.54 #5 load info needed

[beartrap]

I just bought 25 Lbs. of #5 lead shot to use in my .54 smoothbore for grouse and rabbits, could someone please give me some info on what I should use for a proper load{ like how much powder and how much shot} and please keep in mind i have only heavy denim for wads and over shot and NO way of getting proper wads and over shot cards as we live quite secluded and have very little access to the post office and track of the wolf is a long way from northern B.C., could anyone give me any good ideas on any other things i could use? Any info at all is VERY much appreciated, Thank You.

 

[Rebel]

The normal loads for a smoothbore are equal parts powder and shot, but you should get a better pattern with a little less powder than shot. As far as wads you might be able to make use of paper shot cups. Just find a dowel that is just a little under bore size, for a .54 cal a 1/2" dowel may work with maybe a wrap or two of masking tape. Then use post it notes cut to the length you need for the shot charge you plan to use. Use your lubed Denim for a wad followed by the shot cup and then a wad over the shot. You might be able to make a wad punch that will work for a .54 bore and cut wad out of cereal boxes. Just some thoughts.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

The usual load for a 28 bore fowler or shotgun is 3/4 of an ounce of shot, with 7/8 ounces being a heavier but normal load. I think you could probably get by with a full ounce of #5 shot and an equal volume of powder. The shot string may be a bit long, and you'll have to decide which powder granulation to use. I would go with ffg myself to keep pressure down.

 

[roundball]

I just bought 25 Lbs. of #5 lead shot to use in my .54 smoothbore for grouse and rabbits, could someone please give me some info on what I should use for a proper load{ like how much powder and how much shot} and please keep in mind i have only heavy denim for wads and over shot and NO way of getting proper wads and over shot cards as we live quite secluded and have very little access to the post office and track of the wolf is a long way from northern B.C., could anyone give me any good ideas on any other things i could use? Any info at all is VERY much appreciated, Thank You.

You should also be able to order some Oxyoke wonderwads.

I'm curious about a ".54cal Smoothbore"...T/C Used to offer a .56cal Smoothbore, and it seemed like it was simply a .54cal rifle barrel without the lands...it was .560 diameter.

Do you know the exact dimension of your .54cal Smoothbore?

 

[berickson]

i have a 54 cal smoothie. if you have a hardware store near you get a 9/16" punch. cut wads out of milk cartons.(they'll be about .563 size)
i use 7/8 ounce (60 grains + or-) of 2F black powder with 3 cards over it. remember black powder is measured in volume not weight.
i dump in a little more shot (70grains = 1 ounce +or-) of shot with 1 card over the shot. 3F BP worked but seemed to open the pattern some.
my best pattern is when i use 1 1/8 oz (80 gr) of shot. but i don't move the powder charge up much ... if any. blows the patterns.
my 54 is by jackie brown so it's only a few years old. don't know the vintage or make of yours so watch the loads, work up to them to be safe.
i have never found the need of shot cups etc but then my bore is very smooth. if yours is pitted you may need cups etc.
:results:

 

[big bore 75]

newhouse you could try deer,bear,caribou,mooseleather,
and cut the leather just over bore diamiter,and soak them in your favorite lube , and use your powder measure and measure your powder put in a leater wad add shot useing your powder measure of exactally the same grain you used for powder,(example if you use 70 grains powder don't adjust the powder measure use the same setting for the shot) then place another leather wad on top also lubeed in your favorite lube,you might have to play with the leater between the powder and shot by adding another wad on top of the first wad something like a layer affect in a cake . try it out and let us know how it works. bb75

 

Why do you think they call them wads?

It was not because they were neatly punched circles of exotic fibers specifically made for firearms use!

It was because they took whatever they could find that would seperate the charge from the shot and then go over the shot to hold it in the barrel! You wadded it up and stuffed it down!

I don't think everyone actually read your question fully, since they immidiately started telling you what you could go buy. I guess we are having a problem with the concept of nonavaibility of our favorite trick items! I guess we figure you can run down to the creek and put coins in a tree and it will spit our shot cups!

Can't get to the store so you can buy punches?

Can't get things delivered form TOTW?

Don't have a corner convinience store that sells wonder wads in the BC wilderness?

Our pioneering ancestors used cotton, denim, wool, linen, leather, grass, moss and wasp nests when they were stuck in your situation.

Keep your charges down to 50-60 grains, and 3/4 Oz. shot (minimum) and play around to see what works best, what works acceptably and what does not work at all. You need to know exactly what you can get away with in your situation.

:front:

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

This is a most valid point, and it takes me back more years than I care to count. Any how, when I was much younger I had an old, single barrel percussion shotgun in a bore size that I couldn't find wads for--a 32 bore I think it was. An older gentleman, well versed in the care and feeding of muzzleloaders, suggested wasp's nest paper. The first wasp's nest I found was occupied and the second one looked old and abandoned, but in fact the little nippers were home and strongly averse to a kid ripping up their abode. There was a pond about 100 yards or so away, and I believe that I set a record getting to it and holding my breath. These guys were really ticked off. To this day, I have a profound respect for paper wasps and their property.
I found a punch that made a good tight fitting wad and used all sorts of material for wads. But no wasp's nests wads until several years later. They were worth the wait, though. So, Ghost, thanks for the memory.

 

[SCATTERSHOT]

Ghost makes a good point. Just about anything you can wad up and stuff down the bore will work, as long as it doesn't move. My granddad told of using newspaper in his shotguns when he was a boy. I imagine any kind of paper like that would work. Cedar bark rolled into a fibrous consistency might work, too. You could make balls of it held together with tallow, etc. and just ram 'em on top of the powder and shot.

Let us know what you come up with.

 

[Rebel]

You can make your own wads by getting a bore size piece of pipe and taking shredded newspaper and soaking it good and stuffing it in the tube until it is compacted good and tight. Let dry. push out with wooden dowel and cut to the length you want them to be.

 

[berickson]

ghost is pretty much right on re wads. i was more concerned with loads as wads can be done out of pretty much anything that doesn't burn (re forest/grass fires)and holds the powder & shot in the barrel.
i was pondering a wad of aluminum foil scrunched over powder then another scrunched over shot.
can't imagine anyone not having a knife or scissors.
so cut circles out of the box your computer came in (lube them with butter or crisco for over powder).bubble pack also makes good over powder wads. don't use the foam tho.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

My computer came in a box that had a plastic coating. You wouldn't want that inside your barrel. It's amazing how plastic has infiltrated our lives.

 

[Stumpkiller]

That's our Ghost: always the pragmatist. I used to occasionally use tow & paper wasp nesting when I fired shot loads in my Bess. Both work very well. Be sure to pack the over shot wadding tightly.

 

[musketman]

I used to occasionally use tow & paper wasp nesting when I fired shot loads in my Bess. Both work very well. Be sure to pack the over shot wadding tightly.

Stumpkiller stopped using wasp nest because once he forgot to make sure there were no wasp in it first, it's a long story with a painfull ending, but he got the point(s)...

 

I also shoot a .54 (28 ga) smoothbore, as well as a .62 (20 ga). All of the advice you are receiving is well and good and sounds like it is coming from experience. The only thing I can add for certain is that you need to be careful where you are shooting and keep a bucket of water handy if the grass is dry. Remember, those wads are coming out of the barrel at least smoldering if not in flames. Celotex board is easy to use and can be divided into any thickness you desire. It can be bought from a lumber yard real cheap if they have a damaged piece. Use a sharpened pipe of the proper diameter or a piece of an old barrel of the proper guage to punch uniform wads. It doesn't burn! :m2c:

 

[arcticap]

#5 shot? Gee whiz, back in the old days fella's probably went down to the nearest stream and dredged up some nice smooth gravel to use as shot! :kid:

 

[musketman]

#5 shot? Gee whiz, back in the old days fella's probably went down to the nearest stream and dredged up some nice smooth gravel to use as shot! :kid:

That is not really that far-fetched, one of the best things about smoothbores is that they can shoot many different types of projectiles...

Pebbles and small stones being a few of the many things that could be used...

 

[Old Dave]

let's go rite to the wads , 50 years ago I got a 14 ga gun . no wads were around so I was instruced verry carefully powder then 3 sheets toilet paper tamped till rod bounced shot on top of that then 1 sheet on top of that pressed fermly down . the paper is pretty well shredded upon firing ,but always be carefull of smoldering embers . I normaly had pretty good luck loading like this ,and good luck to you . no I'm not to good at typing .

 

[Runner]

Lead shot is much softer than steel and can't damage it unless you try to shoot a big solid piece thru a place too small for it. Then it bursts, but the lead still does not scratch it. Gravel is several times harder than steel and will damage your barrel if it comes in contact with it. Take the outside of your barrel and drag it across a gravel bar. That is a moderate version of what will happen inside if you attempt to shoot gravel out of it. In a worst case example, a piece would cut into the side of the barrel causing a blockage during the firing sequence with an exploded barrel as the result. If they are chasing you to scalp ya, or you are out of shot and starving to death, smooth gravel may be an option. Until then, leave it to the movies where it belongs.

 

[flintlockmdj]

Why didn't you buy something for wads when you bought the 25# bag of shot??