Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only The great 458 Winchester. Everyone should own one at least once

Sir Metford pioneered the 1000-yard muzzleloader, and in the 1860s his rifle was the best available at 2000 yards too.

From page 49 of this thread:

A quote from William Ellis Metford is also included:

"I recommend weighing powder to a quarter of a grain. I find from careful experimentation that at 1,000 yards,
95 grains will throw the bullet nearly 4.5 minutes of angle higher than 90 grains and about 2.25 minutes of angle at 500 yards.
This will equal 9 inches per grain at 1000 yards, and 2.25 inches at 500 yards.
No flask will with any certainty throw its charges nearer than 1.5 grains.
Many first-rate shots have thought they could throw charges to much less, but in every case where I have tested this belief
I have found a variation of at least 1.5 grains before 12 charges were given."

However, William Ellis Metford only obsessed and compulsed when it mattered:

"The bullets supplied for my rifle are all weighed, and in any given box are within five grains of each other as the limit of difference.
I find this is amply correct enough.
Unlike the powder item, there happens to be, for moderate differences in weight of bullets,
a compensating action, which exhibits itself especially at the long ranges."

His bullets were usually no more than 570 grains in the .45-ish bores.
5 grains is about 0.88% of a 570-grain weight.
Sir Metford tolerated +/- 0.88% variation in bullet weight for 1000-yard shooting.
This translates to +/- 3.52 grains in a 400-gr bullet,
yes, overkill for 300-yard accuracy.

I surely weighed some TSX bullets in the past, will do it again if I can't find the old notecards,
when I weigh another box of the Hammer Shocks.

I have decided.
Leaving oil on the monometal copper bullets is a dumbadze thing to do with a serious rifle.
That means one is not the sharpest tool in the toolbox if one does that.
Just for starters, it messes with the friction grip of the case neck on the bullet.
Any more bullets with oil that I weigh will be cleaned first.
Hammer has mentioned an ultrasonic bath they use, hit or miss depending on which way the wind is blowing?
I have a little Lyman-made parts cleaner thingy ...