Maillemaker
08-07-2017, 09:10 AM
Took my Sharps to the range this weekend to do some load workups. I had done this before with this gun and thought I had worked out that 45 grains 3F Goex was optimal. But I was experimenting with the new dipped bullets and so decided to first to 5 shots each of 5-grain jumps from 20 to 60 grains. Then I went back and did 1-grain increments from 40 grains to 54 grains, in 10-shot groups.
The problem with shooting 10-shot groups is I'm pretty sure I'm "losing" bullets in the same holes / torn paper, so it makes it hard to enter the bullet hits in my OnTarget software. I think I'm only going to do 5-shot groups from now on.
So, first the 5-shot groups, starting with 20 grains 3F Goex. You can see the 20 and 25 grain loads were so light they dropped down onto the targets below the ones aimed for:
http://i.imgur.com/gUcg6zgl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/j8xECbIl.jpg
40 grains looks pretty good. Something wonky happened at 45 grains. I think I put 2 shots on the wrong target (the one above it), but even so, they are all over the paper, and inconsistent with the rest of the groups. There was a horsefly trying to eat me...I squashed him after the second bite. :)
But pretty much between 40 and 60 grains the groups are not so good. But something interesting happened at 60 grains - that is a heck of a group. I want to try that one again. Unfortunately when I did the 1-grain increments I stopped at 54 grains.
The problem with shooting 10-shot groups is I'm pretty sure I'm "losing" bullets in the same holes / torn paper, so it makes it hard to enter the bullet hits in my OnTarget software. I think I'm only going to do 5-shot groups from now on.
So, first the 5-shot groups, starting with 20 grains 3F Goex. You can see the 20 and 25 grain loads were so light they dropped down onto the targets below the ones aimed for:
http://i.imgur.com/gUcg6zgl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/j8xECbIl.jpg
40 grains looks pretty good. Something wonky happened at 45 grains. I think I put 2 shots on the wrong target (the one above it), but even so, they are all over the paper, and inconsistent with the rest of the groups. There was a horsefly trying to eat me...I squashed him after the second bite. :)
But pretty much between 40 and 60 grains the groups are not so good. But something interesting happened at 60 grains - that is a heck of a group. I want to try that one again. Unfortunately when I did the 1-grain increments I stopped at 54 grains.