These Firearms are Built to be Used
As an avid competitive shooter who has enjoyed the sport for over 25 years, I have a genuine interest in ensuring that my guns “shoot” well. I recognize that there is nothing more frustrating to a competition shooter than to not have faith in whether his or her gun is shooting right. I extensively test many of these models to ensure that they will shoot correctly, making sure that these guns will shoot at least a 3″ group at 100 yards-the same as the Civil War standard. However, as with any new firearm, before shooting competitively, take your new musket to the range for a sight-in period.
I have found that these guns shoot the various mini-ball styles very differently. Bullets and loads that often are used for 50 yard shooting may not be appropriate at the 200 yard range. Also, these firearms are outstanding for black powder hunting, but the load and bullet used for hunting may be very different than what you would use in competition. I highly recommend taking several trips to the range, shooting from the bench before attempting competition.
Sight-in tools that will be needed are a file, a torch and a small hammer with punch. The dove-tailed front sight is secured with solder. If the windage is not appropriate, the sight will need to be heated up and gently tapped left or right ( If the bullet is hitting right of the target, move the sight right to correct). Once the windage is set, the “wings” on the dove-tail will need to be filed flush with the barrel for N-SSA competition. the rifle will most likely shoot low as I have deliberately contoured the sight high. Test fire 3-5 round group to determine the “true” grouping. File the sight down to raise the strike for the bullet. Some rifles require the post to be high, some require a lot of filing. Also the type of bullet, powder charge, and powder type have a lot to do with elevation of a strike. Take off only a small amount of the front sight at a time. I try to hold “center mass” at 100 yards as this tends to provide a 6 o’clock hold at 50 yards.
Most competition shooters use a 40 to 50 grain charge with a “light” bullet at 50 yards. My preference is either the 460 or 510 gr original style. In my opinion, these are the best all-round choice for the reproduction muskets. It’s conical shape and deep base have shown consistent accurracy at 50 and 100 yards and it’s weight is more than sufficient for deer hunting when loaded with 60 grains of black powder.
We stock these minie balls. I intentionally make them available in small quantities for testing these guns. Everyone is different. Find out what works best, gain confidence in the firearm’s ability to group shots and then recognize that the miss you just shot was not the musket’s fault.
But above all else, enjoy the sport! Remember, Civil War musket competitions are a great historical legacy.
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