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PJB - your loads are sub-standard for hunting dangerous game in the first place - for you, they may be just great. The 8 bores we are referring to was meant for 10 drams minimun - that's 273gr. powder. With these charges the fast twists tend to foul and accuracy usually just isn't there. that is why the slower twists Dan mentioned.
: For modern plinking ie: squib loads that everyone uses today, I expect the 48"twist would work just fine for you along with some sort of adjustable sigth so you can hit at various ranges. The point blank sigth gave just that, a shot to `100 or so yards without having to think about range or trajectory. It's a wonderful thing when that happens.
: The conicals weight and bearing surface reduce velocity and increase recoil. The reduced velocity reduces point blank range, making the gun less useful for hunting dangerous game.
: Have you chronographed this gun? Dangerous game loads are expected to produce in the 1,400fps to 1,500fps range. I doubt you'd like shooting those.
: In my 14 bore, it took 165gr. just to get 1,550 fps and that was only a 480gr. ball.
; A 12 bore usually needed over 180gr. to get 1,550fps with a 545gr. ball. The 8 bore would require around 273gr. to get 1,400fps. Now, try that load with your conical and the velocity will drop to about 1,250fps and there will still be no point blank range, whereas the round ball will have a point blank range of about 100 yards. Point blank is where the projectile is no more than 1-1/2"above or below the line of sight. The reason is that one can shoot a dangerous animal without first trying to figure the range and where to hold. They wanted to just point and shoot.
: Try zeroing your rifle at 100 yards then shoot at 50 to see where the bullet hits. If it is much than 1-1/2", then the rifle's point blank range is quite short. Forsyth's word was 'useless' for fast twist large bores. How do you hold 5 1/2" low on a charging tiger, elephant of buffalo?
: He had one 13 bore with 35" of twist that stripped badly with anything approaching a hunting load. 35" in a 13 bore is probably about the same s 48" in the 8 bore - both twist rates are designed for slugs, not round balls, but the guns usually lack the weigth for shooting them with appropriate loads. He also stated it had a 13" trajectory over 100 yards range, making it useless. He went on to describe all the doubles made in London which possessed the same fast rifling and that their owners in India forgot about the rifling and loaded them appropriately for the game desired and used them as the smoothbores their wild shooting resembled.
; However - that's for guns meant to be used in Afric or India against dangerous game. If your fast twist 8 shoots well for you and you are happy, that's the important thing for you and that's great.

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Daryl

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

Edited by Daryl_S (13/02/08 09:26 AM)

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