05/23/09 – First Range Trip
Colt 1878 .12ga SxS
30 yard pattern tests
Cleaned the bore after every shot
LOADS TESTED
Once fired Remington plastic hulls
80grns Goex 2F
1/2" Circle Fly prelubed cushion wad
1oz hard 8's
Star crimp
(Also tested same configuration except with 1+1/8oz #5's as a squirrel load)
The shells sealed perfectly in the chambers, and I was pleased to find that they slid right out none the worse for wear...you’d have thought I was using smokeless powder in them.
LOCKS & TRIGGERS
The left trigger pull is very good, smooth...sort of a light to moderate weight;
The right trigger needs some serious attention as it’s extremely heavy;
Both locks are very fast when they’re tripped;
BARRELS & PATTERNS
Both barrels pattern well;
The left barrel throws a perfectly centered pattern at POA;
The right barrel’s center seems a couple inches right of POA;
(may be due to very heavy trigger in spite of trying to control the muzzle during the squeeze)
I've used 80grns Goex 3F in my Flintlock smoothbores for so long now that I'd forgotten just how much more fouling there was with 80grns 2F...and I could feel noticeable heat in each barrel right after a single shot was fired...more than I would have expected from one shot.
So I'm going to empty out the rest of the 2F shells and reload new ones with 3F to cut down on fouling. And not only will I drop 10% to keep the pressures in the same ballpark, I’m also going on down past 72grns to 65grns 3F for a little more margin...a 19% reduction from the 2F load data.
This is a grand old SxS...everything on the 127 year old Damascus barreled gal worked...and it's a very interesting little learning project...but my heart's really not in it...there’s just no place to put the flint!
