3rd Model Dragoon

[LonesomePigeon]

I have had this Colt 2nd Gen Dragoon for a while. I stopped shooting it because the hammer started sticking at half cock. I sent it to Gary Barnes to fix it and recently started shooting it again. Before it always shot a foot to foot and a half high and three inches or so to one side(can't remember if it was left or right). After I got it back it still shot the same but I had always shot it with 30, 35, 40, 45 or 50 grains. 2F and 3F in 5 grain increments. Just for kicks I tried 32 grains 3F and it still shot high of course but suddenly it started shooting to center. I then tried 37 grains of 2F and again it shot high and center. The 2F produces a tighter group than the 3F. So I do believe I have the right load for this gun now, 37 grains of 2F. All loads are with an appropriate amount of Cream of Wheat filler to bring the ball close to the chamber mouth, .457 round ball and homemade lamb tallow/beeswax lube over the ball.

So far this is the only gun I have where changing the grains changed the windage, not just the elevation.

[Captainkirk]

Interesting! Never heard of that either. 'Course I never tried it....

[99whip]

Thanks LP for that info.  I like cream of wheat as a filler also but didn't think of trying 2f in my dragoon.  It shoots about a foot high also and maybe 3 -4 inches to the right.  Will need to give that a try.  Mine is an ASM.

[ssb73q]

Hi Lonesome, I never use filler and most all my BP revolvers can always shoot more accurately than I can shoot them. I believe that the real breakthrough I found to excellent accuracy is to have the revolver sighted to where poi=poa at the range distance used. If you can do that with loadings, great.

Doing Kentucky windage is too distracting for me where my accuracy potential suffers. Every BP revolver I own where I expect good accuracy is equipped with a suitable poi=poa sight.

I think that a great enhancement to Goon's service would be to offer a tall dovetail front sight option where the user files the sight down to have poi=poa with their favorite load.

Regards,
Richard

[Hawg]

I discovered a long time ago using filler was just wasted time. My dragoon shoots 3 inches high and three inches right at 20 yards or so with 40 or 50 grains. I never tried any less and I'm not going to. Using Kentucky windage bothers me not, I've used it all my life on a lot more guns than guns that had adjustable sights. I could count the handguns I've had with adjustable sights on my hands. The ones without, well lets just say I'm not sure there's that many stars in the sky. Once you learn where a gun shoots it's easy. If you have a lot of guns you may be off the first shot but when you see where the bullet hit it comes back to you. Some people have OCD and it bothers them to no end to aim somewhere other than where they want the bullet to go. I feel sorry for them.

[Dellbert]

What Hawg said. Learn the load and where it hits.

[LonesomePigeon]

I don't mind if a revolver shoots high but I don't like it when they shoot left or right. To each his own but I use filler if I feel it helps with accuracy, or if I want less recoil or sometimes if I just want to save on powder. I have done a lot of bench rest testing and I have revolvers that shoot smaller groups when the ball is close to the chamber mouth and I have at least one that seems to shoot best if the ball is set deeper and some that I can't tell any difference at all. Then sometimes I just like to fill the chamber all the way and not use any lube, that's probably how most of them were shot back in the day.