How small is your average hundred yd 5 shot group?

[Edwin1947]

For accuracy I have been fiddling with loads and consistent cleaning techniques (in line Knight, w/big red 209 jackets) for a few years now and have made a promising modification to my rifle as well. I have more testing to do before I declare my project finished.

As a matter of goal setting, I thought I would ask the honest ML shooters here what kind of accuracy (preferably an average of several 5 shot groups) they have achieved.

 

[Grouse]

I really dont shoot 5 shot groups. But i did one time with my NULA. I didnt even measure it.

 

[Doohan]

Nice group Tom.

I dont shoot 5 shot groups either. 2-3 depending on the load. Moslty I shoot 3 with a new gun, load, scope etc. With barrel warming etc. it gets difficult to shoot a good 3-5 shot group. If I have 2 holes touching and a slight flier, I know it is from a warm barrel.

A cold bore shot from your MZ is all you should really be worried about. Take your gun to the range and see where your first shot lands as that is likely to be the only shot you will get with a smoke pole.

 

[alphaburnt]

I shoot 3s and sometimes 4s- I really get excited when it is below an inch and I accept it until it goes beyond an 1 1/2" to 1 3/4". This is off a bench and if it is beyond that- it will still kill a deer within 100 yards stone dead in a hunting situation- but I know in a hunting situation you will often be shooting off of a hard rest if any and hunting groups will open. I strive to keep them below 1 1/4" by choosing different loads, sabots and bullets. To keep my "hunting shots" with shooting sticks or other not so good rests close to dead nuts.

 

[Underclocked]

Shooting that 4th shot can ruin your life. :wink:

I've never gotten over that one. By the way, the fifth shot was an "I don't care quicky".

 

[Okie Hog]

A cold bore shot from your MZ is all you should really be worried about. Take your gun to the range and see where your first shot lands as that is likely to be the only shot you will get with a smoke pole.

+1

Know a guy who comes to the range every fall with his Knight muzzleloader and fires his gun to check the zero. If the first shot hits in or very close to the 3" bull at 100 yards he chats awhile and goes home.

One year he had to re-zero his rifle: Fired three or four shots from a clean barrel while making his adjustments, got one in the bull, confirmed it with another and quit.

The guy kills a trophy elk or two, a couple antelope, a trophy mule deer, several white tail deer and lots of hogs every year. He is the very best hunter i ever met. The retired Colonel even has a walkin freezer, walk in cooler and a butcher shop.

Accuracy from the shooting bench on the firing range does not automatically translate to kills in the field.

 

[flint head]

If you are shooting around a 2" 100 yard group and you miss your critter... it will always be your fault, not the gun. Trust me, I've tried to blame it...

 

[g.g.]

my smallest 3 shot would be 1"...never shot a 5 shot group

 

[Chasam60]

For accuracy I have been fiddling with loads and consistent cleaning techniques (in line Knight, w/big red 209 jackets) for a few years now and have made a promising modification to my rifle as well. I have more testing to do before I declare my project finished.

As a matter of goal setting, I thought I would ask the honest ML shooters here what kind of accuracy (preferably an average of several 5 shot groups) they have achieved.

I hardly ever shoot more than 3. Best I ever shot was with my 700 ML 240/.44 XTP 90gr Pyro RS. 3 touching 5/8" at 100 yds.

 

[Nimrodder]

UC, I did that with my .451 last time I took it out to the range. A half inch 3 shot group ended up being a 5 shot 3" inch group :cry:

 

[Underclocked]

When you have 3 that close - you should always stop. :wink:

 

[coltchris]

I remember when I first started muzzleloading, if I could hit a paper plate at 100 yds. I was tickled to death!!!! How things have changed; now I expect accuracy approaching center fires! I done more MZ shooting last Summer than I have done the rest of my life (I'm 70). BH-209 done that to me! My best group with my Disc Extreme was on 10-30-08 and measured 0.36" for (3) shots at 100 yds. using 100 gr. BH, 260 gr. Win. Plat. Tip in Knight HP sabot. In my case, the 1st. shot was 2 1/2" low, then shots 2-3-4 almost one hole! In checking all my notes, I had (9) different combinations shoot under 1 1/2" last Summer; the real challenge is repeatability. I agree, its the first shot that counts. I do ALOT of centerfire shooting, but since BH-209, the MZ is really cutting into my time!!!!! Never would have got so interested w/o the help of all the guys on this forum; for that, I say THANKS.

 

[flati]

Trying different bullet/sabot combinations I have yet to get anything close to 1". Not sure what I'm doing wrong but I try to be as meticulous as I can be with my loading procedure and I still shoot 2" + groups. I plan to make the switch to BH as well as order some new bullet/sabots, probably ShockWaves, Barnes and Harvester.

 

[Edwin1947]

Okay guys. Thanks.

As I expected everyone is practical for the most part and I am too when it comes to hunting accuracy which my Revolution had just fine. But even though it is a muzzleloader I enjoy the quest to maximize accuracy with it as much as I do my half m.o.a. 6mm Rem. And I am blessed with a nice warm gun room and my range is out the back window of my pole barn. So I can cold shoot, clean completely, and cold shoot 'til the cows come home. So I am down to about a 1" group but won't know for sure until I shoot a lot more rounds. The project that seems to have shaved my groups down by half was free floating my Revolution's barrel.
......Wait, you say! Can't free float a Revolution barrel!! ....
......But I did. It was quite a lot of work (a labor of love... it is a gun after all), but I re-worked the way the forend anchors. Nothing now touches the barrel forward of the receiver.
My best load thus far is a 290 gr. Barnes MZ poly tip boattail over three 50 gr.(equiv.) triple seven pellets ignited with Winchester 777 209s.

What a country!! We can still own guns!!! Might want to hide 'em though.

 

[Edwin1947]

Smokeless?

I really dont shoot 5 shot groups. But i did one time with my NULA. I didnt even measure it.

I ain't familiar with the term NULA but your target notes look like smokeless propellent. Right? Are smokeless MLs more accurate?

 

[Edwin1947]

Caution

I mentioned that I shoot out the window of my pole barn and I would like to add a word of caution in case a youngster or a slow thinker should read about it. The only safe way to set up a range where visibility is restricted side to side is to arrange for a high enough (like ten feet) shooting bench/window that no one walking past in front of you is high enough to be shot. Put up signs each side of your fire zone too. Doesn't hurt to keep both eyes open too so that you aren't blind to your immediate surroundings.

 

[coltchris]

NULA is short for New Ultra Light Arms; very fine rifles & muzzleloader. However, VERY expensive; I know because I own (2) of their rifles! The MZ runs around $1200 last I checked.

 

[Swampman]

For 5 shots, I'd say less than 2" for all my inlines on average. I've shot some groups quite a bit smaller than that. I normally shoot 3 shot groups.

I don't fiddle with my loads a lot. I'm sure I could do better if I did.

 

[santoslhalper]

I usually shoot 3 - shot groups. When shooting 3 shot groups I would say I average about 2". On bad days, closer to 2.5". I've improved a lot though- when I first started with the ML, I was happy with 4" groups.

The few times I've shot 5 shot groups, they've been in the 2.5" - 3" range. I just usually don't have the time to shoot 5 shot groups.