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Spence I have also tried some hornets nest over the powder which worked really well. The hornets did'nt like it much though :idunno:
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12 gauge RB for deer hunting?
- Thread starter Skychief
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Skychief
69 Cal.
:haha: 16 yards instead if 15??? :hmm: I would be in a bind, wouldn't I? :haha:
I've been hoping that you would stop in partner :thumbsup:
I did try to double patch this last go-around with no luck. Couldn't even start it. This must be a tight 12! A bare .715 might even be the ticket.
I'm looking forward to trying some other loads once I am re-supplied with ball.
I did triple patch some .610's that I had on hand. They worked fine at the ranges I was firing. Aren't smoothies the best? A guy never runs out of ways to load them!
The patches which were blown with the heavier charges really smoldered. Maybe a function of the mutton tallow on such a thin patch? I have no doubt that a thicker greased patch would fair much better.
An interesting aside may be that accuracy seemed to suffer little with the burnt patches. I've often thought that these big balls are more forgiving of such things. They have a lot more momentum from the get-go vs a smaller, lighter sphere. A burnt patch in my little 32, spells disaster. Not so with my .62 fowling piece, nor, this gun.
My biggest concern with the burnt patch is the fire hazard in a dry woods. Talk about good reason to be asked to never return to a piece of ground:shocked2: !
Boy, am I ever rambling this morning! :shake:
After finding that 50 grains of 2f caused no ill effects upon the patching, and seeing how that load PUMMELED my heavy gongs, I wondered "why not?".
I may have noticed another characteristic of this particular loading. I had only two balls left when I shot my 60 yard gong. I used the same sight picture, showing the same amount of barrel and placing the front bead dead-center. The ball struck right where the bead had been when the trigger broke. Of course that's only one shot, but it lent confidence that I could hold the same to that distance. In the past with heavier powder charges, balls at that distance (with same sight picture) would strike lower than the shot using the 50 grains.
Yes, it's only one shot, but, it was taken off a bench and it "felt good". Could it be that the slower load causes enough barrel dwell time to strike higher? I'm thinking possibly, but don't mean to open that can of worms until I can compare loads more.
Wow, have I ever rambled!
Chalk it up to having this Labor day off and being out of big roundballs :surrender:
I might possibly find some more if I hunt hard enough around here. Though I had some 690's yesterday but didn't locate them. I'm gonna go look.
If I find them, they won't last to the end of the day. I'm ready to shoot the big boomer some more!
Thanks Spence.
Best regards all, Skychief
PS, I forgot to mention firing the last ball of the day yesterday. I saved it for a 1/2 gallon milk jug filled with water at 25 yards. Holy Moley. It took a couple minutes to find its remnants hiding in the weeds bordering the pond dam I was shooting on. Reminded me of Spence's hydrostatic thread here awhile back. I can report that just 50 grains of black under a 550 grain ball at that distance, will raise the pressure of a milk jug to the point of its certain demise. :shocked2: Talk to you all later...
I've been hoping that you would stop in partner :thumbsup:
I did try to double patch this last go-around with no luck. Couldn't even start it. This must be a tight 12! A bare .715 might even be the ticket.
I'm looking forward to trying some other loads once I am re-supplied with ball.
I did triple patch some .610's that I had on hand. They worked fine at the ranges I was firing. Aren't smoothies the best? A guy never runs out of ways to load them!
The patches which were blown with the heavier charges really smoldered. Maybe a function of the mutton tallow on such a thin patch? I have no doubt that a thicker greased patch would fair much better.
An interesting aside may be that accuracy seemed to suffer little with the burnt patches. I've often thought that these big balls are more forgiving of such things. They have a lot more momentum from the get-go vs a smaller, lighter sphere. A burnt patch in my little 32, spells disaster. Not so with my .62 fowling piece, nor, this gun.
My biggest concern with the burnt patch is the fire hazard in a dry woods. Talk about good reason to be asked to never return to a piece of ground:shocked2: !
Boy, am I ever rambling this morning! :shake:
After finding that 50 grains of 2f caused no ill effects upon the patching, and seeing how that load PUMMELED my heavy gongs, I wondered "why not?".
I may have noticed another characteristic of this particular loading. I had only two balls left when I shot my 60 yard gong. I used the same sight picture, showing the same amount of barrel and placing the front bead dead-center. The ball struck right where the bead had been when the trigger broke. Of course that's only one shot, but it lent confidence that I could hold the same to that distance. In the past with heavier powder charges, balls at that distance (with same sight picture) would strike lower than the shot using the 50 grains.
Yes, it's only one shot, but, it was taken off a bench and it "felt good". Could it be that the slower load causes enough barrel dwell time to strike higher? I'm thinking possibly, but don't mean to open that can of worms until I can compare loads more.
Wow, have I ever rambled!
Chalk it up to having this Labor day off and being out of big roundballs :surrender:
I might possibly find some more if I hunt hard enough around here. Though I had some 690's yesterday but didn't locate them. I'm gonna go look.
If I find them, they won't last to the end of the day. I'm ready to shoot the big boomer some more!
Thanks Spence.
Best regards all, Skychief
PS, I forgot to mention firing the last ball of the day yesterday. I saved it for a 1/2 gallon milk jug filled with water at 25 yards. Holy Moley. It took a couple minutes to find its remnants hiding in the weeds bordering the pond dam I was shooting on. Reminded me of Spence's hydrostatic thread here awhile back. I can report that just 50 grains of black under a 550 grain ball at that distance, will raise the pressure of a milk jug to the point of its certain demise. :shocked2: Talk to you all later...
I think I didn't make myself clear. I wasn't talking about two patches on the ball. I confused you by using the term "double patching", I know, sorry about that. What I was trying to suggest was to simply wad up an extra patch and load it on top of the powder, then load and ram your patched roundball on top of that. It's the same as putting a wad down on top of the powder before the PRB. That way you would still be shooting a .710 ball in a .010 patch, but with a little more oomph, what's to worry? :wink:Skychief said:
As a general rule I like a bit more oomph, and tend to flirt with loads which are too strong rather than too weak.
Mea culpa maxima.
Spence
Brokennock
Cannon
Try punching some thin (cereal box?) Bore diameter cardboard wads like what are sold as overshot cards. Seat one or two between powder and patched round ball. Should give you a nice consistent seal keeping your patch from burning, and, maybe, improve ballistics a tiny bit with the better gas seal. Also keeps a barrier between your tallow patch lube and your powder. Even an unlubed felt wad might help.
Skychief
69 Cal.
No mea culpa. While I was referring to trying a double patch around the ball, I read your clearly stated proposal of a patch "wad" under the prb.
I did not try it nor did I mention not having tried. I think the mea culpa may be all mine.
By the way, Who's on first? :haha:
Thanks Spence, Skychief :thumbsup:
I did not try it nor did I mention not having tried. I think the mea culpa may be all mine.
By the way, Who's on first? :haha:
Thanks Spence, Skychief :thumbsup:
Skychief
69 Cal.
Can any of you see a real need for more than 50 grains of 2f to cleanly kill a whitetail within 50 yards with the 550 grain, .715" ball?
Seriously?
I guess I kinda subscribe to the "dead is dead" axiom. :idunno:
Best regards, Skychief
Seriously?
I guess I kinda subscribe to the "dead is dead" axiom. :idunno:
Best regards, Skychief
hanshi
Cannon
I killed a big doe with my .62 flint smoothbore a few years back. She ran past my stand and I lead and fired. Her reaction was much the same a No Deer described. And this was with only a 325 grain ball. I say up your charge to around 70 grains; that huge ball is like dynamite. I don't use a patch but rather load a WW bare ball. I've got 3 shot 50 yard groups of 2-1/2".
Skychief
69 Cal.
I will concede shots longer than 50 yards in the spot I'm going to hunt. I'll be at the base of a long wooded ridge facing East into the ridge which runs North/South.
Should I see a deer on the ridge farther than 50 yards or so, it will present a shot that I would consider dangerous as the neighboring property is about a quarter mile away. Just not worth the risk to try for a deer any farther than a third of the way up the ridge, to me.
To the left or North, the brushy cover will limit shots to 30 yards or so. Same to the right or South.
Behind me, to the West is a horse pasture. A safe shot could be had there for a long ways, but, it's been agreed upon that no shots be taken into the pasture.
Probably not a very revealing description of this new spot on the farm that I plan to hunt this year, but hopefully it sheds a little light upon my thinking and situation.
I wrote earlier that I've seen bucks use the bottom of this ridge while in search of does the last couple of years. I hope they'll do the same in a few weeks once they want to sew their wild oats. If so, they'll have nearby company. :thumbsup:
The bucks that I've watched, have used the very bottom of the ridge, trying to cut a hot doe track. Each has been within 20 yards of the hide I've prepared a few days ago. The ridge has some nasty limestone outcroppings that even whitetail bucks prefer to avoid.
So, they get sandwiched between those and the open horse pasture, twenty-some yards from its edge, in the safety of the timber.
Wow, I'm really rambling again. Note to self....see doctor if rambling condition worsens before deer season commences! :rotf:
Best regards, Skychief
Should I see a deer on the ridge farther than 50 yards or so, it will present a shot that I would consider dangerous as the neighboring property is about a quarter mile away. Just not worth the risk to try for a deer any farther than a third of the way up the ridge, to me.
To the left or North, the brushy cover will limit shots to 30 yards or so. Same to the right or South.
Behind me, to the West is a horse pasture. A safe shot could be had there for a long ways, but, it's been agreed upon that no shots be taken into the pasture.
Probably not a very revealing description of this new spot on the farm that I plan to hunt this year, but hopefully it sheds a little light upon my thinking and situation.
I wrote earlier that I've seen bucks use the bottom of this ridge while in search of does the last couple of years. I hope they'll do the same in a few weeks once they want to sew their wild oats. If so, they'll have nearby company. :thumbsup:
The bucks that I've watched, have used the very bottom of the ridge, trying to cut a hot doe track. Each has been within 20 yards of the hide I've prepared a few days ago. The ridge has some nasty limestone outcroppings that even whitetail bucks prefer to avoid.
So, they get sandwiched between those and the open horse pasture, twenty-some yards from its edge, in the safety of the timber.
Wow, I'm really rambling again. Note to self....see doctor if rambling condition worsens before deer season commences! :rotf:
Best regards, Skychief
Ah, it all comes clear...you are thinking about one hunt in one specific spot. I assumed you were considering that a standard load for all hunts in all places.... never mind, back to your regularly scheduled ramble. :grin:
Spence
Spence
Skychief
69 Cal.
22fowl said:
That's plan "A" for certain. :wink:
Skychief
69 Cal.
George said:
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Exactly partner!!! My fault for not saying so, no doubt. Hope the others following along understand that this isn't a life long, universal paradigm shift. :haha:
All the best, Skychief
YES..., seriously.
Three reasons...,
1) In your case you have ranged a specific distance that if you can see enough to take the shot, you know the deer is at 50 yards or less. Others may have done this, but there is a good chance that the next guy who reads this thread has not done the same...and is guessing at the distance.
2) It's not just impact energy, it's accuracy. So perhaps at that velocity at 50 yards the grouping is still acceptable, but at 60 yards or farther, it's not...,
3) In most cases where a person has not worked at estimating range by sight, and learned to do it well, or has actually paced off the distances in the hunting area to landmarks so knows the true distances..., a hunter will make a poor estimate of range.
So for you, probably no worries at all, but for the next 100 guys?
LD
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I obviously don't know where he hunts but where I hunt WT/hogs/critters, you cannot SEE beyond about 20-50M. = The south Texas brush IS just that dense/thick.
Fwiw, I talked to a hunter yesterday PM who "walked up on" a "bedded-down" WT buck last Fall & was within 8 steps when one saw the other. = He GOT his fat 6-pointer, too with a load of 000 buck out of a 14-bore DB percussion shotgun.
yours, satx
Fwiw, I talked to a hunter yesterday PM who "walked up on" a "bedded-down" WT buck last Fall & was within 8 steps when one saw the other. = He GOT his fat 6-pointer, too with a load of 000 buck out of a 14-bore DB percussion shotgun.
yours, satx
Skychief
69 Cal.
That's the one 22fowl :thumbsup:
I've always had an unexplainable fondness of the gun. It's simple, straight-forward, handles like a whip, has taken a lot of game for me, cleans up in a flash, and never given me a moment of trouble. :thumbsup:
I'd love to take a deer here with a muzzleloading handgun, but, we are required to use 12 or 14" (can't recall at the moment) 50 caliber barrelled guns. Not a lot of choice unless I have one built.
Even then, it wouldn't feel much like a handgun to me.
Best regards, Skychief
I've always had an unexplainable fondness of the gun. It's simple, straight-forward, handles like a whip, has taken a lot of game for me, cleans up in a flash, and never given me a moment of trouble. :thumbsup:
I'd love to take a deer here with a muzzleloading handgun, but, we are required to use 12 or 14" (can't recall at the moment) 50 caliber barrelled guns. Not a lot of choice unless I have one built.
Even then, it wouldn't feel much like a handgun to me.
Best regards, Skychief
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