50 yd sight in & dirty ammo

[JEBar]

HSM Cowboy Action factory ammo (available at our local Cabela's) really works well in both our Henry 44 Mag and 45-70 .... if you are interested in Cowboy Action level ammo, its well worth giving it a try


https://www.cabelas.com/product/HSM-COW ... s?slotId=0

[GunnyGene]

Sorry 'bout that. I tend to assume (yeah I know) that folks who experiment with unfamiliar ammo, or reload, do that as a matter of course.

You would be surprised at the number of reloaders who do NOT have a chrono - me for one.
I have really never felt the need for one as I load for accuracy & what I plan to use the round for and really, velocity is really not an issue. Lets say I am loading a .223 round for varmint and the manual for the load says (for example) 3200 FPS then so be it. The important thing is accuracy - not how fast the bullet is going.

A couple guys around here are into ELR competition and have bought the LabRadar system. A bit pricey, but from what they tell me well worth it for them.

https://mylabradar.com/

Might want to put one on your Xmas list. Rent it out to your buddies.

[Frontiersman]

Chronographs can be fun to play with, but I gave mine away some time ago. I found that the most accurate groups were typically the most consistent velocities. Since I valued accuracy over velocity, it didn't matter what speed they were going.

Interesting, how often that sweet spot is right in the middle of the books start and stop loads. For me at least, almost never at the max load.

[North Country Gal]

Chronographs can be fun to play with, but I gave mine away some time ago. I found that the most accurate groups were typically the most consistent velocities. Since I valued accuracy over velocity, it didn't matter what speed they were going.

Interesting, how often that sweet spot is right in the middle of the books start and stop loads. For me at least, almost never at the max load.

Very much my experience, too, from my reloading days. I've even found it to be true with a lot of factory ammo loads. For example, I've owned a couple of nice 257 Roberts guns. The fancy +P loads from Hornady shot all over the place, but those old reliable basic green box Remington Core losk ammo shot sub MOA, every time out.

[Frontiersman]

... those old reliable basic green box Remington Core losk ammo shot sub MOA, every time out.

Very rarely have I encountered a rifle that did not perform well with these. It's a good off the shelf bet, when you are not hand loading. In particular, I like the 170 gr for the .30-30.

[CurtZHP]

I could be completely out to lunch on this, but I have seen some ammo specifically marketed as "cowboy" ammo use powder that is deliberately formulated to be smoky. Apparently, it's for asthetic effect. I could see that making things messy after a few shots.

I once made the mistake of using that stuff at an indoor range in a Peacemaker replica I have. One shot, and the other guys and I were coughing and wheezing like the place was burning down!

[North Country Gal]

I could be completely out to lunch on this, but I have seen some ammo specifically marketed as "cowboy" ammo use powder that is deliberately formulated to be smoky. Apparently, it's for asthetic effect. I could see that making things messy after a few shots.

I once made the mistake of using that stuff at an indoor range in a Peacemaker replica I have. One shot, and the other guys and I were coughing and wheezing like the place was burning down!

You're exactly right on this. I have experienced the same thing with some cowboy action loads. By design or not, some of these loads can be very smoky and dirty.

[GunnyGene]

I could be completely out to lunch on this, but I have seen some ammo specifically marketed as "cowboy" ammo use powder that is deliberately formulated to be smoky. Apparently, it's for asthetic effect. I could see that making things messy after a few shots.

I once made the mistake of using that stuff at an indoor range in a Peacemaker replica I have. One shot, and the other guys and I were coughing and wheezing like the place was burning down!

You're exactly right on this. I have experienced the same thing with some cowboy action loads. By design or not, some of these loads can be very smoky and dirty.

Pretty sure that was the case with the GA ammo I tried out.