12 ga Roundball load ?

[petew]

It seems my 12 ga double is actually a 13ga, .716 at the muzzle , cyl x cyl bore. Any suggestions for shooting a Wad Colum load with Round Balls?
I am waiting to receive the 13 ga wads/cards for my shot loads, so I can't experiment yet. I have been thinking an over powder card, greased wad, Ball and a thick over ball card might be a reasonable loading, but just don't know. The 12 ga slug load in a cartridge was similar in make up, and using the same as the bird shot load would be convenient for a Buck and Bird walk in the woods with the Double for 40 yards and less.

 

[Britsmoothy]

The only reason all them wads are in a cartridge is to make the cartridge length up!

You however could just patch a ball or use a fiber wad and then the patched ball. Thats all I do!

Why make it difficult!

Brits.

 

[flintlock75]

My .12 ga double has bores of .729, i use a heavy patch and a .705 ball, this works great and is very accurate, i have used .715 ball but patches are to thick.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

Historically, if you do the math in Hamilton’s book on Colonial Frontier Guns, you will find that for any given bore size offer to the Native customers, the French go/no go gauges show and appropriate ball was deemed to be .015” to .064” under bore diameter. This was loaded powder, wadding, ball then thin wadding.

Today many people shoot patched round ball with or without a wad. I use a ball .014” under bore size with and .018” patch no wad.

For my CVA 12 ga. shotgun, CVA recommends a .690” patched ball with no wad. I consider this too small to get a good patch seal but it is what the company recommends.

Since I only use My 12 ga for Skeet shooting, I cannot comment on its effectiveness with round ball. I reserve my round ball shooting for my 20 and 28 gauge guns. They use a lot less lead. :wink:

 

[longfowler]

I agree with Britsmoothy, and use the K.I.S.S.(keep it simple, stupid) method. Both of my 12's shoot fine with a handcast .700 ball patched with pillow ticking, loaded over an overpowder card.

 

[Many Klatch]

In my Pedersoli Bess I shoot a .715 ball with a .010 spit patch over 90 grains of 2F. That has proved to be plenty accurate. I never have seen the need for adding wads of any kind to my load.

Many Klatch

 

[wattlebuster]

In my 12 I shoot a 690 ball with a pillow tick patch an no wad. It does fine out to 50 yrds or so. In the thick woods I hunt thats about all your gonna see anyway :hatsoff:

 

[Rifleman1776]

For my CVA 12 ga. shotgun, CVA recommends a .690” patched ball with no wad. I consider this too small to get a good patch seal but it is what the company recommends.

They may make that reccomendation for a very good reason. They do not want people to try making the shotgun shoot like a rifle. Shotguns have very thin walls and lower pressures than rifles. Small ball allows gas blow-by, a lot safer than gas BLOW UP.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

petew,
just to clarify.... you are requesting information on wadded loads only correct???
Not wad/patch combos or patched ball, rifle style loading?