Range Report, the Short Snorter Rides Again.

[Ugly Sauce]

On the advice of my Homies, of which made sense, I tried some lighter loads today. The REAL over 70 grains shot just as badly as over 100 grains. I only took two shots, they were 10.5" apart. Enough of that.

In the past the rifle has shown some promise with round ball, so I tried some .565" balls, .020+" patch and one wax wad, and one felt wad under the ball, and 80 grains 2fg. It didn't do too bad, not great for 50 yards, but minute of deer to 50 and a little further than that. The one shot furthest high and left disturbs me, and it was a good shot, follow through was perfect, etc. I can call my flyers well. It was not me.

So, mixed feelings. The Short Snorter won't be the Hammer of Thor as I had hoped, but for trekking in bear country it packs as much or more punch as some of the long guns I take, with 80 grains under a ball. Regardless of energy figures, I think it will hammer a bear as well as my .44 mag pistol. I think it out powers my Rossi in .357 Magnum for instance, and I feel fine sneaking around the mountains with it. So I just need to "chill" on that. And, I believe that with a charging bear, you probably only get one shot, so the single shot thing does not bother me.

And, a good option I have is to load it with the double-ball, 100 grain load for close up work, and with the thinner patch those pull easy, so I can always pull that load, and reload it for subsistence hunting with the single ball, if I chose to.

Anyhow, now to sight it in so she's only three inches high at 50, and I think I'll take her trekking. The gun carries like a dream, so I really want to make use of it. The Short Snorter Says: "Thanks for listening!"

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Maybe you should go even lighter on the powder charge, you're starting to make progress, I generally start with 5 grains over bullet diameter example being 55 grns for a .50 cal and work up from there. So maybe 60 grns will be the accuracy load. Ya won't know till ya try. I would also look at the crown on the barrel just for grins, you may have a small divot that's messing with you.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

All good advice, but I just can't trek around Grizzly's backyard with that low of a powder charge. I think that once I adjust my sights and do a little more shooting I'll get a halfway decent group out of it. I can live with minute of deer at 50, that gives it some subsistence hunting capability. Or, I could take it cougar-calling, which is usually a 30 yard shot. But, I'd rather get the next cat with my Jeager. !!! Decisions decisions!

I think the crown is fine, but the same thought has crossed my mind, I think I will re-crown it just for the heck of it. But really it's that lumpy bore that I'm sure is the problem. The gun has had four different barrel lengths over the years, and at least that many re-crowns, and it has never shot very well.

I'm liking the gun a lot in it's most recent configuration and bling, the balance is perfect, it carries like a dream. It's light and very "handy". One of these days when I have some extra cash I'm more seriously considering spending the money on it to have it smooth bored. I know I can shoot a better, more consistent group with a smooth bore than what it's doing now, (and with a much heavier load) and then it would have the option of shooting shot well, a good thing when lost in the mountains. In smooth bore form, it would really be the ultimate trekking and bear repellent gun.

But having said that, it's the barrel of my 1861 that I really want to send to Hoyt, have him smooth bore it just enough to clean up/eliminate the minne' ball rifling, and then rifle it for round ball. That's on the top of my wish list.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Just got back from the shop. I re-crowned the barrel, or crowned it deeper, but it looked fine with no nicks or burrs. But Jack just ain't a blowing smoke when he has advice, so I did it.

I also tapped out the rear sight, filed the base down flat, and cut a new dove-tail, so that should bring my POI down to where I want it. (about 3" high at fifty) She was hitting about eight to ten inches high. If not I have room to cut the notch in the rear sight deeper. If I went too low, I have plenty of front sight to file down. So, next week we'll see what she can do.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Looking forward to that range session Ugly! I really think you can make it shoot by finding what it likes for an accuracy load.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I think you are right. But minute of bear-head at 50 is the goal, or "good enough", and penetration of bear is a must. !!

I might have to crunch the numbers, and figure out what velocity the round ball needs to be traveling to equal or exceed the power/energy of a .44Magnum from a pistol. That would be the only case where I could drop the charge any lower. My guess would be about 1300-1400fps would be in the ball park, and I'm not sure that a 60 grain charge would do that from that short barrel. But we shall see, what next week brings. !

 

[Ugly Sauce]

SUCCESS AT LAST 2.75" @ 50 yards. POA was bottom edge of plate. Fired patches were re-usable, but I didn't.


Don't tell Jack that this was after re-crowning, and no other changes other than lowering my rear sight. He might think he's pretty smart, and we don't want him to get conceited. I sure could find nothing wrong with the muzzle, but I did it anyway. But going from an eight inch group or more, to a sub-three inch group probably is not a coincidence.

Same load, 80 grains Goex 2fg, wax wad over powder, felt wad over that, and a patched .565" ball, .020+" patch, and wonder lube. I was going to use bear grease/oil, but I can't argue with this. No this isn't a bragging group for a good rifle, like my Jeager or 1861, but for this old Miroku it's about the best it's going to get.

So, I got me another good trekking gun, with 80 grains under the ball I don't feel too under-powered, and I can still load it with the Hammer of Thor double ball over 100 grains load for close in work if I'm feeling puny. That load, using a much thinner patch, is very easy to pull. This stubby little thing really does carry like a dream.

Okay, I feel good, I feel froggy, gonna head up North soon with the Short Snorter and the Little Brat, and see what there is to see deep in them mountains and way off trail. I may go where no me has gone before.

The Short Snorter says, as always: "Thanks for listening!"

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Well, don't tell ole Ugly Sauce.. I told ya so!!! Now all ya gotta do is find the accuracy load and work up to the max accurate load. So there!

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Yeah yeah yeah Smarty Pants. Considering the Short Snorter's accuracy record to date, I think I'm "there". Sometime in the future I can try 85 grains and see if it opens up or stays the same, but for now I have other fish to fry so she's going trekking with the 80 grain load. If I get lost, break my leg, and run out of food and have to shoot a deer to survive, I think she's good out to 75 yards at least, and that's a biggie to my mind. Will that ever happen? I doubt it...but don't anyone spoil my fantasy!

Now I need to get back to work on Bessie. Last time I was doing some fine tuning on the ball load other things came up, so I'm excited to do some shooting with it. That Buffalo Arms in Idaho has powder back in stock, so we may even drive over there today and I have about $300+ budgeted to lay in a supply that will last until I learn to make a good quality "energetic" powder on my own.

All is good. "I told ya so". Why I oughtta!!!!

 

[hawg]

Breaking a leg out in the wild is not high on my fantasy list.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Truth. Probably a better way to put it. "Stuck in the mountains, can't get home", without the broken leg, might be better.