How accurate is this gun suppose to be??

[Knight54]

Hello all, Newbie here. I have a 54 caliber Knight MK-85. It's has a stainless steel bbl, laminated grey stock, converted to the 209 primer, shooting W209 primers, that's what I believe to be a 1:28 twist with an older Burris 1.75 x 5 power scope. (likely shoot a little better with a high magnification scope) I am getting 1 3/4" groups on bags on the bench with 110 grns. of 777 with the Harvester sabots and the Precision Rifle dead center bullets of 340 grn. 45 cal. I have tried the Hornady XTP 300 grainers and they shoot as well. Would like more ballistic coefficient for less bullet drop out farther. I understand recently that the dead center bullets BC ratings are skewed.
I have a box here of Winchester platinum tips 400 gr. bullets I am contemplating on shooting. Correct me if I am wrong, most of the time the larger bullets with the thinner sabots tend to shoot better?? Hard to get much dope on the 54 calibers. I have a few bench rest guns and have been away from this muzzle loading stuff for a while and would like to get back into it but need to know if I am as good as it gets. I do index the sabots before loading as well. Any help is appreciated!

 

[UndeadPoet]

Welcome! You should find some good answers here!

 

[Steelheader323]

I have the same rifle but with the #11 cap setup, I have had good accuracy with 85 grains by weight is Swiss 2f and 325 grain red hots from Knight..they are made by Barnes. I get around 1”-1.5” groups with that setup off a bench depending on how I am doing that day

 

[LarryBud]

1-2” groups at 100 are routine.

You can do better if you work on it but these aren’t necessarily tight group shooting guns.

 

[Idaholewis]

I had the Exact same Rifle, Mine shot my BIG Lead well Open/Peep sights 70-80 Yards

 

[snapbang]

My first impression is to back off on the powder a little. Start with 80 grains or so and work up 5 grains at a time.

 

[Knight54]

I have worked up loads on every bullet I have fired and believe me or not, 110 grn. of 777 always shoots best even when switching bullet grains. That would not be true in a rifle but in this it seems to be the case. I guess maybe I am thinking too much like a bench rest round. lol.

 

[Knight54]

Thanks to everyone for the replies. So the general consensus is that its likely as good as it gets. It seems the 50 cals shoot much much better. This is the part that blows me away. I have a 50 of my fathers and numerous friends and these guns will shoot 3/4" 3 shot groups all day long once the load is found. I guess 54 cals are not accuracy inherent. For example 6mm-ppc or 6mm-br as compared to a 30/30.

 

[Idaholewis]

I have several 54s that shoot EVERY Bit as good as my .45s and .50s

Here is a STOCK 1:48 Twist recently, I shot this thing to 500 Yards
https://www.modernmuzzleloader.com/threads/54-cal-tc-renegade-stock-1-48-twist-accuracy-test.39457/
Here is a 54 LRH (1:28 Twist) With one of my Cast Bullets

And here is another of my .54 LRH Barrels with my i Bullet

 

[Knight54]

Now that's more of what I was looking for. I get 1 3/4" groups at 100 yards and about 9" at 175 yards. I would say its likely the twist rate with those 340 gr. bullets I am shooting? Your thoughts?? Nice shooting by the way!! Bullets look top shelf as well! Maybe I should go to lead bullets then. How many shots you getting before accuracy walks away? Just to be clear,....that's with iron sights????

 

[Idaholewis]

Now that's more of what I was looking for. I get 1 3/4" groups at 100 yards and about 9" at 175 yards. I would say its likely the twist rate with those 340 gr. bullets I am shooting? Your thoughts?? Nice shooting by the way!! Bullets look top shelf as well! Maybe I should go to lead bullets then. How many shots you getting before accuracy walks away? Just to be clear,....that's with iron sights????

Yes with open sights.

I do a bit of Open/Peep Sight shooting This is me at 1,200 Yards with Peep sights, I did this with 2 Different Barrels, a .45 and a .50

 

[Knight54]

Wow, great video. That's what I like to do, prove stuff out. No disputing anything after that! Thanks for sharing!

 

[mnoland30]

Knight54, don't think that everyone on this forum shoots as well as Idaholewis. We surely don't. But if you follow his advice, you'll shoot better.

 

[Idaholewis]

Wow, great video. That's what I like to do, prove stuff out. No disputing anything after that! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you, I didn’t post that to Brag about it, I see that you are fairly new here and wanted you to see that you can believe what i post I do a LOT of this stuff

 

[Knight54]

Thank you again. Didn't think you were bragging, but obviously, you have done your home work and have put the time in. I wonder if a 54 cal. could do something like that as well. Not mine per say, but you see so much of the 45 and 50's shooting great. Maybe not that good though, lol. Is that because the barrels of the smaller calibers seem to be of higher quality?
I see your 54 shot good to 500 yards.

 

[Knight54]

Knight54, don't think that everyone on this forum shoots as well as Idaholewis. We surely don't. But if you follow his advice, you'll shoot better.

That's what I am aiming for. Pardon the pun.

 

[Knight54]

So with my 54 cal. 1:28 twist Knight, do you guys think I should go with Black, 777, Bh209, etc.... for the heavier lead bullets? I was thinking I could shoot from 0-250 yards MAX. but not the way its shooting now. Any numbers on ballistic coefficient? Or, forget that and just shoot what the gun likes?

Idaho, what grain bullet should I look for if I don't have anything big and heavy now? Do you have much drop from say 100 yards to 250 yards with the bullets you shoot now?

 

[davek42]

my thoughts are not all guns will shoot 1 hole group.
Not all shooter will rise to high master shooter or be bench-rest champions.
You just need to find your rifles sweet spot. And that as good as it will do.
That takes time and lot of shooting

 

[Scotts98rt]

In my 54 mk85 I run 120gr by volume a pink harvester sabot and 250gr old Hornady ptx bullets . Shoots very well. Ragged hole at 100yrds. Never shot farther. Do not run bh209 in that gun. And I have the 209 primer conversion , and run regular cci 209 primers.

 

[ENCORE50A]

Do not run bh209 in that gun.

That.