another buckshot questionI

[b f b]

I have a 12 gauge fowler.I have shot .735 prb and #4 birdshot out to 50 yards with good results."from reading and learning from this forum thank you very much"anyway I would like to know what powder wad shot combo I should use for best results out to 25 yards would be with buckshot.

 

[BrownBear]

Are you sure that's a 12 gauge? I shoot .735 balls out of my Bess (11 gauge).

In either case, in the 11 rather than the 12, almost any wad/powder combo gives decent patterns. It's only when you move beyond 25 that any serious load adjustment would be required for good patterns in my experience. I'm using a lubed fiber wad over 80 grains of 2f powder and a conventional nicked overshot card, BTW.

 

[paulvallandigham]

To get the tightest patterns with Buck shot, or even large size birdshot( #4, #3, #2, #1)A cylinder bore gun will produce tighter groups if you use a fine filler, like Jiffy Brand Corn Meal Mix( less than 50 cents a box at your grocery store.) You load the powder charge, then put in whatever OP wads you intend to use, then the about half the amount of corn meal Mix, then the shot, bounce the barrel up and down to settle the buckshot into the mix, and then pour the rest of the mix down the barrel, and bounce or shake the barrel up and down a bit to settle the rest of the filler in and around the pellets. Then top off with an Over shot card or two.

( Obviously, you will need to determine how much filler is needed for any given load of buckshot, as the amount of filler depends on the size, number of pellets, and the total weigh or pellet count of the load. I have some glass vials from some cigars I bought years ago, that I use to replicate, within reason, the cubic dimensions of a shotgun barrel or cartridge, to figure out how much filler is needed in a given load. )

You can also put the pellets in a Paper cartridge you make by taking strips of newspaper, turn them around a stick( mandrill) that easily fits down the muzzle, but not too loose, twisting one end of the paper to form the base of the "cartridge". Then put the shot and filler in the cartridge, and twist the top to seal the package. You can then run the whole package of shot down the barrel and the need for an Over shot card disappears. The paper will protect the bore of your gun from leading streaks, caused by the pellets rubbing against the bore when the load is fired. The fine filler will keep the balls from distorting, so that they fly together Longer, making for smaller patterns at ranges out to 30 yds, and sometimes further. The balls are heavy enough to break out of the paper package, without you tearing off the top of the " cartridge" as you load it down the barrel.

You will have to experiment a bit with these shot packages, determining how many times you wrap paper around the mandrill to make a solid tube that will stand up to the shot. 3X around worked for my 12 gauge, but it might only need 2x on your gun. It often depends on what kind of paper you use, and how thick or strong it is. Newsprint is a commonly available source of paper, of a known thickness and strength. Because its available so cheaply, I recommend its use! :surrender:

Some shooters report good result by pushing the package of shot into the muzzle, and then tearing the top of the paper off, and using an OS card or two to hold the entire load in the barrel. All you can do is try it both ways and see what kind of results you get with YOUR GUN.

With buckshot, You don't need heavy powder charges. Stick with loads of 3 drams( 83 grains by weight) or less. I find using 2 3/4 drams( 76 grains) produces fine patterns out of my gun. The heavy buckshot is going to penetrate further on any game at ranges out to 40 yds. By 50 yds, they may still hit the target, but they have lost a lot of their velocity, and " punch". Oh, I won't volunteer to let you shoot at me at that distance with a buckshot load, but hitting, and killing deer at that kind of range with buckshot are two different matters. Most hunters who use buckshot on deer find they are shooting small deer at less than 25 yds., classically running shots, through brushy bottoms.

I am hoping that you are planning a Coyote hunt with these loads, as they make very good medicine on Coyotes, provided you can get close enough- either by calling them, or ambushing them.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Britsmoothy]

That gun sounds close to being an 11g. Thats good for buck shotIMO.


Consider a tri-ball load say three times .57 balls in a paper cartridge like Paul mentions with a packer to fill the voids some. I have used tea before now! Or send them down loose but still use the packer and an over shot.

Brits.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Do you Brits ever do anything without tea? :haha:

 

[Britsmoothy]

yeah sure,,,,, but this is a family sort of forum :hatsoff:

Brits :haha:

 

[b f b]

Thanks for the advice.patterned good at the range.hope to get a small pig this weekend. :thumbsup:

 

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Thanks Paul for the filler mix Idea. COW was my prime FILLER. Will have to give the finer box stuff a go next time up.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I have used COW as a filler in lieu of an OP wad in my guns for years with success. Its a bit too coarse, IMHO, to be used as a "Buffer" or filler in your shot load. The Jiffy Brand Corn Mean Mix uses a finely ground corn meal flour, and its darn near perfect as a buffer or filler.

My only concern is the fine flour absorbing moisture under damp hunting conditions. There are other solutions to that problem, however.

 

[varsity07840]

Thanks for the advice.patterned good at the range.hope to get a small pig this weekend. :thumbsup:

Let him get real close. Buckshot at black powder velocity doesn't have much energy. You might be better off with a single patched ball for pigs.
Just my humble opinion.

Duane

 

[wittzo]

Traditionally, you load equal amounts of shot and powder. If you use less powder than shot, you get a tighter pattern, if you use more powder than shot, you get a larger pattern.

I learned a lot from your post, Mr. Vanlandigham, I already hit my tobacco store for rolling papers to make paper cartridges that I like better than the newspaper cartridges, but now I have another use for that pad of newsprint I bought. I hit him up for cigar boxes to use as loading blocks/cartridge boxes for the paper cartridges, now I can see if he's got some glass or clear plastic cigar tubes to use as measures for loading my smoothbores with shot. I have a very small plastic testtube style powder measure Pyrodex sold/gave away, it tops out at 100 grains, but it's only large enough for BB's or #4 buck at the most. If I get a plastic cigar holder, I can use a Sharpie to mark off favorite loads or use them as cartouches in a 12 gauge ammo bandoleer.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Congratulations. And thank you for the comment. MY reason for writing these things, is to help new shooters MISS Out on the opportunity find all this stuff out by TRIAL and ERROR, at great expense in time and money- the way I did. I did get advice from a friend about steel shot, but he was a modern shotgun Champion shooters, and had no interest in, or much knowledge about the problems of shooting a MLing shotgun. Those things I had to work out myself, with only an occasional comment from someone in my BP club to help me head in the right direction. My club was mostly rifle, and an occasional pistol match club. We didn't start providing facilities for shotgun shooters until after I got my ML shotgun. So, I just didn't have anyone local to ask. And the internet was not available.

Trust me, there are enough " mistakes " out there for you to make on your own, that this sport will still be "educational" for you on your own. :hatsoff:

 

[roundball]

You might be better off with a single patched ball for pigs.

Amen, won't go far with a ball in the ear

 

[wittzo]

If you never make mistakes, you won't know how to fix a problem when you do.

 

[b f b]

Took your advice and went prb instead of buckshot.I missed but I would rather a clean miss than a wound,even though these are really small pigs reading your comments made me change my mind about useing buckshot on pigs because even small ones are tough.anyway I'd rather miss with a flintlock than bag a dozen with a modern gun.Thanks again. :hatsoff:

 

[varsity07840]

Took your advice and went prb instead of buckshot.I missed but I would rather a clean miss than a wound,even though these are really small pigs reading your comments made me change my mind about useing buckshot on pigs because even small ones are tough.anyway I'd rather miss with a flintlock than bag a dozen with a modern gun.Thanks again. :hatsoff:

I like your style. Good luck the next time out.

Duane