January 2026 copy - Flipbook - Page 63
inforced my mistaken belief that if it was this hard
to clean up after Pyrodex
then black powder must
be an absolute nightmare.
I’d been told stories about
submerging your 昀椀rearm
in a bathtub full of soapy
water, pouring boiling water down the barrel, scrubbing for days, and a bunch
of other things that later
turned out to be just nonsense. Based on that level
of knowledge, I made my
昀椀rst important decision.
I did my best load development and one day, decided
I was going to attend my
昀椀rst Quigley match. I had
what I thought was a pretty good load using 5744,
a reasonably pointy 500
grain bullet from Accurate
Molds, a Pedersoli
Sharps 45-70 ri昀氀e,
and 550 rounds
of ammunition
which I loaded
up. I did not have
a shooting partner, and I did not
know anybody at
the Quigley. Those
two things represented the 昀椀rst
major jump I had
to get over. I had
to get it through
my head that I
belonged at the
Quigley, I would
just go there and
shoot without help
if need be. If I fell
on my face then
so be it. I loaded the truck
with all my gear, got a couple of bags of Doritos and
Way out of shape at 245 lbs,
hammering away at the
350 yard o昀昀-hand target
with smokeless powder and
a 45-70 Pedersoli Sharps...
pork cracklins and drove
out. I picked up a speeding
ticket (86 in a 70) in eastern Washington and I was
having time of my life on
the road!
My 昀椀rst Quigley bullet, a 500 grain design from
Accurate Molds with Carnauba Red lube and a gas
check. Gas checks are legal ath the Quigley.
Issue #1!
I got to Forsyth the Monday before the match started. I checked into the Rails
Inn Motel and met my old
buddy from the Marine
Corps, Mike. He hunts
in that area every year in
the fall at a private ranch
south of town. He knew
where the Lee Ranch was
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