brushbuster07

Cayugad, I saw that in one of these forums you were talking about a floating barrel....I have a Knight Disc. Does this have one? Is this something good to look for in muzzleloaders? By the way, thanks for the input on my last couple forums. So went out and shot today....GREAT TO GET THE MUZZLELOADER OUTAGAIN....and shot awesome, sighted it in at a 100 yards and is DEAD ON!! Shootin the Disc with 100 grains of 777 pellets, and a .45 cal. XTP. The swabbing between shots makes a HUGE difference. It is still tough sometimes. Sometimes when I'm swabbing, the rod with the cloth will get wedged into the barrel and is hard to pull back out, or you can't pull it back out. I go in short motions too. It helped when i spit on it to moisten it, but still wanted to get hung up every once in a while. I was also wonderin.....Cayugad, you must have a kick a$$ collection of guns....I see all of your forums with different guns you have shot..... Someday I will....hahah. P.S. - Any advice on steadying your shots?? I'm 17, I lift. I've heard you can do lifts to steady your shots, wondering if you had any ideas....after seeing your pattern on the pix you post on here, I think you must have SOME advice, you've got it figured out it looks like....

cayugad

The barrel on my Knight Disc rifle I do not consider floated. The barrel on my .50 Disc is a very tight fit to the stock. It is an almost custom fit to the camo composite stock. The barrel on my Thompson Center Black Diamond XR on the other hand is definitely floated. It is locked in place with the two locking nuts and there is space between the barrel and the stock. The old trick is see if you can slip a one dollar bill between the barrel and the stock all the way up to the locking lug. On my Diamond that is very possible. Whether a free floated barrel is a better shooter then a convention bedded rifle... well I would hate to live on the difference.

Your Knight Disc is a great rifle. You do not need to look any further. You have all the rifle you would ever need for hunting or target shooting. I really like my Disc rifle. I hate the bolt. I hate the plastic 209 holders, but I really like the rifle. That is the same load I have been shooting out of mine. Although I shoot the 250 grain Barnes instead of the XTP. I like the way a Barnes holds together better. I've been told on large game, they are superior. Some day I will test that theory.

Swabbing between shots is one of the most important things you can do for accuracy. I do get the patch very damp to almost wet. I use alcohol and car wash fluid because it starts to dry itself after I am done swabbing. I work that is short strokes down the barrel. If you feel it is getting stuck pull it back up some and scrub a few more strokes before trying to go down more. Take your time. After the barrel is swabbed then a couple dry patches and it is all ready. Never push a dry patch into a fowled barrel it is the fastest way to get a patch stuck that I know of.. believe me on this.

As for better groups when shooting. I found the key to it is consistency. Everything you do, do it all over again for each shot. Try and breath the same, relax the same, even focus the same. I address the rifle with a mediumgrip. I never grab the rifle tight,like someone was going to take it away from me. This is why it does smack me around from time to time when I forget myself. I also like to be surprised actually when the trigger is finally depressed enough to make the rifle fire. A big thing is follow through your shot. I hold on that bull or what ever, deer, squirrel, until I can see it clear in the scope or over thesightsagain. I usually will see the hole in the paper before I stop my follow through. Also never rest the barrel of the rifle on the front support. Always rest the forearm of the rifle on the front rest. Using the barrel can change the pressures you place on the barrel and the stock. On hot days the barrel can over heat. Try and let the barrel cool down between shots. It can make a difference on some rifles.

I've been shooting rifles and handgunsevery since I was old enough to carry one. That's a long time now. I also shoot on average four tofive time a week or more. And believe me, there are days when I just stand out there and shake my head in disbelief. Also I try every kind of combination of bullet and powder I can think of. I take excellent notes of what rifle I am shooting, the weather conditions, wind, the powder, primers, bullets, and everything else I can think of. I have a notebook for each of my rifles. I can open that up and look if you hand me a 240 grain XTP I can look and know just what to load in the rifle for the best possible accuracy. I also look to many other posters on this board for their load recommendations. There is a lot of excellent shooters and knowledge on these boards.

Weight training is a great thing to do for your body. Just do not wear your joints out or you will suffer in old age. They seem to finally give out then everything hurts all the time. Being physically fit is of course a good thing for marksmanship. It makes you better able to control your breathing, and muscle reactions... Keep it up.

As for my gun collection ... I've had others ask about it also. I just ordered two more stainless steel barrels by Green Mountain, sobarrels included, if you count them in just black powder rifles I am somewhere (without counting mind you) ... well a dozen rifles was a long time ago, closer to two dozen now. So I do have a pretty good selection. Remember, I collect smoothbores, flintlocks, percussion caps, inlines, and black powder revolvers... Also I am through buying rifles and barrels.

You got a great rifle.. keep shooting and make lots of smoke..

eldeguello

The "floating barrel" idea is not as significant when trying for accuracy with a low-pressure arm as it can be with a modern, high-intensity cartridge. This applies to BP cartridge rifles as well as muzzleloaders. These guns, particularly ones having barrels made from soft materials, just aren't as sensitive to pressure points on the barrel as are guns that operate at higher pressures.

G2 Shooter

Having a free floated barrel on a ML is not as imprtant as on a high powered rifle. Rifles usually have thin walled barrels that actually wip when they are fired. You will never see that as it is very minute but any difference when the bullet leaves the barrel will affect accuracy. When the barrel is floated, other variables do not affect this wip so it can stay consistant. That is why competition barrels are made with thicker walls. They do not wip as much and take longer to heat up. Muzzleloader barrels are heavier than standard rifle barrels giving them added strength. MOST ML loads do not achieve the velocity of a centerfire rifle either, although I have seen some posts of some high velocity ML charges. The lower charges don't cause the barrel to move as much either.

As far as accuracy goes, there are two different groups here. Off of the bench and without a bench. If you are shooting off of a bench, then most deffinately get some sand bags and an adjustable rest. This will make the rifle as stable as possible. Rest the forearm on the bag, not the barrel as cayugad said. Put the buttstock on a sand bag also. You can cut a 4x4 and put the bag on it to raise the rear of the rifle if it is too low. Don't grip the rifle like your life depended on it. Kinda loose but firm. Hard to explain but I think you know what I mean. I like to hold the buttstock with my right hand and put my left hand under my right elbow. (I shoot right handed) Get the rifle lined up on the target without you touching it. You dont' want to have to wrestle it onto the target. Your accuracy will suffer. Squeeze the trigger, dont jerk it. I put it in the first joint of my index finger, not the tip. Follow through with the shot. VERY IMPORTANT: If you use a scope, make sure you have enough eye relief. The last thing you want to do is cut your face and get recoil sensitive. Your face will be closer to the scope bezel on a bench than it will offhand.

When shooting offhand, seated or prone, it's best to use a military sling. Most people don't though. Use whatever sling you have to give you 3 points to steady your rifle. Just stick your offhand through it and back around, then placing your hand close to the swivel stud.

For all methods, make sure that you breath. You don't want to hold your breath. Your eyes need oxygen. If you hold your breath for more than 2 seconds, they lose oxygen and your vision blurrs. Point your rifle at the rarget and get your sights where you want them while breathing normally. Exhale all the way and note where the sights are. Move the sandbags or your body to line the sights up with the target. Breath a few more times and do this again until the sights line up when you exhale fully. Don't push all the air out of your lungs, just exhale normally. If you hold your breath or only partially exhale, your sight picture will not be consistant. When you are ready to shoot, just beath normally and when you exhale, you will see the sights line up with the target. Squeeze the trigger when you feel comfortable with you sight picture. If you haven't shot within 2 seconds, dont shoot. Keep on breathing until you are comfortable again. When you are in the field, you may not have time to do all of this but practicing this at the range will make you a better shot in the field.

Kinda long winded but I hope it helps. Good luck!