rained.  I cleaned the gun set the sights back to the original settings, and shot three shots with the LEE bullets and a felt wad.



That was not a bad group. So I decided to try it again the same load.



Well I was sure that this load had some potential. So I wanted to shoot it at 100 yards before it rained. I cleaned the gun and shot three shots as the rain was starting to fall.



Well the LEE REAL bullets were not too bad. They are nowhere near as accurate as my 410-gr Hornady load. I do have to say I didn’t play with the load at all. I just shot 100 gr of powder.
 I don’t like my home brew bullet lube. It didn’t stay on the bullets worth a hoot. I got some lead fouling due to it. The bullets were easy to load on all occasions. The lead I used must have been soft. I have to say that I was disappointed at the bullets. The Lyman was totally unacceptable as a bullet of any kind, and the Lee was acceptable for a plinker.
 I didn’t want to have to use a felt wad to shoot with. Without the felt wad I could not tell where the bullets were going to hit with either type of bullet. The next time I will try some bore butter on the bullets and try it again with felt wads.  The Lyman bullets measure about .504  The LEE bullets measure about .515  I am sure that the tighter fit of the LEE were the biggest factor in the accuracy of the Lee.  The Lyman was supposed to be .508 as the add said. The lee was to be .517 Both fell short of the claim. I might be able to add some harder lead to the mix and that might make them a bit bigger.
 I wished the Lyman were larger in diameter, and I wish the Lee weighed 410 gr.
I guess I will have to see what the next round brings. I also want to play with the powder a bit.

[Snowshoe]

I got the best accuracy out of the REAL bullets with 80g of Pyrodex and a felt wad. I have since stopped shooting any bullets and work with round balls now. I am shooting with a 1 in 48" twist barrel.

[sabotloader]

Idaho Ron

I can not add much information at all about the REAL's, but I have been shooting 460 grain No Excuses and 460 grain MT's Bull Shops and have had great accuracy with them.

You do not say whether your GM barrel is a 1/28 or 1/48 twist, but no matter because I have been shooting these bullets from both twists.  I use a .125 x .510 Nitro Card and I have been experimenting with 70,80 & 90 grain loads of T7-3f...

Here is a target with velocity information shot from my 1/28 Green Mountain barrel...



Next I decided I wanted to try a 1/48 TC Renegade barrel to see how it would work with these heavy long bullets... surprised!!! This was one of my first targets - It has since improved with the addition of fiber optic sights.



I am very happy with the performance of these bullets, I can consistently set up clay pigeon targets at a 50 to 100 yards and pick them off.  Really could not do any better with a sabots and a regular copper clad bullet even in an inline.  I also ran a general ballistic sheet on these bullets - impressive...

[Idaho Ron]

sabotloader, I tried the NE 460's and White super slug buck buster 440 and the 460gr one as well. I only got the same groups as you. I wanted to take it to the next step. I was using the T7 as well. I just didn't like it. I went to regular pyrodex select with a Hornady bullets.
This load was 3 shots with 385 gr hollow points.


 
This was one of my 410 gr groups At 90 gr


I tried this load at 100 yards and this was about average.


I bumped the powder up to 100 gr and this happened.


I thought well if a little more was good how about I bump it again.


The white's and the NE bullets, like in your gun were ok in my gun at 100 yards but they were .500  .504, and .505 
They just didn't give the kind of accuracy the 410 gr hornady gave. They are .509 on the top ring, and they are swaged instead of poured. The 460's also had the tendency to tumble at 150 yards with a felt wad over the powder. I would be interested if yours would do the same. I wanted a bullet that would be accurate past 100 yards. The 410's allow me to shoot pop bottels out to 150, milk jugs out to 200 and a iron buffalo (18"x18") out to 300 yards.
The only reason I am looking for another bullet I can make is because I have about 600 pounds of lead, and I want to use it for rabbits and rockchucks. You might try the 410 hornady. My son's gun is the same as mine. the only difference is his has double triggers. His is also sighted in out to 300 yards. Both guns shoot the 410 hornady with 100 gr of pyrodex select RS. They are wicked accurate. I got a good buck with mine last year with this load.  This is my son's rifle.  Ron

[crow_feather]

Lee made two sizes in each caliber of their real bullet as the long bullet wouldn't Stabilize in slow twist barrels.  I have shot the T/C maxi bullet in my 54 with great success using 70 grains of fff.  It's not fast, but it does pack a punch at 100 yards.

C F

[sabotloader]

Idaho Ron

The 460's also had the tendency to tumble at 150 yards with a felt wad over the powder. I would be interested if yours would do the same. I wanted a bullet that would be accurate past 100 yards.

Gee's I have not seen any sign of tumbling, but I have only shot them to 140 yards with the GM barrel and just started testing them in the 1/48 TC renegade barrels.  Now you have me really curious...

They are .509 on the top ring, and they are swagged instead of poured

That is exactly why I went with the slip fits.... no short starter required - but i do have to slow down for the extra step of putting a nitro card in...  I just started using conicals, in the past everything I shot was in a sabot, whether it was a side-hammer or inline.

[Idaho Ron]

Are you using lube on the nitro card?  I have been thinking about trying that.  Ron

[sabotloader]

Idaho Ron

No lube at all, I bought them from Track of the Wolf, as suggested by Underclocked.  They are perfect for my 50's - you insert them in the barrel with your thumb, then set the bullet on top and slide them down together.  The card actually fits tight enough to serve as a wipe of fouling on the way down and again on the way up.  Another reason I use the card is to keep the heat off the lead so no melting accurs.  T7-3f burns really hot so this insulation, I am hoping, saves me a bit of leading in the barrel.

WAD 510A - http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(ryndfo55b25oal45fk1uq3if))/categories/tableList.aspx?catId=2&subId=37&styleId=121&PageSize=25&Page=2

I do still damp patch the barrel with regular windex after every shot, as that would be the condition of the bore while I am hunting.  I hesitate calling the patch damp because it is just barely damp, not wet enough to leave any moisture in the barrel or to get out into the flash channel.  The ammonia in the windex causes the moisture in the windex and in the barrel to dry rapidly.  A lot of other people use alcohol for the same purpose, but i get the same results in one product no mixing and of course the ammonia does not evaporate as fast as alcohol.

   

[Idaho Ron]

Those wads look alllll right. I would like to try the one you have and the 510V have you tried them?  When I shoot three shot groups I never clean between shots. I figure if you are hunting I want to know what the second and third shot are going to do.  I clean mine the same as you do.  only I do it after the third shot.  Ron

[sabotloader]

Idaho Ron   

I have not tried the 510-V - thought it might be to thin and would burn up to easy with T7... If you get some let me know how they work for you...

[Lawful Larry]

A quick question on the wads.  Being fairly new to muzzleloading, does the use of these wads improve your shots then without them?  I have shot sabots and of course you don't use them then.  But when I have shot TC Maxi hunters or Hornaday Great Plains bullets I never had to use a wad. 

I am familiar with using cookies in BP cartridges.  Are you using them as a gas check only?  Why would you want to use them with this setup?  What would be the advantage of wads.

Thanks.

[Idaho Ron]

I shot a bunch of TC maxi hunters and Maxi balls. Neither one shot worth a dang in my rifle, it has a 1-28 twist.  I did some tests on them for roundness and weight and they were awful.  I had one Maxi hunter that was 30 grains under weight. The bottom of the bullet was shaved off, I got to post a picture of this. Anyway I will never shoot another TC bullet again. I started to pour my own lyman Great plains and Lee Real.  I could not hit a 8x11 target at 25 yards when I seated them over the powder. I used a lubed felt wad and I hit the target. After messing with wad size and the powder charge I have them shooting well enough for varmint hunting.  The Hornady Great plains has a hollow base and does not need a wad. I get GREAT accuracy with the Great Plains bullet. With the flat base design. The lubed wad helps keep the gas from blowing by the bullet. This helps keep leading down and accuracy up. The Wad I am having the best luck with is a over sized felt wad I make my self. It measures just over .610 and seals the bore very well. The last time I shot my Lee REALS, I shot a 4" group at 175 yards.  Ron