This was my first 100 yard test load in my .40-65 Shiloh Sharps using 410 grain Boomer Money bullet with Swiss FFFg.
1.203" group including the first cold shot flyer. 
Fouled barrel shoots under 1 inch with blowing after each shot with a blow tube. 
Used Alberta Schuetzen Lube.

To explain my comment, believe Mick was asking if smokeless would do better.

Results with iron sights are the primary limiter. Rule of thumb is 1 moa error, can be improved on with Arpeture front and rear adjusted for ambient light. By comparison scopes resolve by their power. 10x 1/10 moa 20x 1/20 moa and so on.

Bench shooting smaller groups will be fired with flat bottom forend riding on a solid rest. Matched with a straight bottom buttstock significant advantage over Sporter stock.

Shooters ability  to read conditions and handle the rifle on its rest another key variable.

What it comes to the load bullets fit temper and how well it’s cast, no bad ones, is the key accuracy component. Breech seating minimizes cartridge case as a factor.   

When it comes to powder, it’s a Fuel and needs to be suitable for the cartridge, no different than engines built for Gasoline  are different than Diesel engines.

40/65 case was designed for black powder. Straight wall large capacity 40 caliber bullet. Black powder is the optional propellant burn rate suits the capacity. Smokeless won’t fill the case & all sorts of workarounds to compensate for slack fill. Black fowling is a factor and needs to be managed. How to manage depends on how it’s going to be used. Timed relay re entry etc.

So my comment and opinion, not shared by everyone, is look for improved performance elsewhere. Case full of black is optional. How small could groups be ? ASSRA target is the standard. Very few 250 scores fired, hold the center it’s about as good as can be expected.

Boats 

I do believe they might be capable of doing so but unfortunately more seem to be imore.nterested in winning matches instead of being able to get one to actually to do so?

Mick B be aware of he who shoots but one rifle and has his own personal goals to achieve. The rest is simply hard work, a tremendous amount of dedication and countless hours being spent out at the range with just one. 

boats wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2022 at 4:06pm:


Thank you. 

John Boy,

not to offend, but there's a reason nobody is shooting anything bigger than a .38-55 at an ASSRA or ISSA match.

I would love to go to Raton this summer and see somebody shoot a rifle with a similar load to yours and shoot a 250.  Or five targets on a single day that score 250 each.

IMHO, the reason most of us shoot a .32 caliber is the difficulty of casting enough bullets to shoot an entire season, five or more matches of two targets at a sitting, with anything smaller.
The Quarter-Bore Brigade guys amaze me on a good day, but they seldom shoot against the .32's and place high up the list.

Those are great targets shown here, but as one H.M.Pope once said, to paraphrase him: winning a match is not a matter of making all good shots, but of not making any bad ones.

Good discussion here...

Rich

hepburnman wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2022 at 11:59am:

That's about what my 335gr 'chicken bullet' does at 200yd with 56gr of 2F Swiss. Nice, 1moa at 200yd is just fine with me.

beltfed wrote on Jan 22^nd, 2022 at 7:34pm:


Ian has been playing with PP in his 38-50 and think his bullet weighs 343. With 65(69?)gr of 3F he is getting in the 1490 range for MV.