Just a mixed bag today…..

Today I was attempting to do a similar test on individual 50 yd. IBS rim fire bulls eyes with 200 gr. FTX’s but the test morphed into other bullets and 3031 powder.

Started out the 72* humid morning fouling the barrel and adjusting the scope for the 200 gr. FTX. After the first fouling shot, the next three shots registered 2985 fps with a 5 fps ES……….This with a 6/65.8 Clays/H-4198 duplex and NO wad.

(During the course of the shooting my cool rod was used to keep barrel head to “slightly” warm. So, the first five bulls registered a group (close as I could estimate) of 1.1” . It is unknown why the first shot was about 62 fps slower? But, it did hit in the group.



The second five bulls were shot with a slightly knurled bullet (no wad) and a scope adjustment. It produced a .525” group.



For the third group with this bullet I added a veggie wad………….som bitch? Shot #1 went 4.5” high, #2 went 2” high and #3 went 3” low and left? Velocity average was 3027 but had a high 47 fps ES. Still, can not see why the wad made a difference although a few weeks ago, the same scenario occurred with 250 SST’s?



Switching now to the 290 TEZ (which always likes a wad) and the same duplex with a light knurl on a loose sized bullet, five shots averaged 2769 fps with a 27 fps ES and a .8” group.



My fifth group was shot, again, with the same duplex only this time, the 250 TEZ w/wad. It shot a little bigger (1.1”) with a 2893 fps average velocity and a 16 fps ES. There was also a 6th. shot fired by my friend and LGS owner as he had never shot one of these cannons. His shot was only 1 fps faster than my last two shots and his POI was within my five shot group (shot on another target) so, actually a six shot group and velocity measurement.



The last group was shot with a new duplex: 6/75…Clays/3031 with a 300 gr. SST (no wad). The first shot was with a loose bullet……the remaining four were knurled slightly. The average for the last four was 2627 fps with a 41 fps ES but a decent .663” five shot group (including the slower first shot)

While the 3031 produced good accuracy (at 100 yards) it did show an ES higher than I would like?...........As distances stretch out, vertical dispersion will start to show up. I may up the Clays a grain or two and try it again? Or maybe up the 3031 instead?





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