Love of Muzzle Loaders

A Bench Rest .54 caliber "Rifle"

Range Report for Aug/28/2015 at bottom.

Here is the start of a bench rest shooter. Action is from a well known website purchased second-hand. The hammer has been remade as the distance from the plug end to nipple was too much for the original hammer. I needed another 3/16 inch longer hammer. Hammer head is unfinished until the nipple is installed. Barrel is 1 + 1/8 inches across the flats and 35 inches long being .54 caliber with a 1:70 twist. The barrel maker is Sharon Rifle Barrel Co. Barrel plug is 3/4 inch x 16 threads/inch and the stub end is turned down to 5/8 inch to fit into the action block. Action block has three set screws (1/4 inch x 28 threads/inch) previously installed. Block also has a bushing installed to reduce the original quite large hole to 5/8 inch diameter.

After using this rifle several times not liking the current amount of drop, I will probably change the drop on the stock to much less. This means another stock and some more time in the "shop".

The tape and line drawn show the end of the plug.
The nipple will be just ahead of the drawn line.

Full size barrel.

Simulated stock in tracing paper.

Tracing paper stock and date.

July/06/2015
Cap Popped.
The background noise is my very large swamp cooler because it's 105F outside.
Cap Popping MP4

Cherry Stock from Timber Hardwoods, Mesa, AZ.

Through bolt installed (tang to trigger plate) a temporary one.

Now for front & rear sights and a whole bunch of wood trimming.

July/09/2015
Took her to the range today.
Got about 8 shots off then broke the rear sight away from the mount. Now repaired.
Standing up.

Laying Down.

What is left of a 1982 Peso. A bit ugly, for that rear sight to work this front sight needed the heighth.

Range Report: 25 yards, 55gr of Goex FFFg, 0,012 inch patch, .530 RB.
First shots high and up to the left. Remaining trying to sight her in.
One flyer near the bottom center???

May have to try .535 RB's or a thicker patch or both. Rifling is quite deep.

Me at 70 years old.

Lumpy bag to hold those .530 lead marbles.
I used glass marbles to stretch it out hence the lumps.

July/21/2015
Range time cut short by sharp edges on the muzzle crown.

So re-crowned and removed all sharp edges at the muzzle.
Will be using Denim and a choice of .530 or .535 Hornady RB's.

July/26/2015
Range Report on thick patches, reduced diameter Round Balls.10 patches are 0.030 thick, see next picture.
3 patches are 0.025 thick
2 patches are 0.015 thick.

I think the two upper left patches are a bit thinner, maybe 0.025 while the rest are 0.030 inches thick.

0.535 RB's pushed through a ~0.52 ID diameter pipe. These work, looks like I need 0.520 RB's for sure.

40 gr of 777 FFg, 25 yds
Red dots previous days shooting, burnt patches, 0.530 RB's.
Holes today July/26, two flyers are the burnt patches, center grouping 6 or 7 shots (?) not burnt patches.

July/29/2015
Today's Range Report and some other stuff.
I ran out of 0.530 and 0.535 RB's, bummer.

Lands, yes I know this is not the way to measure this stuff, but it gets me in the ballpark.
Looks like approximately 0.547 or so.

Grooves, looks like 0.572 approximately.

Two upper left patches my wife calls "Twill", around 0.022 inches. Rest are 0.030 denim.
Upper left patch was used to launch a .50 cal 385gr lubed Hornady hollowbase bullet.

Having fun with those funny shaped (belted or simulated 0.520) RB's.
I lost count. Yes, I tried to hit those four corner bulls.
25 yds, 60gr of 777 FFg.

All POI's were dead center.
I guess that it wasn't my day for 50 yds and everything just fell apart.
Hit just to the right of center is that Hornady 385gr bullet.
50yds, 60gr 777 FFg.

Aug/07/2015 Range Report.

Thicknesses or diameters all in inches.
50yds, 0.022 Bull Denim Patch, 55gr of 777-FFg, 0.530 RB's from my new 0.530 Lee mold.
All patches really soaked with lube.
Bull Denim is natural colored, not blue. It tends to ravel a lot.

Paper target on the right for starters

Mixture of 0.022 Bull Denim and 0.030 Blue Denim shots.

Aug/28/2015
Range Report
All Targets:
50 yards, .54 cal, .530 RB self-cast, 52gr of 777-FFg, Bull Denim Patches approx 0.021 inches thick, Hoppes 9 Plus lube.

Fuzzy pix.

First target with 11 shots.

Second Target.
Four+shots with two flyers.
I lost count of how many went through the clover-leaf hole, at least four.
Fuzzy pix.

Third Target.
8 shots for a 72. One patched back-hump shot is previous day. First two head shots were the wild ones. Then I settled down and aimed above the front leg. Rifle still shoots a bit to the left, probably just me. Rear sight is a bit too close to me and becomes fuzzy. I should move the rear sight down the barrel away from me.

Range Report: Sept/13/2015
Just one target. First time using (borrowed) X-Sticks and sitting on the ground. First time to shoot this rifle at 100yds. Five shots, four hit, first one 10 ring, the rest - well I got tired. Fifth, who knows?

Mar/10/2016
Working on adding a buttplate. It looks like Nickel-Silver and it's not magnetic. Found at a swap meet, $10-US. Brass screws show the contrast in color.

Getting ready for a sight tube.

The early mockup sitting on a metal box.
Tube is probably too long until the mounts arrive.

Stock has been cut at the narrowest area and glued/screwed back together.
This raises the butt about 1 inch.

IdeZilla

Comments Welcomed.

This pistol is wifely named "The Frontier".
.50 cal Knight DISC barrel front piece with 6x.75mm nipple underhammer style. I am not sure if this barrel piece is stainless or not.
Older lock (finally!).
Cherry stock.
The front of the stock will have a brass band like rifles do, I like it that way.

I am hoping that this pistol will be target quality, I'll determine that after a time at the range.

Bench top layout. Barrel is .50 cal with a 5/8-16 3-line bolt plug. Old lock that will finally be put to service.

The inlet, part of it anyways. I use a Swiss half round gouge for this part, really sharp! Red sharpie for the inletting. Really messy stuff, need to wear gloves doing this part.

Lock sitting in the stock, not secured yet.
Securing the lock could be with brass pins.
Brass band will be forward of the green zip ties.
My really old wood rasp here, it wouldn't work, so it was layed down on the belt sander and slightly flattened the points to become a collection of tiny chisels. It works better this way.

Tang is screwed to the plug (8-32). I will try to get my neighbor to weld it together so that the forward tang screws will disappear. Rear sight can be on the tang (already D/T for that) and the front sight will be right about where the green zippies are.

Apr/25/2015
Action Mounted with 3/32 inch diameter pins.
Ready for cap popping.