Advantages/Disadvantages of 3f with Shot???

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MTplainsman

MTplainsman

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Hi folks... I am still fairly fresh to the Smoothbore game (couple years now) and am exploring advice as much as possible to help in my journey. I played around with a 20 ga French Trade gun about 20 some odd years ago, but was pretty seasoned with a 50 cal Flinter though. I am currently shooting a .560 Early Trade Gun and am trying to work up loads for various critters. I will have a new 20 ga Early Trade Gun coming soon as well...

This question is about "shot" for both the fur and feathered kind. I am swimming in 3f and not a single can of 2f right now. I have a large stock of #5 shot to play around with. So my question as in the title: What are the Advantages/Disadvantages of 3f with Shot? Is 2f the general rule with shot? Do any of you use 3f for primary shot loads out of your smoothbores? Can you use less 3f in place of 2f for pushing shot? Very eager to here from you "experienced" Smoothbore shooters about this subject, and certainly do appreciate your wisdom. Joel
 
3F is fine, use a little less than your favorite load of 2F and it will do the same thing. The pressure will be little higher even with reduced charge to get velocity equal to 2F but the pressure also drops faster which may make the report slightly more quiet. I shoot 3F and 2F both in my 20 gauge and 24 gauge.
 
Disadvantage - A faster combustion ‘start’, versus 2Fg powdah … can adversely impact patterns.

Also, where a thick fiber compression wad is used, it can cause the pellets to adhere a bit into the face of the wad, which then being heavier, will blow through the pattern. The cure of course, is to put a thin cardboard card above the fiber wad.
 
I have shot about everything in my trade gun and fowler, my .62 trade gun shoots equally bad patterns with everything I put in it except for the Skychief load.

My 12 ga fowler shoots noticeably better patterns with 1F opposed to 2F or 3F, I suspect it is the milder push the 1F produces to get things going, I use 100 gr of powder and 1 1/2 oz of #6 shot for my turkey load.
 
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3f tended to blow a hole in the center of my patterns in my cylinder bored guns. Didn't make any difference in my jug choked guns.
Larger shot shoots better patterns than small.
What it really comes down to is shooting a lot of loads on the pattern board. Only way to know, all of these guns have their own preference.
 
MTplainsman said:
Hi folks... I am still fairly fresh to the Smoothbore game (couple years now) and am exploring advice as much as possible to help in my journey. I played around with a 20 ga French Trade gun about 20 some odd years ago, but was pretty seasoned with a 50 cal Flinter though. I am currently shooting a .560 Early Trade Gun and am trying to work up loads for various critters. I will have a new 20 ga Early Trade Gun coming soon as well...

This question is about "shot" for both the fur and feathered kind. I am swimming in 3f and not a single can of 2f right now. I have a large stock of #5 shot to play around with. So my question as in the title: What are the Advantages/Disadvantages of 3f with Shot? Is 2f the general rule with shot? Do any of you use 3f for primary shot loads out of your smoothbores? Can you use less 3f in place of 2f for pushing shot? Very eager to here from you "experienced" Smoothbore shooters about this subject, and certainly do appreciate your wisdom. Joel
Click to expand...
The advantage that comes to mind is YOU GOT EM ,3F works for barrel/pan and whatever else you got!/Ed
 
Loyalist Dave said:
ODD that with your wealth of knowledge we don't see may posts from you taking critters with shot....:rolleyes:

LD
Click to expand...
I need my hips and knees replaced since I can't walk far anymore, especially in tall grass. I have the dog and gear and used to bird hunt quite a bit up until 5 years ago or so.
And, unlike most people, I don't tend to record every moment of my life with photos.
I tied a national record in the flintlock feather duster at friendship in 1986 and am an avid skeet shooter with flintlocks. I have never shot a pheasant that I didn't use black powder. Doves too.
Not that anybody really cares except for you.
 
I load according to an old gun book I had. A shorter barrel, NO MATTER THE BORE SIZE, gets 4 or 3 f. A long barrel, gets 2f , NO MATTER THE BORE SIZE. Seems to work for me, the book was written in 1870, so I think the author would know.
 
MTplainsman said:
Hi folks... I am still fairly fresh to the Smoothbore game (couple years now) and am exploring advice as much as possible to help in my journey. I played around with a 20 ga French Trade gun about 20 some odd years ago, but was pretty seasoned with a 50 cal Flinter though. I am currently shooting a .560 Early Trade Gun and am trying to work up loads for various critters. I will have a new 20 ga Early Trade Gun coming soon as well...

This question is about "shot" for both the fur and feathered kind. I am swimming in 3f and not a single can of 2f right now. I have a large stock of #5 shot to play around with. So my question as in the title: What are the Advantages/Disadvantages of 3f with Shot? Is 2f the general rule with shot? Do any of you use 3f for primary shot loads out of your smoothbores? Can you use less 3f in place of 2f for pushing shot? Very eager to here from you "experienced" Smoothbore shooters about this subject, and certainly do appreciate your wisdom. Joel
Click to expand...
Most of my squirrel hunting, all my turkey hunting, and a little of my pheasant hunting is done with a 20 gauge flintlock smoothbore. I mostly use 3f. I do use a reduced load compared to 2f. When I have tried to use equal loads of 3f as my 2f load, patterns were not as good. With 3f I can use less powder for the same result and have less crusty fouling to fight when I reload. I barely notice a difference in fouling (by feel while loading) after the second shot with 3f. With 2f loading shots 3, 4, maybe 5 if it's a good day, starts to get crusty and difficult.

While I understand where Mr. Brooke's is coming from and I have great respect for him on many subjects regarding muzzleloaders,,,, it is hard for me to argue with the results Britsmoothy gets. Very few, if any, people here post as much about actual practical experiences taking animals, both game and pests, with a smoothbore muzzleloader as Britsmoothy.
 

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