SNIDER VOLUNTEER RIFLE - CONTINUED

My latest in a loooong effort to get my nifty 2-band Snider Volunteer rifle to shoot straight involved some mild (60 grain equivalent) duplex loads (7.0 grains of IMR-4227 under 40 grains -- by volume -- of GOEX 2F and topped off by Cream of Rice as a filler) and both 500- and 560-grain swaged, paper-patched bullets from Montana Precision Swaging. These slugs are .577" in diameter before patching. Using .003" paper brings them up to .587" (Being lazy and fumble-fingered, I just ordered them up already patched and lubed.) AFAIK, MPS is not on the 'net.

The loads felt good, but my groups exibited exaggerated vertical stringing. I shot these over a chronograph; velocity averaged a thunderingly slow 860 fps with these big chunks of lead. The 7-shot group pictured (fired off the bench at 100 yards with the 560-grain bullets) measured about 5-1/4" wide and 12-1/2" high. Very disappointing. (Image looks screwy since I had to turn the fired target to fit it on my scanner.)

 

In my frustration, I remembered a helpful series of articles on "Managing the Enfield" by W. S. Curtis, and decided to take another look at them.

I had successfully used some of Bill's suggestions on muzzleloading Enfields, and decided that bedding might be causing me a problem with my Snider. I had some walnut veneer left over from an inexpensive pack I bought a few years ago at a local Woodcraft store, and used some of it to make shims for under the tang, and then cut a small piece to put underneath the barrel opposite each of the two barrel bands. The object with the shims under the tang was to break the contact between the receiver and lockplate (it took two layers). These shims are just laid in place -- not glued or fastened in any way. The ones used under the tang needed a hole cut in them for the tang screw (I just used a plain old hole punch used for looseleaf notebook paper).

 

The beauty of this simple bedding technique is that -- unlike epoxy or fiberglass bedding -- the shims are easily removed to restore the rifle back to its original condition.

Taking advantage of the unexpected gift of a long spate of unseasonably mild weather, I headed back out to the range for another session. Lo and behold, a 5-shot group with the same 560-grain slugs now measured 4" wide, but only about 2-1/2" high. The minor bedding adjustment apparently corrected the vertical stringing.

Now I just have to figure out how to move that group about a foot to the right!

P.S. I did try a few different round ball loads, but none performed as well as these paper-patched slugs.

 

 

February 8, 2007