Barrel bending success

[okawbow]

My 12 gauge flintlock has always shot low at 30 yards. The top edge of the pattern barely touched the aiming point. I decided to do something about that; and made some blocks and bent the barrel back to straight.

I supported the 30" barrel near the muzzle, and about 10" up from the breech. I used another block on top of the barrel and a large C clamp to pull the barrel down toward my bench. I had to spring the barrel down almost 1/2" in order to bend it about 1/16".

The first try worked perfectly for me. My pattern is now centered at 30 yards. I found a good turkey load, using 70 grains 2f, 2 over powder card wads, an 80 grain measure of #6 shot, and another 1/8" overpowder wad on top of that. The 1/8" wad over the shot is new for me. It seems to give me very evenly spaced shot patterns. Even at 35 yards, I was getting many hits in the head and neck of the target, and the pattern was centered on the aiming point.

 

[Skychief]

I found a good turkey load, using 70 grains 2f, 2 over powder card wads, an 80 grain measure of #6 shot, and another 1/8" overpowder wad on top of that. The 1/8" wad over the shot is new for me. It seems to give me very evenly spaced shot patterns.

Eureka!!! :thumbsup:

This over powder card on top of the shot business might get legs if more guys try it! :hmm:

Congrats on a nice pattern and getting her to shoot where you're looking!

Good luck hunting, Skychief.

 

[jamesthomas]

I would think No. 6 shot a little to light for turkeys, I would go to No. 5s or 4s myself. JMHO.

 

[azmntman]

I prefer 5 but as I have a huge jar of 6 I have killed the last 3 with 6's and they went down just as hard.

 

[Eterry]

Many years ago I bought a few boxes of nitro magnum 2 3/4 No.6, and killed many many turkeys with it. It was my go/to load for a long time. I aimed in the middle of the neck, bang, flop.
Eterry

 

[cowboysteve]

Excellent! We discussed this method of bending the barrel on my Trade Gun last month, but I've been buried at work and haven't had a chance to bend mine. Good to hear about 1/16" raised your POI. Thanks for giving me a dose of courage to forge ahead on mine.

 

[Eterry]

You know, I was gonna reply to the op, but got side tracked. That's real good info to have, my dad has a scatter gun that has always hit low left, I guess I have no excuse to fix it...thanks for the info.
Eterry

 

[okawbow]

My barrel looked like it was bent downward in the last 20", before bending. I laid a straight edge along the top, and measured the gap at the widest spot. As I said in the first post; I had to spring the barrel well past 1/16" to get that much permanent bend.

I would recommend using shims under the barrel at the bending point, to avoid over bending the barrel. The shims could be removed a little at a time, until the barrel is bent. 1/16" moved the center of my pattern by about 1 foot at 30
yards.

I've never used shot larger than #6 for turkeys. The last 2 were killed at over 30 yards, with this same flintlock. Both went down hard. Smaller shot, means more chances for hits in the same weight load. As long as the shot will penetrate well at muzzleloader ranges; the smaller the better. I would use 7 1/2 shot for wide open bores at 20 yards or less. The only good target for a turkey is the head and neck.

 

[stantdm]

Thanks for posting you load data. I am going to use my smoothbore for Turkey this year and will try that data to see if it patterns well in my trade gun.

I have used 4,5 and 6 over the years. 6 seems to be as good as 5's except at distances one should probably not be shooting Turkeys at. My limit with the flintlock is about 30 yards given what my patterns have been like. 6's work well at that distance. Plenty of penetration and the additional amount of shot pellets can be important.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Well done indeed :hatsoff:

 

[Treestalker]

Okawbow, the 1/8th card wad formation in the load you mentioned was the favorite of the late V.M. Starr, and I can attest to its effectiveness in a Traditions Fowler, and congratulate you on your success! :thumbsup: :hatsoff: George.

 

[okawbow]

My former load was, 2f powder, 1 - 1/8" over powder wad, 2 - 1/8" felt wads, #6 shot, and a thin over shot wad. I killed turkeys ok with that load, but the patterns were not as even as I got using all 1/8" hard card wads. I grease the wads with bore butter, and the fouling gets wiped off every shot, when the wads go down the barrel. I do have to nick the edge of the over shot wad to let the air out as it is pushed down.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I supported the 30" barrel near the muzzle, and about 10" up from the breech. I used another block on top of the barrel and a large C clamp to pull the barrel down toward my bench. I had to spring the barrel down almost 1/2" in order to bend it about 1/16".

Thanks for sharing your technique, AND the tip on the shims...the whack the muzzle on the bench with a terrycloth towel as an impact pad method I was seriously not going to try....this should work for my buddy's barrel...Never thought to slap a straight edge or a square onto it to see if it was already out of alignment...

LD