Colerain "turkey choke" and load development?

[The Appalachian]

62 cal smoothbore build coming up. Got the barrel from Log Cabin because it was at the time the only one I could find for immediate shipping. Wanted to get my parts in a pile and begin the mental part of this build for this winter. That's how I build, get it all thunk out in my head then just dive into it and make stuff work.
Never had a turkey choked muzzleloader though. I haven't measured anything yet but I think it's a safe bet the choke is a lot tighter than most run of the mill smoothbores.
I have a pretty good handle on loading one and at least getting sufficient results. But I'm wondering where to go with this on shot, cards, and wads being such a tight choke.
Obviously this will be a purpose built turkey gun, and i won't fool with RB just yet or anything else until later on. I'll get a good turkey load first.

Where would you start?

 

[rich pierce]

Following. I’ve got one of these barrels for next spring’s turkey season.

 

[The Appalachian]

Well @rich pierce, guess we'll just have to hang tight and figure this out together. Looks like nobody else here had fooled with 'em. My build will be just in time for spring turkey as well.

 

[smo]

I know a couple guys that own Colerain Turkey choke barrels…. They are killers!

 

[Eric Krewson]

You can't shoot a round ball out of a Colerain turkey choke barrel.

from the Colerain web site;

Turkey Choke Barrels

For many years now we have been producing turkey choke gun barrels. These barrels are for shot only due the tight restriction at the muzzle.

 

[user 48702]

Still tinkering with mine. I'm not a turkey hunter, but plan on using mine for small game. I found that it definitely throws a tight pattern with a wad(s), plus it is a real b@ich to load wads past the choke, even when flexing or cupping the wad. You have to have a jag or tip on your ramrod that is just under the diameter of the choke bore in order to straighten out the over shot card or the ramrod will bypass it. I have been testing both cornmeal as well as wasp nest. Wasp nest is the fastest load and produces a more open pattern, more like a modified choke, which will work fine for me on intended game such as squirrels and rabbits. With the wasp nest, I'm just using a 3/8" hickory ram rod with no tip and it works fine. I've also been testing some of the biodegradable packing peanuts, which are 5/8" to 3/4" in diameter. They seem to pack as well as wasp nest and have about the same density and shot pattern. Break one packing peanut in half and you have your over powder and over shot wadding. More testing to come before hunting season starts.

Here is a photo @ 20 yds, 65 grains of 3f, and a 1 oz load of #5 shot, using a single 10 ounce leather wad for over powder and a shot card over shot. You can see that the wad blew a hole in the pattern and the wad hit the upper right corner of the target.

The can was shot at 15 yds and you can see where the single 10 ounce leather wad blew a hole through the center of the pattern. The wad pretty much collapsed the can. (The dozen or so larger rusty holes at the lower right of the can are from the kids and a pellet gun).

 

[The Appalachian]

@Gunny5821, good info, thank you.

 

[smo]

I hope you don’t mind a little lead in your squirrels….

Impressive pattern…
The Guys I know say they rolled turkeys at 35-40 yards..

 

[user 48702]

I hope you don’t mind a little lead in your squirrels….

Impressive pattern…
The Guys I know say they rolled turkeys at 35-40 yards..

Thanks, I'm still tinkering with it. If I get a chance to pattern it tomorrow with wasp nest I'll post a photo. Last weekend the wasp nest definitely opened up the pattern by a good 20% to 30% at the same distance. I hope the guys in the Shrine will let me shoot it in the up coming turkey shoots this year, I think they set the targets at about 30 yds. I think this gun will rip their fanny a new one. I know they will only let you shoot with their shells, but I can't see why they wont let someone load with BP to the same dram volume and cut the end off one of their shells for the shot load.

 

[FiremanBrad]

Definitely interested in what folks are using! Just got mine a couple weeks ago!

 

[smo]

Ahh it’s just an old musket , he probably won’t even hit the paper.


I bet if they do let you shoot it, it won’t be more than once!

 

[The Appalachian]

I hope you don’t mind a little lead in your squirrels….

Impressive pattern…
The Guys I know say they rolled turkeys at 35-40 yards..

Heck, many of the Fox Squirrels around here are dancing through the tree tops at 100 or 120 feet off the ground in these big white oaks....then you gotta get through all the branches on the way up. What does reach the squirrel isn't much. I can see a tight turkey pattern having some game changing affect on that.

 

[The Appalachian]

I hope the guys in the Shrine will let me shoot it in the up coming turkey shoots this year, I think they set the targets at about 30 yds. I think this gun will rip their fanny a new one.

Back in my early and mid 20s the turkey shoots I used to attend were 100 yard slug shoots with shotguns. A buck or two a round, 10 shooters per target, closest to the bull got paid, or got a turkey, or got a beef roast, or whatever they deemed the prize to to be. Every sportsman's club for miles would have shoots on the weekends all fall long.

Wasn't nothing to spend all day there, spend all your money on targets, pull tabs, hotdogs and salt potatoes, and come home with a few groceries to boot.

They "welcomed" muzzleloaders in the advertising but hardly anybody would shoot one. I did. All the time, won a lot a meat, and got run off more than once for winning too much. I'd go to sign up for another target after winning like 6 or 7 in a row, and they'd say son youre done for the day. A 50 cal T/C Renegade WILL smoke those scoped slug guns every single time.

Good times.......

 

[smo]

Ya gotta talk em in closer….

Maybe offer them some bread.
Hot dog buns are turkeys favorite ..

Or as hot as it is, water is always a good choice…

Actually it’s the same way in my place, tall Hickory’s & high ridges ..

 

[smo]

I’ve found it lots easier after the acorns & hickory nuts are on the ground!
Kinda evens the score with my cylinder bore 16 gauge.

PS: Don’t go kill a mess of squirrels with a torn rotator cuff …

 

[rkg1]

Have had a 20 ga Colerain turkey barrel for 30 years and love it. Killed birds out to 40 yards but consider that the limit. It is more fun to call them in closer. I use 75 grains 2f and card wad over the powder a fiber cushion wad 1 1/4 once of #6 and an over shot card. Seems to work well for me. Never tried tow or wasp nest. Two cushion wads open the pattern nearly double.

 

[Fisherking]

Back in my early and mid 20s the turkey shoots I used to attend were 100 yard slug shoots with shotguns. A buck or two a round, 10 shooters per target, closest to the bull got paid, or got a turkey, or got a beef roast, or whatever they deemed the prize to to be. Every sportsman's club for miles would have shoots on the weekends all fall long.

Wasn't nothing to spend all day there, spend all your money on targets, pull tabs, hotdogs and salt potatoes, and come home with a few groceries to boot.

They "welcomed" muzzleloaders in the advertising but hardly anybody would shoot one. I did. All the time, won a lot a meat, and got run off more than once for winning too much. I'd go to sign up for another target after winning like 6 or 7 in a row, and they'd say son youre done for the day. A 50 cal T/C Renegade WILL smoke those scoped slug guns every single time.

Good times.......

This sounds like a really good time to be around.

 

[Blue_Duck_97]

62 cal smoothbore build coming up. Got the barrel from Log Cabin because it was at the time the only one I could find for immediate shipping. Wanted to get my parts in a pile and begin the mental part of this build for this winter. That's how I build, get it all thunk out in my head then just dive into it and make stuff work.
Never had a turkey choked muzzleloader though. I haven't measured anything yet but I think it's a safe bet the choke is a lot tighter than most run of the mill smoothbores.
I have a pretty good handle on loading one and at least getting sufficient results. But I'm wondering where to go with this on shot, cards, and wads being such a tight choke.
Obviously this will be a purpose built turkey gun, and i won't fool with RB just yet or anything else until later on. I'll get a good turkey load first.

Where would you start?

Did you ever get the opportunity to see how it patterns? I’m about to order a smoothbore 20 gauge and can’t decide if I want a barrel like yours or just a plain cylinder bore . Thanks for your feedback!

 

[The Appalachian]

Did you ever get the opportunity to see how it patterns? I’m about to order a smoothbore 20 gauge and can’t decide if I want a barrel like yours or just a plain cylinder bore . Thanks for your feedback!

Well no, not yet. The gun isn't built yet. Still just a pile of parts. I'll have some load development late winter early spring.

 

[Blue_Duck_97]

I should have paid better attention to your first post! Best of luck on the build. Can’t wait to see how it shoots!

Well no, not yet. The gun isn't built yet. Still just a pile of parts. I'll have some load development late winter early spring.