Brown Bess Progress Report

[shaman]

I had my Pedersoli Brown Bess out this morning. I was testing roundball loads using the SkyChief Method only substituting a ball for shot.

I had a hurried time of it last year and did manage to get a few balls down the barrel before KY's Early Muzzleloader Season. I simply duplicated the historical paper cartridge load with .69 cal balls. That was all I could manage with Chemo taking a big chuck out of last year's range time. This spring, I was more worried about getting ready for Turkey Season. Sadly, the birds did not cooperate. Now here it is, Memorial Day Weekend, and I'm finally getting back out to test round ball loads.

I have .715 ball cast from a mold I purchased from BallMoulds.com. A buddy of mine went to Friendship last summer and snagged me some .735 balls as well. This is for deer hunting, so I'm throwing History out the window for the time being. I just want an accurate load that will put the animal down.

.735 loading the SkyChief way definately gave me spot on accuracy. I'm going to order a mold from BallMoulds.com this week. I still don't understand why SkyChief works so well. Having that big oil-laden wad in front of the ball is pretty counterintuitive. It does work.

 

[Britsmoothy]

My take on the heavy dripping wet up front wad is simple.
It has some momentum, certainly more than anything light.
So, in effect, it does not deaccellerate as quickly and have what ever is behind it run into it which in turn gets upset.

 

[skwerleater]

Shaman,
Please share your load, loading sequence, and accuracy/ range. Thanks
Skwerl

 

[shaman]

Shaman,
Please share your load, loading sequence, and accuracy/ range. Thanks
Skwerl

The money load was 80 grains of Swiss 3F. I topped this with an overpowder wad. Next came the .735 ball and then an overshot card and then an 11 GA fiber wad soaked in olive oil. Reference the SkyChief sticky for detail. I followed his recipe. I swabbed the bore with tow and bore butter before firing the first round and then swabbed it again between shots.

I'm shooting at just under 40 yards and this load was grouping a cloverleaf right at the bull. All the others were 4-6 inch groups. The .69 ball loads in the paper cartridge was okay; it shot minute-of-pie-plate, but I felt I could get better.

I don't know if this is going to be my hunting load yet, but it certainly establishes that the 'Bess is capable of that kind of accuracy.

I will be honest. I'm still not fully used to the monstrous trigger and I'm a little edgy still with all the fire and brimstone that erupts just to the right of my eye. Over the course of the session, I settled in quite a bit and by the time I was done shooting, my flinch was much better than it was. That may have something to do with the good group with the .735 ball. I shot those last. However, it convinced me enough to order the new mould as soon as I got in from shooting.

 

[shaman]

My take on the heavy dripping wet up front wad is simple.
It has some momentum, certainly more than anything light.
So, in effect, it does not deaccellerate as quickly and have what ever is behind it run into it which in turn gets upset.

Earilier this year, I was using the SkyChief method for my turkey load. Several times the wad made it all the way to the target and pierced the backing corrugated cardboard. I'm sure, if I'd hit the turkey with the wad, he'd have been a goner. I've had Federal Flite-Control wads stick in a turkey out of my 12 GA Mossy.

 

[skwerleater]

Thanks. I want to work up a load with a Bess.

 

[Ballshooter]

I shot my kibler 58 smoothbore that way and it was accurate. I also used corn meal..load sequence was powder ,corn meal, shot card ,ball , shot card and felt wad on top.