Black Powder Turkey
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I guess I'll be hunting with my rifle. I was hoping to find a good deal on a smoothbore before turkey season, but I haven't had any luck. I just can't bring myself to hunt with a modern gun. Am I crazy for wanting to hunt turkey with a rifle?
Probably use a White Tominator most of the time but also use a Cabela's double on occasion. Rifles are not allowed in Kansas for turkeys. I've had good luck in Texas using a .45 Ohio round ball rifle. Standard shotgun load is 90 grains of FFg and 1 1/4 ounces of plain #6 shot in either shotgun. The double has full and extra full chokes. The in-line has a .665 turkey choke and a low powered Bushnell scope. Muzzleloader turkey hunting is a rush and one of my favorite hunts.
Not at all, most squirrel rifles will knock the socks off a turkey, if you can head shoot a squirrel, then a turkey should be no problem...
Now all you need to do is find a turkey wearing socks...
:haha:
Wait, here's one...
At the risk of being tarred and feathered by long distance, I will state loud and clear that using a rifle for turkey is more sporting than using a scattergun. I call them into an easy range (30-40 yards) and anchor them with one prb, never a wounded bird, never a statement like "I rolled him, but he got away." People tell me that using a rifle is unsporting, and I say bunk. No logic there. I love my side-by sides, but their use is limited to targets on the wing or running like hell (rabbits). 
I agree with you...shotguns ("scatterguns") are basically for moving targets, usually "flying" targets, and to me Turkey hunting is similar to Deer hunting...should be able to use a rifle...but not here in North Carolina.
Since I mainly live for Deer hunting I save most of my spare vacation days for the fall, so I'll only be trying to find Turkeys on the next 4 Saturdays of our one month spring season...carrying a .62cal flint lock.
There's a flock at each of two farms that I Deer hunt, and I know the odds of finding / getting one to answer the call only on a few Saturday mornings are poor, but it'll be good reasons to get back in the woods...
Since I mainly live for Deer hunting I save most of my spare vacation days for the fall, so I'll only be trying to find Turkeys on the next 4 Saturdays of our one month spring season...carrying a .62cal flint lock.
There's a flock at each of two farms that I Deer hunt, and I know the odds of finding / getting one to answer the call only on a few Saturday mornings are poor, but it'll be good reasons to get back in the woods...
and bows for[url] spring....in[/url] the fall rifles are legal....is there a load i can do like a shotgun in my .50 T/C hawken?.................................bob
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IMO there is no good way to get a good shot pattern out of a rifled barrel. It takes a smooth bore gun to acomplish that.
Another thing about trying to use your .50 TC: If you found some way to get it to pattern and loaded it up the G&F Officer probably wouldn't believe it was loaded with shot so you would have to pull your load to prove him wrong.
To me, it just sounds like too much trouble AND it is a good enough reason to buy yourself a nice BP smoothbore. I'm sure your wife would understand.
Another thing about trying to use your .50 TC: If you found some way to get it to pattern and loaded it up the G&F Officer probably wouldn't believe it was loaded with shot so you would have to pull your load to prove him wrong.
To me, it just sounds like too much trouble AND it is a good enough reason to buy yourself a nice BP smoothbore. I'm sure your wife would understand.
Huntinfool
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Hey Zonie,
Not meanin' to contradict ya but a friend of mine just came back from Longhunter School at Ft. Pricket.
One of the neat tricks they learned was how to make paper shot cartridges so they could get fair patterns out of rifled guns!
He won 2nd place in the wing bone calling contest & won a scrimshawed wing bone call!
Anyhow I've got a half stock 12 bore flintlock I'll be tryin' to get my 1st one with BP!
And Eric/WV if I didn't have a 12 bore I'd certainly try to get one with my rifle. As a matter of fact I may try and take one with each gun!
Keep Yer Powder Dry Fellers,
"The Chuckster" ::
Not meanin' to contradict ya but a friend of mine just came back from Longhunter School at Ft. Pricket.
One of the neat tricks they learned was how to make paper shot cartridges so they could get fair patterns out of rifled guns!
He won 2nd place in the wing bone calling contest & won a scrimshawed wing bone call!
Anyhow I've got a half stock 12 bore flintlock I'll be tryin' to get my 1st one with BP!
And Eric/WV if I didn't have a 12 bore I'd certainly try to get one with my rifle. As a matter of fact I may try and take one with each gun!
Keep Yer Powder Dry Fellers,
"The Chuckster" ::
Huntinfool: You can contradict me any time you want to. That way a lot of information can be placed on the table for others to review and think about.
I still think the G&F Officer will be curious about all of those rifleing grooves that are running down the bore of a TC gun out there in the Shotgun only Units.
I'm also not sure I would want to rely on a shot loaded rifle to take the one Turkey I might see 35 yards away from me during a hunt.
I still think the G&F Officer will be curious about all of those rifleing grooves that are running down the bore of a TC gun out there in the Shotgun only Units.
I'm also not sure I would want to rely on a shot loaded rifle to take the one Turkey I might see 35 yards away from me during a hunt.
Huntinfool
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My thoughts exactly Zonie but my friend assured me it would kill em out to 25 yards real well so he knows he's limited.
And so far Thank God we are allowed to use rifles in WV so the G&F guy can snurl his nose up all he wants to. LOL!
I'll stick with my 12 bore flintlock it's got a full choke . The guy I bought it off of didn't know what it was he had never shot it.
I just went and checked it with calipers, duh. It's .710 I guess that can be considered full.
My Browning Gold Hunter's full tube is .710 also!
Keep Yer Powder Dry Fellers,
"The Chuckster" ::
I forgot I had the calipers.LOL!
And so far Thank God we are allowed to use rifles in WV so the G&F guy can snurl his nose up all he wants to. LOL!
I'll stick with my 12 bore flintlock it's got a full choke . The guy I bought it off of didn't know what it was he had never shot it.
I just went and checked it with calipers, duh. It's .710 I guess that can be considered full.
My Browning Gold Hunter's full tube is .710 also!
Keep Yer Powder Dry Fellers,
"The Chuckster" ::
I forgot I had the calipers.LOL!
Guest
.710 from a .729" twelve bore is a modified choke. A full choke is actually .690" as the normal full choke is 40 'points' or thousanths of choke. OK- they're out 1 thou., it should be .689".
: With all the back boring these days on modern shotguns, .710 could be considered full, I guess. Of that I'm not certain, but of the 40 points of choke for full, I am. I had a double once that had .702" bores, considered improved modified, due to it's .027" choke.
Daryl
: With all the back boring these days on modern shotguns, .710 could be considered full, I guess. Of that I'm not certain, but of the 40 points of choke for full, I am. I had a double once that had .702" bores, considered improved modified, due to it's .027" choke.
Daryl
Huntinfool
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I once checked a Rem., a Browning, and a Ruger Red label each full tube measured a little different.
I'm sure the back boring had something to do with that. If I remember correctly the Browning had the most open of all the full chokes and it's back bored.
Thanks for the info Daryl at first I had it pegged as an improved mod. but after I checked it against my Browning I deleted that post.
Sounds about right, a tight Modified would suit me just fine I really prefer cylinder bore! But the price was right and I couldn't pass this gun up!
The main thing is it'll put 8 or 10 shot in the turkey kill zone at 35 yards.
Keep Yer Powder Dry Fellers,
"The Chuckster" ::
I'm sure the back boring had something to do with that. If I remember correctly the Browning had the most open of all the full chokes and it's back bored.
Thanks for the info Daryl at first I had it pegged as an improved mod. but after I checked it against my Browning I deleted that post.
Sounds about right, a tight Modified would suit me just fine I really prefer cylinder bore! But the price was right and I couldn't pass this gun up!
The main thing is it'll put 8 or 10 shot in the turkey kill zone at 35 yards.
Keep Yer Powder Dry Fellers,
"The Chuckster" ::
Guest
If you want to shoot a ball in it, it'll have to be smaller than the tightest part of the choke, of course. I've done a lot of boring-out of chokes, using brake-cylinder hones, to improve pattterns in 12's and my double 10bore.(modern)
: This is an option for you if you want a more open choke.
Daryl
: This is an option for you if you want a more open choke.
Daryl
Huntinfool
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I'll keep that in mind I thought about honin' it down some! Just so it would handle a ball to have another flintlock for a loaner to friends and family for deer season. Got to shoot a single ball for deer in WV.
It's a halfstock gun that kind of resembles the first gun that Remington made it's on one of their Emblems. I'll soon have some pics.
It's custom job made by a fellow West Virginian can't remember his name right now. The gun is not really all that period correct for my time period. (Rev War).
Keep Yer Powder Dry Fellers,
"The Chuckster" ::
PS No brass on mine it's all iron furniture browned.
It's a halfstock gun that kind of resembles the first gun that Remington made it's on one of their Emblems. I'll soon have some pics.
It's custom job made by a fellow West Virginian can't remember his name right now. The gun is not really all that period correct for my time period. (Rev War).
Keep Yer Powder Dry Fellers,
"The Chuckster" ::
PS No brass on mine it's all iron furniture browned.
The brass problem is easy to avoid. Just slip a nice green or black sock over the stock, covering the brass. On the fore end, a little black electrical tape will do the trick or some camo paint that you use on your face. Both are easy to remove after season.
If my .62 caliber smoothbore makes it back in time and I think it will, I am going to use that. Since rifles are illegal in Wisconsin but if the smoothbore is still in the shop, I have no other choice but my :redface: modern double barrel Stevens 12 gauge :redface:.
We are lucky here, turkeys are not that hard to find in Wisconsin. The southern end of the State is loaded with them. I have a couple farms so I can hunt a few of places. :: In fact last week looking out the back window of the house there was a nice gobbler and four hens with in 40 yards of my patio door... ::
If my .62 caliber smoothbore makes it back in time and I think it will, I am going to use that. Since rifles are illegal in Wisconsin but if the smoothbore is still in the shop, I have no other choice but my :redface: modern double barrel Stevens 12 gauge :redface:.
We are lucky here, turkeys are not that hard to find in Wisconsin. The southern end of the State is loaded with them. I have a couple farms so I can hunt a few of places. :: In fact last week looking out the back window of the house there was a nice gobbler and four hens with in 40 yards of my patio door... ::
Huntinfool
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Some peoples got all the luck!
Keep Her Dry Fellers,
"The Chuckster" ::
Keep Her Dry Fellers,
"The Chuckster" ::
