Subsonic Loads

[LOG EYE]

I recently had a rude awkening  that my 100yd targets looked like "00" shotgun load patterns. Previously, my T/C 54 Renegade had performed as well as I could hold it using 222 gr pbr with .022 ticking patch and moose milk lube with a little Murphy's added.  Then I read an article in the NMLRA "Muzzle Blast" magizine  by  the Bevel-up/Bevel-down brothers about the effect of breaking the sound barrier using  lead round balls( I Know- it's redundant). To make a great article short,the effect of a lead ball slowing down to pass back subsonic(less than 1100 ft/sec or there abouts) causes a destabilization of air around the ball causing shifts in trajectory; thus impact :? on my 100yd bullseye target. So- I went back to  70gr 2f Goex in my 1:48 26inch T/C ,down from a 95-110 gr load I was using. The results were impressive off the sand bag. All shots were touching each other 1 inch below dead center     Just a hint to  the bullseye shooters out there, stand tall and use a little less powder, things may come together .

[WD45]

LOG EYE....
You have just learned for yourself what I and no doubt many others here have learned many years ago. For some reason some people think that if a certain ML is rated for XXX grains of powder then that is the load or somewere close that you have use. I am not saying that you are or were this way, just stating a fact that I have noticed in general with most newer shooters and inliners. I have generally found anything over 100 gr is probably just wasting good powder in most cases especially for deer. Most of my guns are the most accurate with between 70 and 90 gr of powder and I have killed a lot of larger game with them. Actually after a certain point a given length of barrel will only burn so much powder and the rest just gets blown out the end of the barrel. Depending on caliber , barrel length and pill weight ..... Maybe I'm wrong , But I have not lost an animal yet in the last 30+ years.

[LOG EYE]

WD:  Thanks for the good words.  The 90-110 gr load was what I was using in a T/C 1:66 patchball barrel wtih some OK results but really gave bad results in a 1:48.  That's OK, burni' and learnin' is half the fun :wink:

[Thomas Krupinski]

I think it is more a relationship between the length of the projectile, the rate of twist and the velocity it is traveling.

Shorter projectiles do higher velocity with slower twists.  Longer projectiles are stabilized by faster twists at higher velocities.  It is just a matter of finding the charge that will send the projectile you choose through at the velocity that will be stabilized by by the twist rate of that barrel.

When T/C send back a barrel with a test target they often tell you the charge that they used to verify performance.  What I remember in the past when I had a couple of barrels returned, that with 1:48 and round ball in 50 was a charge of 70 grains of FFg.

[HWooldridge]

My 45 with 1-66 twist seemed to like 70-85 of 3F and at 50 yds the groups were all similar but at 100 yds, 75 gr really stood out compared to everything else.  No burned patches and most shots touching so that is my standard load.  I reasoned that the old 45-70 used 70 grs with a 500 gr bullet so a piddling little ball should be zipping along at a good clip and is plenty of charge for that rifle.  In fact, my 54 with a 1-48 twist shoots extremely well with only 85 grs of 3F.  I have seen recommendations of 120 to 140 grs in the 54 and that seems very excessive to me.