Shooting my PH 2 band Enfield to get the sights dailed in for 50 and 100 yards. Rifle was bedded with "brown paper" shims, but I decided to bed it full length with Acraglass. Bedding came out real nice!
Been using Goex 3f with the PH 565 minie, sized to .575", weighed bullets and weighed powder charge of 50 gr. 3F grouped best. Consistant benched 2 inch groups at 50 and 4 inch groups at 100, but now and again I had vertical shots high or low out of the group. Everything was good and tight, would shoot some more groups, and and now and again vertical stringing.
I then got looking at the 3f powder and the grain size looks to be a mix of small grains and big grains, like a dukes mixture of several different size granulars of powder. I then opened a can of 2f, and all the grains looked consistant size, almost perfectly identical. Went an checked another can of Goex 3f, and like the first can of 3f, the granulation was fine, medium and chunky. Not consistant.
So, thinking this 3f hodgepodge of grain size might cause variation in velocity, I loaded up 2f behind the PH Minie. I got keyholes at 50 grains, and then kept bumping it up the charge, until at 60 gr of 2f, the rifle put three shots into a ragged hole @ 50 yards, about the size of my thumb.
Tryed 60 grains again and 1 3/8" group at fifty. OK, I'm shooting all 3 shot groups, didn't bring alot of minies, but I'm on the tight track now.
Take it to 100 and it shoots a 3 in group, no flers. Another group, 3 1/2 inches. All the groups nice and round, no flyers.
Sights worked out nice, +1" high @ 50 with rear sight all the way down on 100 yd setting, moved slide to 200 and +3 high 100 yds, wel centered. Suits me fine.
I did brush the bore down between groups. Lube was 1 part beeswax/ 1 part olive oil.
Has anyone ever noticed this with Goex 3F? Maybe it was just the lot of powder I have?
All I can say is the difference in shooting was very apparent, maybe this rifle just likes 2f better.
Looking back, I should have chronographed the 3f loads, as a big spread in velocity would tell the tale.
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