These Spencers are really a lot of fun to shoot. I have shot mine at paper targets trying to get magically small groups and this can be frustrating at times. I don't shoot as much as I would like and I need lots of practice. The lock-time of the Spencer is long (takes a lot of time for the hammer fall, impact of the hammer on the firing mechanism, etc). You have to follow through as you would in bowling, golf, etc. Practice! I like to shoot milk jugs at about 75 yards off hand. If I do my part, I have a great time making the jugs "leak"! I use blackpowder almost exclusively but now have to try smokeless. I made up some loads using "Trail Boss" powder on advice from Hodgdon Powder Company. It was also great fun not having to clean cases when finished. I'm not going to abandon black powder, but there is only so much you can do with blackpowder in that short .56/50 casing. The word is to have fun! That's the key!
.56/50 Iron