54cal smoothbore

[62flint]

I am thinking of getting a new smoothbore. Wondering what yall thought of a 28 ga.I mostly will be shooting squirrels and turkeys with it. Would I be better off with a larger bore shooting shot?
Thanks

 

[Slowpoke]

A little light for turkeys, but idea for small game and target work. Don't get me wrong, plenty of turkey meet their demise with a 28 guage, but it's just not ideal.

SP

 

[BrownBear]

I shoot a 54 ML rifle, several 28 gauge cartridge guns, and have years of experience with a 12 gauge ML double. In fact I've whapped a turkey and a couple of Canadas with my Ruger O/U 28.

Add it all up, and you have a little experience and a lot of opinion. The biggest issue using a 54 smoothie for turkey or squirrels would be range limits without "chokes." The shot charge is small enough that spreading a pattern with range thins it quickly. Your range limit for small targets will appear in a hurry if you don't do something to tighten the pattern.

I shot the turkey from about 20 yards with 3/4 ounces of #6's from a full choke while solo hunting for pheasants. As far as I could discover, it only managed three hits in the head and upper neck. Pretty thin for my tastes. The geese were shot at 15 and 20 yards with modified, then full choke loads of #6 bismuth, centering the pattern under the wing and onto the neck of each. I'm proud of a goose double with a 28, but probably wouldn't try it again unless I was again close enough. I was chasing woodies in some pretty tight cover and jumped the geese out of a small pond.

I would expect similar range restrictions on small targets like squirrels, stretching it to about 35 yards with 7 1/2's with a full choke, but much less than that with a "cylinder" choke. I base that on shooting a whole truck load of rabbits and upland birds with the 28. With "skeet" chokes installed, I'm good for about 25 yards with smaller shot to fill the pattern. You might get away with that range for squirrels, but I sure wouldn't shoot that far for turkey.

As for shooting PRB with a 54 smoothie, now you have my undivided attention. I'm very pleased with the performance of PRB on deer and see no tradeoff between rifled and smooth within the accuracy limits of each. You'll have a dead deer with either when you land the ball where it belongs. I haven't heard much about PRB accuracy with reduced loads, but my 54 rifle with 30 grains of FFF is a death ray on snowshoe hares as far away as my eyes can see detail for headhots.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Actually, most early Trade Guns and fusils, especially the French & English "trade guns" were more typically made in 24 and 28 bore, that's .58 & .54 bore diameters. The modern use of 20 bore, or .62 caliber, is not technically in agreement with the surviving originals. Just a small point, granted, but the smoothbore shooters and hunters seem to have done well with the smaller bored guns. :imo:

 

[tg]

Hey Wes...this is no place to bring up something like historical facts and the realities of how things were done in the past...(VBG)

 

Acutally, I have heard of guys loading 28's like a 20 (70gr 3Fg and 7/8ths ounce of #6) for turkeys, the theory being that it gives a longer shot column. To hear them tell it, it gives great results.

Stumblin

:results:

 

[BrownBear]

I don't doubt it. Winchester loads a 1 oz 28 gauge shell. I've used it with good results out of more open chokes, poor performance through full chokes, I suspect due to more shot deformation in the tighter choke. If there's any parallel at all, a heavier shot charge might be okay in a smoothie with no choke. I'd sure spend a lot of time at the pattern board learning your limits though, before taking on a small target like a turkey head and neck. Of course, at ranges under 30 yards there's probably no energy penalty for using smaller shot. A switch down to #7 or even #7 1/2 shot might be a good tradeoff for pattern density. Again, back to the pattern board to find out.

 

[berickson]

i have a 54/28 tradegun and i was having trouble getting a usable pattern until i tried 1 1/8 pwdr/shot combo. that's a 16 gauge- roughly. i think mine needed a LOOONG shot column. i would go after turkeys with it if i kept it down to 20-30 yards, but only on a shot of opportunity. don't know much about turkey hunting but all i know is they are big so you need penetration. if i was after turkeys on a draw i'd use my 12 ga double flinter.

 

[roundball]

i have a 54/28 tradegun and i was having trouble getting a usable pattern until i tried 1 1/8 pwdr/shot combo. that's a 16 gauge- roughly. i think mine needed a LOOONG shot column. i would go after turkeys with it if i kept it down to 20-30 yards, but only on a shot of opportunity. don't know much about turkey hunting but all i know is they are big so you need penetration. if i was after turkeys on a draw i'd use my 12 ga double flinter.

Actually you hunt turkey's differently from other feathered birds...their body size is not an issue as the shot wouldn't penetrate the heavy layers of feathers anyway...the head & neck is the target...need a tight pattern to put several pellets into the skinny neck at distance to hit the vertebrae and kill it

 

[eat moose meat]

I use 70 grs.of 2f and an equal measure of number 6 shot in my tulle last grouse season it would roll em right into a pile. Got 22 of em last year not one of em was flying plus a snowshoe hare (target of opportunity.)Im a big fan of .54 smoothies. Some shots were as long as 30 yds. The pattern held just as well as a modern gun as far as I could tell.

 

[fvigo]

I would like to go turkey hunting this spring. I have a Lyman GPR for which I can get a 54 cal smoothbore for. From what I was told, it seems like 28 gage is too small. If I understand correclty from this thread, it seems some are using just that for turkey. Can anyone advise on this? Thanks

 

[longfowler]

I shot a turkey last spring with my 12ga flint musket...but only after many hours at the patterning board!!! and I limited my self to 25 yd shots because of the lack of choke.I used 70 gr of 1f under 90 grains of #6 shot. It killed him real good, but going with a smaller gauge would make me limit myself to very close shots - with the hottest load I could stuff down the barrel!

 

[CoyoteJoe]

w[i as quote]

i have a 54/28 tradegun and i was having trouble getting a usable pattern until i tried 1 1/8 pwdr/shot combo. that's a 16 gauge- roughly. i think mneeded a LOOONG shot column. i would go after turkeys with it if i kept it down to 20-30 yards, but only on a shot of opportunity. don't know much about turkey hunting but all i know is they are big so you need penetration. if after turkeys on a draw i'd use my 12 ga double flinterine .

Actually you hunt turkey's differently from other feathered birds...their body size is not an issue as the shot wouldn't penetrate the heavy layers of feathers anyway...the head & neck is the target...need a tight pattern to put several pellets into the skinny neck at distance to hit the vertebrae and kill it [/quote]
I'd prefer a rifle myself, but don't some folks load BB or #4 buck and take body shots?

 

[roundball]

w[i as quote]

i have a 54/28 tradegun and i was having trouble getting a usable pattern until i tried 1 1/8 pwdr/shot combo. that's a 16 gauge- roughly. i think mneeded a LOOONG shot column. i would go after turkeys with it if i kept it down to 20-30 yards, but only on a shot of opportunity. don't know much about turkey hunting but all i know is they are big so you need penetration. if after turkeys on a draw i'd use my 12 ga double flinterine .

Actually you hunt turkey's differently from other feathered birds...their body size is not an issue as the shot wouldn't penetrate the heavy layers of feathers anyway...the head & neck is the target...need a tight pattern to put several pellets into the skinny neck at distance to hit the vertebrae and kill it

I'd prefer a rifle myself, but don't some folks load BB or #4 buck and take body shots? [/quote]

Good question...I guess some states do allow rifles...think most states require shotguns...don't know if a shot size maximum exists or not here in North Carolina, so I'll check...I always just used #4x6 or #6 cause that's what always semed to be used / recommended around here...thanks