Friday will b initial range trip with the new (to me) Taylors Sharp 2002 vintage

[cpt dan blodgett]

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Loaded up a bunch of 415 grain desparado bullets 65 grains FFg schuetzen and a dr pepper carton over powder wad.
Also loaded some Black Dawge 350 grainers over 1.9 cc of the scheutzend, 2.3 cc walnut media a Dr Pepper wad, homemade wonder wad a second Dr Pepper wad and about 1/inch compression.  These are a plainsman reduced load.  Also loaded same formula only seating a .457 round ball just past center into case and applying a good roll crimp to hold the RB in.

Also loaded the 415 grain bullets with AA5744 and Varget to test.  Looking for a super accurate load out to 300 and a decent reduced load for Plainsman SASS competition.

Will see how they shoot from the Army (Taylor's) Sharps and a Navy arms RB.

[Kent Shootwell]

It doesn't sound like a good idea to send walnut down the bore. A bit abbrasive anit it?

[cpt dan blodgett]

Lots of SASS folks use it for filler, I am actually clue less

[john boy]

Lots of SASS folks use it for filler...

I've am a SASS member, shoot Cowboy every month using black powder reloads and have been on the SASS Wire since 2001 ... this is the 1st time I've ever read or heard using walnut media as a filler

[cpt dan blodgett]

Well got back from range.  Rifles cleaned, brass washed and now drying (shot both the sharps and the rolling block

Both the reduced loads shot ok and pretty much point of aim at 25 and 50 yards.  Either will work ok for plainsman.  Just because I am way cheap, I may stick with the round balls.

Got both rifles on target at 100 200 took a while and ran out of bp rounds before I got if figured out.

Tried some varget rounds from the sharps.  Once I figured out the correct sight to use.  Slide slider out of way and use the notch at the bottom for 200 yards.  Was able to shoot 2 inches right and 1 inch low of X on std military 200 yard bull.  Using a 5744 load with the rolling block was able to keep it also in the black pretty much probably about 1 min low overall

Think both rifles have potential.  Just need to figure out what they like best.

[cpt dan blodgett]

Cases starline neck sized only, rounds previously fired from sharps.  Loaded 70 grain Schuetzen FFg today.  Threw charge into case from Lyman BPMeasure.  Slowly dumped from charged case thru lyman drop tube into empty case.  Sat on a .062 veggie wad.  Basic Hornandy expanding die compresses powder about .125 and essentially has the wad down where the bullet make contact.  Think I get approx .010 more compression seating the bullet to OAL 2.705, just covering 1st Lube groove.

Will try this load tomorrow at the range.  Will try same load from rolling block as well.

[cpt dan blodgett]

Rounds all over the place.  Hard fouling about 3/4 of the way out the barrel on the sharps, not so much on the roller.  Could not hit and stay on paper at 200 yards with either the sharps or roller.  Thinking not enough lube.  May try lighter charge with FFFg to make room for 2 Dr Pepper wads and a lube cookie or wonderwad.  Could us wax paper under and dr Pepper or .062 veggie over.  We shall see.  Think it may help to change to .459 or .460 bullets.  The Desparados seem to fly ok using Varget and 5744.

There must be a reason the industry switched over to smokeless circa Spanish American War.

Good breeze coming from 12:00 put a lot of the smoke and carbon back in my face.  Very nice!!!

[cpt dan blodgett]

Ordered some desparado .460 415 grainers and some .459 bullets from Montana Bullet works.  We shall see how the larger diameter works.  .460 desparados came today.  Will try as is from shorter barreled rolling block, probably with a lube cookie in the sharps.

[cpt dan blodgett]

Made another trip to the range today.  This time tried varget under the despardo 415 grain .460 bullets.

Using the standard sight down.  Shot a 2 inch high 1 inch wide iscoseles triangel that was about 10 inches below point of aim
Switched to the lyman tang sight put 9 in about a 3 inch circle, about a foot high and 6 inches right.  Essentially the max load of varget for a trap door.  Not totally outstanding but certainly good enough for CAS.  The rifle can shoot.

There is a huge difference between where it shoots with BP and smokeless.  Given the difficulty I have seeing the front sight with the standard sights will hold off any more work with this one till I get a decent set of sights. I do have something I can try for long range.  May take one more trip to the range to shoot at 200 just to see.  Was way too windy today to do any serious work there with slow bullets.

[cpt dan blodgett]

Finally made it to Ace hardware to obtain a propane torch.  Goodness knows where my MAP torch for plumbing went.  Got my cases annealed.  Used the hold them in the hand and drop in water method.  Really cuts down on getting the brass too hot.

[cpt dan blodgett]

Another trip to the range today.
Tried 65 grains FFg with just a wad
and also a few rounds with 2 of the .062 above and below a lube cookie.
Could not really tell difference in groups still about 4 inches, but did determine the problem with chambering is fouling in the throat.
One of the strings was interrupted by a cease fire.  I knocked a hard to chamber round out with cleaning rod.  Hard black stuff on bullet and some in the exposed lube groove.  It is pretty clear I either need to start using a blow tube or add a lube cookie to every round.  I will play with some loads using Dr Pepper Case wads.  Which will give me two wads for the thickness of one of the .062s

Having annealed the brass, noticed considerably less soot on the brass, virtually none on most rounds.
With the FFFg first and fourth rounds impacted essentially in the same hole just inside the black at 6 O'clock.  Was taking a 6 O'clock hold.

Got lucky today, not much wind, but what wind there was went straight down range so I did not get all the smoke back in my face.

[Wagon Box Willy]

Having annealed the brass, noticed considerably less soot on the brass, virtually none on most rounds.

With what little experience I have at this I noticed the same thing with my un-annealed W-W brass (which is why I bought Winchester brand).  The necks are pretty thin and soft which probably meas they wont last as long but I'm getting virtually no blow back.

Got lucky today, not much wind, but what wind there was went straight down range so I did not get all the smoke back in my face.

Well where's the fun in that 

Willy

[cpt dan blodgett]

Another trip to the range, on second shot the firing pin broke.  My two spares were back home in the safe.  Near as I can tell based on the bullets I have ordered and shot the firing pin broke somewhere between 400 and 450 rounds since I acquired the rifle.  I have no clue how many the previous owner put down range on that pin.

Way back when folks warned me about firing pins breaking so I ordered two and an extractor from Taylors.  Just was not smart enough to carry the spare with me.  Oh well I did have the presence of mind to take a spare rifle, the Navy Arms Rolling block.

A max load of Varget (trapdoor level) with a 485 grain bullet will get your attention.