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View Full Version : Wow! my Bill Large barrel and patched round ball!



MikeArthur
06-28-2010, 06:49 PM
:) so last year I joined a NMLRA club in Charleston, SC and it opened up a whole new wonderful shooting experience with friendly and knowledgeable black powder shooters.

First I got my Russell Klotz-built Isaac Haynes 40 cal flintlock tuned and it shoots great, but quite a different experience from skirmishing: flints, patches, flashes, longer holds, but you do get the CRACK of the rifle as it breaks the sound barrier, really cool!

They also allow shooting of muskets in the monthly competitions: so I set up my 55 springfield with the large/harmon barrel for patched round ball.

25/50 yards: 50 grains 3f goex (100 yards: 60 grains) with a hornady .570 swaged roundball (I don't even have to cast!!) 15 thousands pillowticking

2in groups at 50 yards with no kick and the really neat thing is that I do not need to clean my gun at all during a 50 round competition, the patch lightly soaked with soapy water seems to keep the barrel very clean and no scraping the bottom of the barrel necessary, the best part: the cleaning process at home is very quick as the barrel never got very dirty.

so any chance you have to try this patched round ball stuff, try it. :D I still love skirmishing, but as Bill Newton says, do both!

the bill large barrel (8 lands/grooves) is just perfect for the job, don't know if other rifling configurations will do better.

yours,

mike arthur, hart's battery, csa

William H. Shuey
06-29-2010, 07:49 PM
FWIW I have an 1866 Springfield trapdoor that came with a drop in replacement barrel for skirmishing. It appears to be 7 lands & Grooves and it shoots patched round ball very nicely. Only drawback is it has a patent breech which is a bit of a bear to clean.

Bill Shuey