20 gauge fowler starting loads?

[Electric Miner]

Just picked up this short-barreled 20 gauge fowler.

Now I need to work up some decent loads, with the aim being rabbit and squirrel hunting.

Any suggestions on where to start, as far as charge and shot type?

 

[Brokennock]

I use 1oz of #5 shot over 60 grains of 3f powder with 2 thin "over shot cards" and a lubed felt wad in between powder and shot with another thin card over the shot. I use paper shot cups that I make with brown grocery bag paper so haven't tried the "SkyChief Special" load that others have had great success with. I highly recommend going through the smooth bore posts to find more info on this.
Another must do, is to visit our friend and forum member Spence's website, Bob's Blackpowder Notebook, and read up. A plethora of great info and good reading there.

 

[Electric Miner]

Thanks. I'll take a look.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Very smart looking fowler :hatsoff:

 

[Darkgael]

Nice looking gun. When I carry my 20 gauge, I load 2.5 drams of FFg (70 grains) or (as mentioned above) 60 grains of FFFg. I prime with FFFg. I use one ounce of #6 shot over two hard cards with an OS card atop.
My 16 gauge load is very similar - a bit more shot and a bit more powder.
Pete

 

[Keb]

I have always used an 80 gr. measure of 2F, 2 lubed nitro cards a measure of a mix of #6 & #7 1/2 shot and an overshot card in a 20 gauge.

 

[wattlebuster]

I like it :thumbsup:

 

[Feltwad]

I have always used an 80 gr. measure of 2F, 2 lubed nitro cards a measure of a mix of #6 & #7 1/2 shot and an overshot card in a 20 gauge.

Why use heavy loads ? to me it is a waste off both powder and shot when less will do the job .
Some of the loads quoted are what I use in a 12 gauge .
Feltwad

 

[Electric Miner]

Thanks for answering.

 

[Brokennock]

Why ask Why?
Best reloading, and simplest, reloading advice/recipe I ever heard, "use what works."

 

[George]

A good place to start is 50-60 grains 2F, two overpowder cards dry, a bit more shot than powder, a thin overshot card. I normally use #6 shot for rabbits, #5 for squirrels, but #6 will work well for both.

Spence

 

[Electric Miner]

Thanks!

 

[Keb]

I have always used an 80 gr. measure of 2F, 2 lubed nitro cards a measure of a mix of #6 & #7 1/2 shot and an overshot card in a 20 gauge.

Why use heavy loads ? to me it is a waste off both powder and shot when less will do the job .
Some of the loads quoted are what I use in a 12 gauge .
Feltwad

It's easy to armchair quarterback, isn't it? You ask why? I have always used this load. I guess I didn't have any experts to ask when I started shooting black powder shotguns so I used what worked best for me.

 

[Electric Miner]

From my experience, all guns are different, and what works for one gun won't work for another. That's why I asked for a good starting point. I know that I almost certainly will have to go up or down to get the fowler to pattern well, and group well.

And you're not the openly one to use 80 grains. A fairly well-known youtube poster said in one of his videos that the only way he could get his 20-gauge TVM fowler to pattern well was with 80 grains of powder, and it would only group well with 110 grains of powder behind a .610 round ball.

I believe in getting as much info as I can before diving into a new subject, and flintlock fowlers are definitely new for me.

 

[hanshi]

That is a mighty nice looking smoothbore.

 

[Electric Miner]

Thank you.

 

[Tinker2]

Nice looking smoothbore.

I have two 20’s. I shoot 55 gr of 2F with the same volume of shot.
I use two over shot cards over the powder and one over the shot.
I also use that load to shoot trap. And patched round ball



William Alexander

 

[Rifleman1776]

He did say "start". That is about the same as my formula but I like # 7 1/2 shot. Works for me. Do wat yer gun likes. In fact, my 20 ga. fowler and 11 ga. Brown Bess seem to like the same diet. Go figger. :hmm:

 

[Billnpatti]

My 20 ga. liked a load of 60 gr. of 2f Goex, a felt OP wad, and a volume of shot equal to the volume of powder. I used the same measure for shot as I did for the 60 gr. of powder. On top of the shot, I used a single OS card. The pattern was a bit open with this load and good for moving targets but if I wanted to tighten up my pattern, I'd load my shot in a paper shot cup that I make myself. The weight of paper will effect the pattern. I used anything from printer paper to grocery sacks. The cups are quite easy to make. The are shaped like a cross with each of the legs of the cross being 1/4 the diameter of the bore and the length being equil to the depth of the shot charge inside the bore. If you are interested in a better explanation of how I make them, just drop me a PM.

 

[Electric Miner]

Sounds good.

Right now I have 1.5F, 2F, 3f, and cartridge grade on hand to work with.