3F Shotgun Load

[Iron Jim Rackham]

I've always shot 2F in fowlers, but was curious to see how an original patent breech would perform with 3F. Not wanting to shoot hot loads in an 18th century fowler with a damascus twist barrel, I thought I'd try reducing my standard 3 dram 2FG load beneath an ounce of a quarter of #6 shot by 20% and thus loaded 66 grains of 3FG, under 4 overshot cards, 1 1/4 ounces of #6, initially topped off with two overshot wads to secure the column, but reduced to a single overshot wad after the first shot.

I only got two shots, but bagged two birds, so I was very gratified by the results. The Nock is cylinder bored, and I bagged the rooster at over 35 yards, and afterwards dropped the hen at just under 30 yards. I thought the performance at those distances remarkable, and believe my always excellent ignition was perhaps even faster with 3FG.

I assume the powder reduction concentrated my pattern, and gave me greater range. Has anyone else tried 3F in a 12 gauge? What loads have you tried?

 

[Carbon 6]

Yes, And I have tried many loads, I'm a firm believer in light loads.

 

[NorthFork]

Fantastic pics!

 

[Iron Jim Rackham]

"Less powder, more lead, shoots further, kills dead." What loads have you used?
Thanks. I like to shoot photos almost as much as I like to shoot fowlers.

 

[Britsmoothy]

I've always shot 2F in fowlers, but was curious to see how an original patent breech would perform with 3F. Not wanting to shoot hot loads in an 18th century fowler with a damascus twist barrel, I thought I'd try reducing my standard 3 dram 2FG load beneath an ounce of a quarter of #6 shot by 20% and thus loaded 66 grains of 3FG, under 4 overshot cards, 1 1/4 ounces of #6, initially topped off with two overshot wads to secure the column, but reduced to a single overshot wad after the first shot.

I only got two shots, but bagged two birds, so I was very gratified by the results. The Nock is cylinder bored, and I bagged the rooster at over 35 yards, and afterwards dropped the hen at just under 30 yards. I thought the performance at those distances remarkable, and believe my always excellent ignition was perhaps even faster with 3FG.

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I assume the powder reduction concentrated my pattern, and gave me greater range. Has anyone else tried 3F in a 12 gauge? What loads have you tried?

All I ever use and finer!
Been advocating 3f for years.
Congrats.

 

[Iron Jim Rackham]

Thanks. Do you shoot a 12 gauge? What's your load?

 

[Britsmoothy]

Thanks. Do you shoot a 12 gauge? What's your load?

If you mean me. I shoot .45", two 12g, a .63" and .75". I use 3f or finer in the lot.
My loads...they vary all the time. I just use thin cards mostly. Occasionally the skychief loading method. Load wise in my 12g's are around 1&1/8-1&1/4oz. The .75 gets a minimum of 1&1/4oz to 2of.
The .63 an ounce to about 1&1/4oz and the .45" get 5/8-3/4oz.
Check my hunting posts for pictures. I usually add the load details there too.

 

[hanshi]

I've used 3F almost exclusively in 20 and 12.

 

[Iron Jim Rackham]

Thanks. How many grains of 3F do you typically shoot in you12 gauges with 1 1/8 ounces and 1 1/4 ounces of shot? I too only use thin overshot cards. 4 on top of the powder, 2 on top of the shot column for the first shot, and afterwards a single overshot card.

 

[Eterry]

I was converted to FFFg 10 years ago by a died in the wool skirmish shooter, who said many serious skirmisher's used it exclusively, but backed the charge down 30% to save powder. He also brought me a 5 pound bag of FFFg from the N-SSA Nationals, so I had to do something with it !!

I'm pretty new to the smoothbore thing, but I can tell you the first thing I killed with a smoothbore was in my 20 bore SxS and FFFg. I THINK it was 50grs, and 7/8oz of lead (60grs). It did the trick.

 

[Ol 12 gauge]

I use a square load of 85 grains 3f and #9 shot in my antique Ethan Allen. It’s great load on the skeet field. I still have to work up a hunting load

 

[Carbon 6]

"Loads" are just one small piece of the equation. You are shooting blind without patterning and penetration.

 

[Feltwad]

Patterning on a pattern board is ok for sitting shots but not for flying ,the pattern then is totally different it is the swing through and putting the shot in the right place for a clean kill
Feltwad

 

[Carbon 6]

Patterning on a pattern board is ok for sitting shots but not for flying ,the pattern then is totally different it is the swing through and putting the shot in the right place for a clean kill
Feltwad

I agree.
Pattern like you hunt, goes with what I've always said "practice like you hunt".
Same goes for the penetration test.

 

[Iron Jim Rackham]

While my original Nock performed well with 66 grains of 3FG and 1 1/4 ounces of #6, I wanted to see if my Pedersoli Mortimer would perform as well. I was very gratified by the results.

The fowler is cylinder bored and I was pleased to have dropped both birds at over 30 yards with this load. The chukar presented a particularly challenging angle of flight and the fat pheasant fell like a stone. The replica has a Nock patent breech and originally featured a rather odd screw slot flash liner which I replaced with a Chamber's white lighting vent. I think the combination of 3F powder, white lightening vent, and patent breech contributed significantly to instant ignition.

 

[smo]

Great photos Iron Jim , Thanks for posting and Congrats on your success!

 

[Iron Jim Rackham]

Thank you,

 

[Historian]

If you mean me. I shoot .45", two 12g, a .63" and .75". I use 3f or finer in the lot.
My loads...they vary all the time. I just use thin cards mostly. Occasionally the skychief loading method. Load wise in my 12g's are around 1&1/8-1&1/4oz. The .75 gets a minimum of 1&1/4oz to 2of.
The .63 an ounce to about 1&1/4oz and the .45" get 5/8-3/4oz.
Check my hunting posts for pictures. I usually add the load details there too.

Hi Brit, just curious if the .63 is in fact a Pedersoli 20 ga as all three of mine run that size ( .63 )
Yes, all I shoot now in my .63 Pedersoli SXS's is OE 3Fg. 70 gr's to 75 gr's does wonders!

 

[tenngun]

Less powder more lead shoots far kills dead has been a mantra for me for years. The other day Blackpowder TV posted a video on you tube shooting a 20 bore Carolina gun. He was shooting at a Turkey target a Turkey load. Staring with airy grains 2 f he worked up to a hundred, one and a quarter oz loads. To my surprise the most shot put in kill zone was by the largest powder charge
Should I change my mantra? I think it might be fun to try

 

[Eterry]

That sounds like a load that kills on one end and maimes on the other.