# Saturday morning @ the farm



## Sabotloader (Mar 3, 2009)

I got one of those feeling this is going to get really long... Terry hates it when I try to write something - I can not be brief - so bare with me.

Went to the farm with a few different thoughts in mind...
1. I wanted to test two different vent liners in a modified Knight FPJ breech plug.
2. I want to get some chrono times to verifly a finding discovered by Grouse.
3. I wanted to shoot the used/new Knight DISC Elite that i got on Wednesday.
4. I added an extra step at the end and decided that I wanted to shoot some long distant shots... it turned out to be 240 yards.
5. Verifiy that this Cabelas 3x10x40 Powder Horn scope might be as good as I thought.

When I got to the farm and got everything set - it was great... great temperature and little wind. That would change in the next 15 minutes to a very vigorous swirling wind at the silos and blowing straight down the draw....

I decided to start shooting with some Hornady 250 grain FTX bullets - needed to use them for something because I would never use them for hunting.

I had installed a Lehigh Extended Vent Liner, used to get what is called 'center ignition'. This is a prototype liner that Lehigh Dave wanted to try, and I actually thought it might reduce blow-bac into the Knight bolt. It did not stop the blow back and after thinking about it - I can totally understand why. It also produced a reduced velocity as it leaked pressure back.

After, contemplateing the small problem(s) mentioned above - I had a bigger problem! Both FTX shots - tumbled @ 50 yards... (See Group #1 two shots) My first thoughts.. shoot this barrel is shot!!!(remember it is a new to me used gun). Decided to move from the FTX's to a known good bullet - grabbed a box of Speer 250 grain Gold Dots. Considering the wind - I considered Group #2 somewhat a success. The Gold Dots did fit a little tighter going down the bore also - got a little extra velocity.

I then made some adjustements. I pulled the breech plug took the extended vent liner out and installed the domed Lehigh vent liner - GOOD move on my part. It was a ton cleaner and velocities moved back up where I thought they should be with a 250 grain bullet and 100 grains of T7. I also made a scope adjustment loaded up the Gold Dot again - took a three shots - made a final adjustment and shot 4 and 5. (See Group #3).

Then I decided to make another bullet switch to a .458/300 grain Sierra. I had decided this gun will become and elk gun so I wanted to shoot some 45-70 type rifle bullets from it. I also upped the powder up to 120 grains... (Group #4)

Group #5 - this is the bullet that will be shot from this gun for elk season at some point in the future. The Lehigh .458/275 grain bullet broke the paper great.










If you would want to read more about my converted FPJ plug. Look at this thread.

http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/forums/vie ... hp?t=75044

And if you are interested the domed Lehigh plug did cut back on blow bac significantly. I still had soot in the breech area but it was from shooting the FPJ with VERY used red plastic jackets. Nothing was deposited on the scope after the shooting - It was good - really good.... I am sure that with new plastic Jackets the amount of soot in the breech area would be greatly reduced. I am just to dang cheap!

The NFPJ conversion is much cleaner yet - still not perfect but very little fouling soot and no blow bac.

At this point I thought I had accomplished my goals... but I could not resist the urge to shoot something long with the Lehighs...

I looked around in the wheat stubble and found a 'green' clump of something near the top of the ridge... Decided I was going to take the shot(s) Remember I had sighted this gun in at 50 yds and had not verified it 100 or any other distance.

This first pic is take from the clump of Thistle looking back a the shooting area...

Shot #1 - I held directly on the target with the apeture. The shot appeared to be on line but low.

Shot #2 - Held on the first line under the main Xhair. Again on line but not as low.

Shot #3 - Held on second line under main Xhair - one again on line but this time just a bit high....

Here is a picture looking back from the green clump (thistle) to the truck...










The next picture shows the gound contacts of the bullets... DON'T laugh - they were the only thing I had to mark the points with - the next picture is even more weird. Each shoe marks a contact point and above the green clump on the right is my range finder....










When you look at form this angle it is a bit deceptive because of the ground slope.

This picture shows more about the shots....










Now then... I stood the shoes up so you could see the elevation difference already knowing everything is right... but shot #1 held right on the green clump is about 12" low. Shot #2 using the 2nd elevation line is about 6" low and Shot #3 which you can not see is about 4" high... either way or anyway with a little practice and knowing the gun and projectile - it can be done...

OK - I'll quit - but it was fun this morning even in the lousy wind...

A fellow forum member on another site asked if I was sure the 250 FTX tumbled.... At the time I was but after thinking about it I really never went and looked... so after his question and went out to the truck and looked at the target board.

*Correction in original post*



> spaniel
> Are you sure they were actually tumbling, and didn't just tear the paper away between the two hits?


When I first read the question as posed in your post - I gotta say: ->look at the paper it ripped it sideways. Then I thought you know you really never went and looked - you just looked at through the scope. Then after the second shot it was bigger and I was more convinced.

But, I thought what the heck - so I went out to the truck and looked at the target board. It is really to bad that there were other shots right in that area, but still it is pretty obvious your assesment is correct.










So I wanted to correct the FTX statement- but I still do not like them for hunting, them not even the SST or SW.... how is that for being stubborn? Well maybe if I were antelope hunting or hunting really long distant shots.


----------



## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

Good report Mike. I know you have that soft spot for Noslers and hunting.

So did or didn't those you thought tumble? I didn't think you were clear on that point.

 Al


----------



## Sabotloader (Mar 3, 2009)

*yooper*

From 50 yards looking through the scope... I thought for sure they tumbled. But after inspecting the target board NO they did not...

The difference being the FTX with the pointy tip really does not 'punch' a clean hole all the way through the paper or the plywood. If you look closely at the hole #2 what i would is 'pierced' in the plywood you will see the actuall hole in the wood is small but there are marks and an indentation where the rest of the bullet passed through. The opposit is true with the Gold Dot, Sierra, and Lehigh they are like a paper punch and actually cut a nice round hole through the paper and the board.


----------



## alleyyooper (Jul 6, 2007)

The speer gold dots I have are flat nosed, the 50 cals I shoot in the 54 are listed as hollow points but the cavedy isn't really that deep.

What Serrias are you useing ? I use a lot of Serria bullets in my center fires.

 Al


----------

