Sorta OT - Ultra Long Range Shooting

[Griff]

A friend of mine asked if I would pass this along. Many of you may be familar with Accurate Powder's 5744, but you might not be so familar with its history... I've been using it for some 24 years and during that time have seen it go from plentiful, to scarce, to discontinued and rebound. Here is some of the inside story, along with a wealth of information and testing on ultra-long range shooting with buffalo guns. So with credit due to my friend Andy, I'll just copy his notice here:

 

Hey Fellas, I'm thrilled to introduce a new comprehensive and unique work on extreme long range shooting by William T. Falin, former Chief Ballistician for Accurate Arms Powder Company. The book is called "Down Range Data: A Guide to Extreme Long Range Shooting With Your Buffalo Rifle". I have a copy myself and it is already well worn. Bill was kind enough to write a special introduction just for us at Leverguns! Here is the introduction followed by a pic of the cover and ordering information at the bottom of the post. Hope you guys enjoy the introduction. Its a great book!

 

I wrote Down Range Data to quantify what a shooter needs to hit targets at very long distances using buffalo guns. As chief ballistician at Accurate Arms, I had noticed that the popularity of shooting with replica old west style firearms had begun to explode — what had been mere history before about 1980 became a fast-growing sport. Included in this phenomenon was long-range shooting with various buffalo guns. The Sharps rifles caught my eye.

 

During this period, Accurate Arms sold a surplus propellant we had named 5744. It was popular with handgun metallic silhouette shooters, particularly those using various wildcat cartridges in the Thompson-Center Contender.

 

Shooters being wont to experiment, many soon discovered that 5744 was suitable for blackpowder duplication loads with cast bullets in straight-wall rifle cartridges (such as the 45-70). Naturally, just as sales were exhausting the entire world supply of surplus 5744, we started seeing significant demand for this application.

 

In spite of this, Accurate had no plans to reproduce 5744 so it could offer another commercially standardized propellant. The logic was that 5744 was primarily a handgun propellant and Accurate already had a full line of handgun propellants.

As company ballistician, I also handled customer service. In that capacity, I observed the growing popularity of shooting replica firearms. I believed I could make a good argument for a replacement 5744 designed to give good results in blackpowder-equivalent loads in vintage low-pressure straight-wall cartridges.

 

We know that in this business 20% of the propellant generates 80% of the pressure. Propellants in the spotlight are always those that are either capable of higher-than-normal performance or that fill a specific niche, which must be popular with a significant segment of the shooting fraternity. To my way of thinking, in this blackpowder-cartridge application 5744 fell into the later category. In other words, inevitable shooting stories about 5744 would translate into brand recognition for the entire product line.

 

While pondering this situation, I made the acquaintance of a writer named Mic McPherson, who should be no stranger to those familiar with this web site. During this time, I also saved sufficient funds to order a C. Sharps Model 1875 rifle. I had it chambered in a wildcat cartridge of my design, using a custom reamer made to my specifications. I called it the 40-444. (McPherson has named it the 40-65 Falin, which is acceptable, so feel free to use either moniker.)

 

Receipt of my Sharps rifle and my frequent phone conversations with McPherson gave birth to the idea of replicating the shot made by Billy Dixon at Adobe Walls using my 40-caliber Sharps and 5744 propellant. If we were successful at this, a story about the feat should bring 5744 propellant to the attention of many potential customers and aid me in my attempt to persuade the powers-that-be to let me work with our propellant suppliers to have 5744 newly manufactured.

 

To the best of my knowledge, before our effort no one had actually tried to duplicate Billy Dixon’s famous shot. In the modern era, folks had shot blackpowder rifles at ranges exceeding the 1538-yard shot made by Dixon. They only did this to prove that these guns would indeed shoot that far. They did those tests without an attempt to hit any target.

 

Reams of firearms testing data recorded from the post U.S. Civil War period to the adoption of smokeless propellant chamberings prove what those guns and loads would do. In this light, one wonders why anyone bothered with such testing. Still, any target shooting is a good thing, unless of course you are the target.

 

In contemplating our first attempt to duplicate the Billy Dixon shot, we figured the worst that could happen would be that we would fail and that we would have to start over. McPherson has written extensively about our efforts and our success in duplicating the famous shot at Adobe Walls. I will not retell that here. He also kindly took the time to edit my book. Thanks again, Mic!

 

I will point out that our attempts to use computer generated drop tables did not result in particularly useful data. In fact, at what we now refer to as extreme long-range the predictions simply stunk!

 

As time went on and we continued to pursue the sport of Extreme Long-range Shooting using Sharps rifles and cast bullets, I became more and more aware of the discrepancy evident when using any published or estimated ballistic co-efficient for a given cast bullet and trying to use the data to predict bullet trajectory. Out to about 400- to 500-yards, the predictions were decent (that is about as far as most sane shooters fire at targets, so that data is generally useful). It is not surprising that no one noticed or cared that at longer distances the data grew progressively more useless.

 

However, I am not necessarily sane and I was not satisfied. As I gathered ever more data in the form of velocities and zeros associated with various distances out to 1540 yards I began to wonder how I could solve the problem of making a computer program duplicate the known actual trajectories that we had recorded and verified. With the advent of off-the-shelf P.C. ballistic programs, which allowed the user to assign multiple B.C.s to any given bullet within different velocity regimes I finally had a suitable tool for the job. I did not however know how to use that tool — not at first.

Being a helicopter pilot, and worse-yet an AH-1 Instructor Pilot, I had spent a considerable amount of time studying aerodynamics, including trans-sonic flow, a regime in which the advancing blade of a helicopter in forward flight is often found. Aviation buffs among you will recall the severe and mysterious effects of compressibility encountered by various WWII fighter aircraft in high-speed dives often wresting control from the pilot with sometimes-fatal results. In diving flight, the AH-1s advancing blade tip encounters compressibility with each revolution as it passes the three o’clock position. Remembering the known huge increase in drag associated with trans-sonic flow was the key to finally understanding the continually changing drag of Sharps projectiles at long ranges. (A hint, drag is huge on a helicopter blade in the trans-sonic region; equally, the ballistic efficiency [bC] of a bullet in that region is very poor.)

 

After finally succeeding in the pursuit of duplicating the bullet trajectory, I figured I should write it down, before my computer failed. One thing led to another and, soon enough, McPherson and I decided that a book was in order because other shooters, as crazy as us, might find the info of use.

 

Of course, the book took on a life of its own. My wife, Deb, and McPherson took lots of pictures of McPherson and me shooting at the National Rifle Association Whittington Center Range and at the Friends of Billy Dixon Range (part of the Stengel range) during several trips to enjoy ourselves and gather data. Finally, I had enough data for Sharps bullets in calibers 40, 45, and 50 and at various velocities to build the data tables in the book referred to on this web site.

It is amazing what one can learn along the way to a goal. So, in the book, I have included my take on the history of blackpowder cartridge development.

 

I also felt that we needed to include some info on terminal performance, so we set up penetration tests at 1538 yards at the Friends of Billy Dixon Range. Reading dusty old texts on the testing of the Government 45-70 cartridge out to maximum range is very enlightening. However, that does not have the impact (pun intended) of seeing complete penetration of a ten-inch tube of ballistic test media that you can hold in your hands. Testing puts actual performance in perspective. Yes, 1538 yards from the muzzle these bullets are still traveling faster than 800 fps; and, yes, penetration potential is huge.

In summary, this book reports some history of these rifles and the era in which they were used. It recalls the lineage of ballistic development, from the Whitworth rifle to the Sharps cartridges. It gives detailed instructions on how to calibrate and adjust the vernier sight, as universally used on buffalo guns, for long-range shooting. It covers loading with blackpowder and smokeless propellant. It compares the terminal performance of the Sharps-rifle at the distance of the Billy Dixon target to selected modern firearms and loads. It includes range-verified drop tables for three muzzle velocities for 40-, 45-, and 50-caliber cartridges (these tables include spin-drift data and wind drift). It includes a discussion of wind vector correction and of estimating wind.

 

Finally, it chronicles the journey that led to the book. I found this to be both educational and enjoyable. I think it is a good read, if I say so myself.

William T. Falin Jr.

 

Post Script: In a clear case of “I told you so” McPherson reports that according to Western Powders, current owner of the Accurate Arms propellant line, 5744 is and has been for some time its best selling Accurate brand propellant.

 

 

Bill is not set up to take credit cards but you can send a check or postal money order (prefered) for $25 that includes all shipping and handling to him at:

 

D & B Publishing

2201 Maysville Road

Dickson, TN 37055

I'm looking forward to getting my copy.

[Kid Latham, SASS #79471]

Griff,

Thanks for passing this on. Sounds like an interesting journey, and one I'd like to read more about. I've gotten really into shooting and reloading the long range .45-70s, and my next investment is going to be another hi-wall, this time with a Malcolm scope sight. So, I guess that this book is gonna be required reading.

Thanks,

Kid Latham

[Griff]

Griff,

Thanks for passing this on. Sounds like an interesting journey, and one I'd like to read more about. I've gotten really into shooting and reloading the long range .45-70s, and my next investment is going to be another hi-wall, this time with a Malcolm scope sight. So, I guess that this book is gonna be required reading.

Thanks,

Kid Latham

You're welcome. And golly, small world. I should be stopping in Crossville 2nite on my way home to TX. Mom lives there and I never miss a chance to stop and visit, even if only for a few minutes. Where 'bouts do you shoot?

[Buffalo Dick, SASS #12880]

I've found 5744 to shoot well but it does have one problem. It leaves behind quite a bit of unburned powder grains and these can cause problems in some rifle actions. I have a Browning Traditional Hunter in .38-55. I was using it in a side match that comprised of ten shots on the clock, and after a number of shots, the hammer started following the block closed rather than staying in the cocked position. Powder grains were getting into the action and keeping the sear from catching the full cock notch. This phenomenon has happened more than once and others with similar rifles reported the same experience when I first reported it on the Wire some years back. I don't know whether non-Browning High Wall type actions would have the same problem but it seems that they would. I've had no problem with this powder in my big bore lever actions where it performs well.

[Happy Jack, SASS #20451]

I will be ordering a copy of this book soon. As to 5744, I use it in 38-55 and 45-70 high walls both. If you keep the load up to where a solid bullet is running about 1050-1200fps. you will have few problems. Also a bit of Puff-Lon will help groups if you are shooting for precision.

[Dutch Al #22045]

I tried 5744 about ten years ago. Tried it in my 38-55 and 45-70. Worked OK, but as mentioned above, left a lot of unburned powder kernels in the case and barrel. That was OK in my single shot rifles. In my lever guns, the unburned powder kernels got down into the action and made the rifles run real rough. Now I use the can of powder as a door stop in my reloading room. Works great there. I kept looking for suitable smokeless powders for loads in my 38-55 and 45-70. I found two powders worked quite well. For reduced velocity loads, I like Unique. And for more powerful loads, 4759 has worked very well. Neither of these powders leave unburned powder kernels in the case or bore. I have chronograhed many loads, and have found the standard deviation (velocity variation) is quite low. The loads shoot quite well.

[Griff]

Regardless of the propellent used, the effects of gravity on the projectile is consistent, yet the purpose of the book is point out how the standard ballistic tables aren't precise enough for extreme long range work in small arms. It's my understanding that all current trajectory programms are based on algorithyms developed for artillery. But as Mr Falin writes:

As time went on and we continued to pursue the sport of Extreme Long-range Shooting using Sharps rifles and cast bullets, I became more and more aware of the discrepancy evident when using any published or estimated ballistic co-efficient for a given cast bullet and trying to use the data to predict bullet trajectory. Out to about 400- to 500-yards, the predictions were decent (that is about as far as most sane shooters fire at targets, so that data is generally useful). It is not surprising that no one noticed or cared that at longer distances the data grew progressively more useless.

So, in pursuit of more accurate data:

...After finally succeeding in the pursuit of duplicating the bullet trajectory, I figured I should write it down, before my computer failed. One thing led to another and, soon enough, McPherson and I decided that a book was in order because other shooters, as crazy as us, might find the info of use.

Hence my posting of their efforts. I've attempted that shot... thought I had stuff figured out and even with Mic's help, none of us had a clue where my shots were once we moved beyond a 1,000 yards.