1,200 Yard .50 Cal Muzzleloader, 610 Grain Bullet

[Idaholewis]

I got my BIG .50 Cal on Steel at 1,200 Yards, 3 Consecutive Hits on my 20" Plate

The Video

My Rifle, Rice Barrel Co. 32" inch 1:24 Twist .50 Cal Barrel, In a TC Hawken Stock, Lee Shaver Long Range Soule Tang Sight, and Lee Shaver front sight (non adjustable) With Lee Shaver fine BPCR inserts




Bullets, I chose my 610 Grain BACO Grease Groove for this Shoot (Mold i had Made) I cast these of Certified 1-20 Alloy, Lubed with my "Modified" Bullshop NASA Lube




Back when i Chronographed this Load




Ranged with my Leica 1600B Rangefinder, and Google Earth Shot in Yards, This is a TRUE 1,200 YARDS




A look from my Rifle, That is a VERY small Target with Open/Peep Sights for this Kind of Distance, My Entire Target (White Backing) is ONLY 3 Ft By 3Ft Square. My Steel Plate is 20 inch Square, 1/2" AR500 Plate, Weight is 60 Pounds




My 3 Consecutive Hits, Shots Number 3 & 4 are Very visible, 5th and Final Shot Just Cuts the Right side of the Plate




5th and final Shot up Close, Cuts the edge of the plate, exits the Cardboard Backing




What I could find of my Bullets, Even at 1,200 Yards They stil hit with SERIOUS authority!! They are Splattered to Pieces

Read More

 

[Sbarton]

Wow man, nice shootin'!
How many gr of powder?
What did you have your sight set at?
You should take that rifle to the Quigley shoot in Montana next month, show those cartridge rifle shooters how it's done!

 

[Knute]

That's really something! Amazing shots. What's the flight time of a 610gr., going that far

 

[Oryguner]

Most impressive. A bullet that big, going that slow and that far with about a 4 second hang time by my count. Exactly what they are talking about with the term.....rainbow trajectory. Hits at that range are hard enough with a high velocity center fire but this.....this is really something. Well done sir!

 

[baker3gun]

Hello Lewis, welcome to the board, I'm pretty new here too.

Nice shooting!

Hope you don't mind, several questions popped into my head...

What powder? How much? In the video, it has a good crack!

What cap?

Do you run any kind of pad or patch, or is it just the lubed bullet?

What is your modification to the lube?

How's the recoil? 610 is a fatty!

Starting clean, you fire only one fouler and then swab?

Tell us about your swab. Wet or dry or both? How many strokes?
If wet, how wet? Is that moose milk? Recipe? Inquiring minds want to know how it's done.

Wild guess:
If your mass is 610gr and diameter is between 0.5 and 0.51", then BC is approximately .55?
With MV of 1370 and target at 1200yd, terminal velocity would be about 830fps.
Ouch.
Heavy bullets carry velocity a long ways!

 

[jeepguy88]

With peep sights! Nice job

 

[Idaholewis]

Thank you EVERYONE for the Kind Words, I sure enjoy doing this Stuff, Sidelock Muzzleloaders are my Passion, i pretty much Live & Breathe these things, Mainly the Ole TC Hawken & Renegades, Most of mine have after market Barrels (Fast Twist for Bullets) such as the Old Green Mountain LRH Barrels & "Drop in" Barrels i had made by Rice Barrel Co. I am a Diehard Bullet Guy, From Grease Groove to Paper Patch (I started in Paper Patch) I do Shoot a Fair amount of Patched Roundball as well.

P.S. In the Video above i might come off as being Harsh, When i say "Not repeatable huh? and at the end i say "Anyone that say's this is not repeatable is an Idiot" I was actually talking to a Specific person I had done this Shoot before on Video with my 1:17 Twist .45 Cal (Barrel i had made by Rice Barrel Co.) A fella on another Forum Claimed that my Hit was "By chance, a Lucky Shot" So i chose to put my .45 away and Do it with my .50 Which is even more Challenging than my .45 Cals

in short, As can CLEARLY be seen in the Video above The 1,200 Yard Shot is very Repeatable if the conditions are Good/Steady, I do a LOT of this kind of Shooting, I'm no Stranger to it.

Again, Thank you everyone! Lewis

 

[Idaholewis]

Some stats here to answer questions

I shoot Swiss 2F Real Blackpowder pretty Much exclusively in my Rifles, Buffalo Arms Co. is basically in my Backyard, I can get about anything Blackpowder related i could ever need there.

My powder charge was 100 Grains by WEIGHT of Swiss 2F, Chronographed at 1,360 to 1,370 Fps

Caps i use are CCi #11s, Both the Magnum and Non Magnum Versions, With Real Blackpowder such as this Swiss I can't tell a Difference between the Magnum & Non Magnum, Ignition is IMMEDIATE with Both.

I use 1/8" Thick Wool Felt Over Powder Wads, To help seal Gasses, and Protect the Bullet Base (The Bases are what Steers the Bullet) If you are serious about Accuracy Except NOTHING But Perfect, SHARP Bullet Bases

My Bullet is from a Custom Mold i had made at Buffalo Arms Co. specifically for this 1:24 Twist .50 Cal, it weighs in at 610 Grains when cast of 1-20 Alloy.

I do Swab my Bore between shots for Consistency, I use HIGH Content Isopropyl Alcohol (HEET fuel treatment in the RED Bottle to be exact)

Bullet Flight time is 4, maybe 4.5 Seconds to 1,200 Yards

From my 100 Yard ZERO i had to come up 218 MOA (1 MOA at 1,200 Yards is 12 inches, So 218 Feet ) For comparison my 1:17 Twist .45 Cal Took 180 MOA at this same 1,200 Yard Shoot. The BIG .50 Drops a might more, Making it even more Challenging

Recoil is a Bit Stiff with this Big .50 and 610 Grain Bullet (i shoot a Custom 615 Grain Paper Patch Bullet in this Rifle as well) It is more of a BIG PUSH, My .45 Cals with 530-550 Grain Bullets is a "Sharper" Recoil. Neither are unbearable, Something you have to learn to Deal with.

The Bullet Lube i use is my "Modified" Bullshop NASA, Bullet lube can MAKE, or BREAK Accuracy, I can't stress enough how important a good Bullet Lube is, This is the Best Lube i have ever used
This is my Twist on Bullshop's NASA. This is to 1 Full Pound of NASA Lube, Just the way it comes from Bullshop. In a Double Boiler setup, or a Make shift one. Melt the 1 pound of NASA Lube, Then ad 2 of the little Bottles of Stihl HP Ultra Synthetic 2 Stroke Engine Oil (These are the 2.6 FL OZ Bottles, For making 1 Gallon of Mixed Fuel) Stir the Stihl HP Ultra in REALLY Good, Set aside and let cool.

This is optional, But what i use as well, After emptying the Stihl HP Ultra Bottles, I Fill 1 of them back up full with 100% Peanut Oil and ad this to the Lube as well, Stir Together well, Set aside and let cool. I would put this Bullet Lube up against ANYTHING out there, I don't believe you will find a better Lube than this

This is how my Bullshop NASA Lube arrives from Bullshop






This is the Stihl HP Ultra Full Synthetic 2 Stroke Oil i use. This stuff works INCREDIBLE at Combatting Bore Leading. It will STOP, or at Least GREATLY Reduce Leading. In my Polished Bores i get ZERO Leading, I have tested this stuff extensively



This is the Brand of Peanut Oil that i use, I also lube/soak my 1/8" Wool Felt OP Wads with this Same stuff, Peanut Oil is an AWESOME Hydrator, It REALLY Helps to Soften Fouling even further. Peanut Oil has a HIGH Flash Point. I have tried other High Flash point Oils such as avocado, But i MUCH prefer this Peanut Oil



When i say Double Boiler setup, or Make shift one, this is what i use. It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT That you use a Double Boiler Setup, You can EASILY Scorch the Lube over Direct Heat. I simply place Jar Ringers inside an Old Designated Pot, Ad water til it just covers the Ringers






Now ad your Lube Pan, It will sit on the Jar Ringer Lids. I use Medium heat, maybe a little more, Just under a Boil of the Water. Simple as that

 

[Idaholewis]

Here is another Shoot i did back in the Winter With the Same .50 Cal as above. This is a SERIOUS .50 Caliber Muzzleloader, I Can't Speak highly enough of this 1:24 Twist Rice Barrel (All 3 of my Rice Barrels) Here it is Running 750 Yards

The Video

My Target out on the Point








I chose to use my BACO (Buffalo Arms Co. Mold i had made for this 1:24 Twist) 615 Grain Paper Patch Bullet for this outing, The paper i used here is Paper Mill Store 9# onion Skin, it is thin Stuff, Good Patching Paper




Short Patched

 

[Idaholewis]

This 1:24 Twist .50 Cal Rice Barrel shoots really well Here are a Couple of Ranged 100 Yard Group Videos just after getting the Barrel, i blued this one myself.

615 Grain Paper Patch Bullet (BACO Mold i had made)

Target from Video above, 3 Shot 100 Yard Group, 615 Grain Paper Patch




610 Grain Grease Groove (BACO Mold i had made)

Target from video above, 3 Shot 100 Yard Group, 610 Grain Grease Groove




My Target/Range (100 Yards ranged with my Leica 1600B Rangefinder)




The Bullets, Both from my Custom BACO Molds








My Velocity

 

[kbf64]

@Idaholewis I think I could do that at 12 yards ha!

 

[kbf64]

I wonder how much the drop is at 1200 yards

 

[Idaholewis]

I wonder how much the drop is at 1200 yards

From my 100 Yard ZERO i had to come up 218 MOA (1 MOA at 1,200 Yards is 12 inches, So 218 Feet ) For comparison my 1:17 Twist .45 Cal Took 180 MOA at this same 1,200 Yard Shoot. The BIG .50 Drops a might more, Making it even more Challenging

 

[tac]

Good Morning, Mr Lewis!!! tac here from muzzleloadingforum.com, where I am an ardent follower of your posts. It's really good to see you here, Sir.

 

[Idaholewis]

Good Morning, Mr Lewis!!! tac here from muzzleloadingforum.com, where I am an ardent follower of your posts. It's really good to see you here, Sir.

Thank you for the Kind words my Friend

 

[baker3gun]

Thanks for the replies and detailed explanation. Great stuff!

Based on 100yd zero, MV 1370fps, and 218moa drop to 1200yd, your BC is lower than my earlier guess.
I can't really work it out on a flat base scale, maybe because they don't apply to 1/2" diameter bullets? Dunno.

The drop is telling though.
Your velocity at 1200 yards would have to be about 650 fps.

For comparison, a 30-06 180gr boat-tail is going 1100fps at 1200 yards, delivering 484 ft-lbs of energy.
Your 610gr slug is going 650 and hits with about 580 ft-lbs.

We're need more data.
You seem pretty tight with that rifle, so just set your chrono about 10 feet in front of the 1200 yard target and shoot a couple over it.

Let's get some downrange data man!

 

[P7M13]

Excellent thread, very erudite. Thanks for sharing.

 

[huntpotter]

Gol'darn. That's awesome shootin'.