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Tom - I would check around your State for clubs where you can go any time. I would seek out this information at other black powder web sites. I can suggest one - www.americanlongrifles.com - there is bound to be someone on that forum, under the Shooting Black Powder forum fromthe list. Just go to ALR, click on forum, then from the list, click on the Shooting.
A suggestion about balls and patches. For a good, clean shoting load, add these diameters:
ball diameter + twice the patch thickness = ?
? should be .004" to .010" LARGER than the groove diameter.

Here is a video of my brother loading his .50 Virginia rifle. The ball is .495", the patch .022". so- .495" + .022" + .022" = .539". The bore on this rifle is .500" and it has .016" rifling, so .500" + .016" + .016" = .532"
Therefore .539" - .532" = .007" divided by 2 = .035" compression in each groove. This is not a particularly tight load, but it shoots very well to 50 yards with a light 80gr.2F charge. For superior accuracy at longer ranges to the ability of the rifle, it would probably need a .025" patch for a tight fit, due to the increased pressure of a heavier charge.
I should note, we'de been shooting for about 2 hours before making the video - probably 35 to 40 shots, no wiping at any time. In the .58 double video- I'd fired perhaps 40 shots before making the video. I had to wait until the SKS and AR shooters went home - too much noise, close by. I merely shot targets until then.

Taylor is using a range rod as we were target shooting at the time. When on the trail or hunting, the rifle's rod does the job just as easily.

And here is yet another one,w ith 2 of us loading. We've just finished shooting a 50 shot trail - no wiping, either of us. Ross is shooting a 20 gauge smoothbore, while I'm shooting a .45 rifle. This video starts after we've placed the patch and ball on the muzzle, as we had to re-start due to some language problems.
I'm loading and shooting a .445" ball with a .022" patch. Bore is .450" with .010" rifing depth. There is .0095" compression in the grooves. It also loads easily, due to a nicely smoothed about 60 to 70 degree crown, with no sharp corners- all smoothly radiused with emery.

Here are couple crowns as I described. The crown is the most important aspect in allowing a descently tight patch to be loaded. Too sharp and it will cut the patch or make loading difficult due to rivetting the ball. There are NO factory crowns that are suitable - they are all too sharp as they are cut by a machine which leaves sharp angles. These push the lead. Merely stuffing your thumb into the muzle and rotating it back and forth, with 320 emery cloth or sand paper will smooth the crown to allow easy loading as shown in these videos. I usually wet the emery with WD40 or cutting fluid. Turn the barrel now and then as work progresses, to make certain the crown in even.

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Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

Edited by Daryl_S (11/03/10 03:52 AM)

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