April 14th, 1860
Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2019 1:38 pm
40F today with a 45 mph wind. Cold! Not the best conditions to try out some lighter bullets but it's real world shooting out here at the best of times. The wind was ripping down the eastern slope of the Rockies today like springtime...and summertime...and fall...etc. Not to mention I have the head-cold from hell right now too.
My 1860 Henry in 45 Colt. Open sights. Have I ever told you I love this rifle? Shooting nothing but my own reloads today! These are all 8" targets.
First up is 20 rounds 200 gr LRNFP and 6.6 gn of Universal powder. Starting load for this bullet is 6.4 gn. So actually quite nice to shoot, sort of a shoot all day load. Zero recoil. This is off hand standing at 25 yds. all rounds in the 5" ring at least but I expected better accuracy from myself, not blaming the ammo. They are most definitely different to shoot than the usual 250gr bullets I am used to. Next up is 50 yds shooting from 1 knee position, which I quite like on windy days. 24 rounds of 250 gr LRNFP reloads with 6.6 gn of same powder. I imagine this was a popular stance for old frontier shooters if you had to get serious. Again, all hits in the 5" circle so that's meat on the table I think. 12 rounds just for the heck of it at 100 yds from 1 knee...8 hit paper, better than none. But all over the place as I expected in the wind. 250 gr bullet again. Ladder sight on first notch. Binoculars to help see what is going on out there. Severe windage adjustments today! My version of an MLB curveball. Last but not least, I shot the last 14 rounds of 250 gr bullets I had with me at 50 yds off hand standing. Pleasant surprise, must have started to figure out the wind. All hits in the 5" ring again. Finished on a good note. The verdict?...my reloads work! Thanks again for the all the assistance and expert help on reloading. Shoot safe, hope you enjoyed the report.
RR
My 1860 Henry in 45 Colt. Open sights. Have I ever told you I love this rifle? Shooting nothing but my own reloads today! These are all 8" targets.
First up is 20 rounds 200 gr LRNFP and 6.6 gn of Universal powder. Starting load for this bullet is 6.4 gn. So actually quite nice to shoot, sort of a shoot all day load. Zero recoil. This is off hand standing at 25 yds. all rounds in the 5" ring at least but I expected better accuracy from myself, not blaming the ammo. They are most definitely different to shoot than the usual 250gr bullets I am used to. Next up is 50 yds shooting from 1 knee position, which I quite like on windy days. 24 rounds of 250 gr LRNFP reloads with 6.6 gn of same powder. I imagine this was a popular stance for old frontier shooters if you had to get serious. Again, all hits in the 5" circle so that's meat on the table I think. 12 rounds just for the heck of it at 100 yds from 1 knee...8 hit paper, better than none. But all over the place as I expected in the wind. 250 gr bullet again. Ladder sight on first notch. Binoculars to help see what is going on out there. Severe windage adjustments today! My version of an MLB curveball. Last but not least, I shot the last 14 rounds of 250 gr bullets I had with me at 50 yds off hand standing. Pleasant surprise, must have started to figure out the wind. All hits in the 5" ring again. Finished on a good note. The verdict?...my reloads work! Thanks again for the all the assistance and expert help on reloading. Shoot safe, hope you enjoyed the report.
RR