Scoped Black Mountain Magnum

[cayuga]

I found a base for the round barrel Thompson Center Traditional rifles, so today I mounted that on the T/C Black Mountain Magnum. I then used some quick release Tradition steel rings and mounted a Simmons Pro Diamond 4x32mm shotgun scope on the rifle. I think it looks pretty good actually.

So I got some Pyrodex RS and some .452 Speer Gold Dot 300 grain bullets and MMP black short sabots and a tin of CCI musket caps and headed out to sight the scope in.

Rifle: T/C Black Mountain Magnum .50 caliber 1-28 twist
Powder: Pyrodex RS 100 & 90 grains caps: CCI musket caps
Scope: Simmons Pro Diamond Shotgun Scope 4x32mm
Projectiles: Speer .452 Gold Dot 300 grain & Hornady XTP .452 250 grain
Sabots: MMP HPH-12
Distances 13 yards and 50 yards.

The Black Mountain Magnum is the fast twist version of the New Englander with a fast twist. Also this is a true magnum and able to handle 150 grains of loose or pellet powder. It used musket caps instead of #11 caps. When I talked to a T/C rep they told me it was the same barrel basically as the Black Diamond.

I started the shooting with 100 grains of powder and the Speer 300 grain projectile. I felt that at 13 yards, they should not have been that far apart, so I lowered the charge to 90 grains and made my first scope adjustment.

The three shot group at two o'clock on the edge of the bull was nice and tight. I was swabbing every other shot with alcohol. I made a slight adjustment and fired two more. That moved them into the bulls eye, so I decided to move the target back to 50 yards.

The one shot marked 3 seemed too high for that distance. I was not sure why it went that high. I figured maybe two inches high at that distance, so I made an adjustment.

The next three under that was better. The group was nice and tight. But I wanted it down a little more. Also I had ran out of the Speer 300 grain.

I then made an adjustment and loaded up Hornady 250 grain XTPs and shot the final group. I am sure it was four shots I fired.

I would have shot more but noticed there was A LOT of fouling in the barrel. So I decided to call it quits for the day. I could not believe all the fouling in the bore of that rifle. I have never had a traditional take that long to clean. But I have it nice and clean and the next time out will see what it does at 50 and 75 yards (after I cut some brush).

 

[Semisane]

Good shooting - you were really stacking them in there. I like the looks of that gun. Have never seen one up close and personal.

 

[cayuga]

They look just like a New Englander except they have a fast twist magnum barrel and use a musket cap for ignition. They also have a QLA on the muzzle for loading sabots.