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hilliard
November 15, 2006, 07:06 AM
Hi Folks,

I am new here.
I have a problem with the accuracy of my antique Hilliard underhammer. Bore is fine no roughness, some slight unevennes near the breach. Rifling intact from top to bottom.
The bore diameter is .358. Diameter in groves is .370.
I have shot it with loads of Swiss no2 (fff) from 15 to 25 grains, with a ball of .350 and .010 and .015 (good) patches. It will not group. I collected some shot patches. They are thorn or have holes in them. I tried a double patch .010 +.015. Still no groups.
I always read and see others hammering the ball in the muzzle and than raming the ball+patch down the barrel with a heavy ramrod. I can not imagine this was done the same way in the old days (in the field). I think the ball plus patch combination was a less thight fit then. They had to carry a lot of those wooden ramrods with them I suppose.
I have reamed out my mould a little now and have to hammer the ball/patch in now. Had no time to test it on the range.

Does anyone have some suggestions?

Thanks

Hilliard

sundance44s
November 15, 2006, 08:52 AM
I`d suggest going to walmart and buying a yard of good ole pillow ticking ..its .018 thick and alot stronger than the store bought patches ..lube with moose milk or thompson #13 patch lube ..same thing . you are diffenitly not useing too much powder , she should group alot better , hammering the balls down the barrel isn`t nessary , the right patch ,lube and ball size are .
some barrels like the patches a little on the dry side , some like them wetter ..keep trying .

Brian Williams
November 15, 2006, 08:59 AM
I thnk that your need to find a good cloth, like ticking, that is woven strong enough to fill up to the groove diameter. Also try a little bit heavier load in a rifle. 15 to 20 grains is like a 38 special load for a handgun.

hilliard
November 15, 2006, 01:10 PM
Thanks for the advice guys,

But why did it not group with the double patch? The double patch did not burn throug or rupture.
I will try a heavier load and somewhat bigger balls.

sundance44s
November 15, 2006, 03:09 PM
These black powder guns are just more pickey than a spoiled woman ...lol ( no offence ladys ) ...take notes while building your loads , you`ll find one that works well ....seems you know what to look for ...I know some shooters that wouldn`t know to check their burnt patches ...the larger balls might help too if you can find them .

hilliard
November 15, 2006, 04:35 PM
well finding balls is not the problem.
I reamed out my mould.

I do it as follows:
Cast a ball in the mould. Leave the ball in the mould. Drill a hole half way into the ball as centraly as you can. Put a selftapping screw (cut of the head of the screw and blunt the tip a little) in. Put the srew in the chuck of a drill. Let the srew with the ball rotate slowly. You have to loosen the grip of the mould on the ball a little. Get rid of the shavings from the ball. Apply a little oil in the cavity of the mould and ad some lapping powder it may be quite course. Let the ball rotat in any angle in the mould halves. Apply more lapping powder from time to time. When you have done both halves the same way, clean the halves. Put in some fresch oil and lapping powder. Put the "ball' in and close the mould. Rotate te ball withint the closed mould.
This procedure works quite fast in aluminium anfd brass moulds. In steel moulds it takes a lot of time.

hilliard
November 22, 2006, 02:19 AM
Took the gun to the range, with the somewhat larger balls.
Put in 20 grains swiss no2. The ball with .015 patch.
Succes! It is starting to group. No burned up patches.
There is a difference in how it groups with different ways I load.
At first I hammered the ball in.
Later I used the original ballstarter that came with the gun. I had to give it a hard blow, to hard., with a flat hand.
The hammered balls gave better results. iI rather use the starter.
Have to figure out how to get better groups with that.