Copper plated #6s for smoothbore Turkery loads

[roundball]

A 10lb bottle of copper plated #6s are on the way...they "should" hold the pattern together a few yards further...right now 40yds is my reliable max limit with #6 magnum lead shot out of my .62cal...be interesting to see how many more yards I might get with the copper plated stuff.

Using a 1+5/8oz shot load, I'll get about 10 shots per pound, or 100 shots from the 10lb bottle...if I use about 10 shots to see how it patterns, that'll leave 90 shots for turkey hunting.

If I filled both tags each year with one shot each, I'll have enough for 45 years...now let's see: 61 years old + 45 years worth of turkey shots will last me until I'm 106...oh yeah...a 10lb bottle will be plenty
:grin:

 

[guncobbler]

Roundball - May you hunt that long to need to order another 10 pounds. Just put my mail address on the partly full container and ask your heirs to send me the balance GC

 

[roundball]

We should start a "Grab Bag" category on the MLF that we can 'will' things to... :grin:

 

[gmww]

If you don't mind me asking, what is your load recipe. I'm finally going to set my .62 smoothy up and test some loads. First I'll need to order wads, and shot. :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

If you don't mind me asking, what is your load recipe. I'm finally going to set my .62 smoothy up and test some loads. First I'll need to order wads, and shot. :thumbsup:

My hardware is a 1" x 33” Jug Choked/Full .62cal GM Flint smoothbore barrel...my turkey load is:

80grns Goex 3F
One Oxyoke wonderwad
1+5/8oz #6 hard shot **
Circle Fly O/S card

** 1+5/8oz shot load listed on this man's excellent website:
[url] http://members.aye.net/~bspen/SmoothboreLoads.html[/url]

 

[gmww]

Thanks. I've bookmarked his page. :thumbsup:

 

[Horace]

I duplicated your load but substituted nickle plated shot. They are expensive, but are awesome.

 

[roundball]

Yes, without any kind of shot protection from the bore, any kind of plating harder than lead is goodness to hold that pattern together a little longer.

I used that same load except substituting copper plated #4s to bag a squirrel at 25yds a week ago...had about 8 pellets go completely through him...never knew what hit him, just disappeared off the top of the stump stone dead on the ground.

I've really come to like playing with these smoothbores...it's easy to see why they'd be a great choice for the old "if you could only have one muzzleloader, what would it be" question.

 

[trent/OH]

For pure tinkering purposes, you may be able to pick up a couple of modern shotgun shells to cut open and there you have some shot to play with. I find stray shells at gunshow fairly often. It's enough to experiment a bit without laying out $$ for a bunch of shot you may not use.

 

[gmww]

Sorry about the off topic distraction but before you cut those shells, Google them. I found out the box of shot shells I was going to dispose of was worth $90.00 as a collectors item! :shocked2:

 

[bwhoffman]

so what is copper plated shot going for these days?
reason I ask, I have about 20# of CP 6 and some CP 5. I dont see me using it.
might have to trade it off some day!

 

[roundball]

If you were closer I'd have bought some from you but we're about as far apart as we can get.

I just bought a 10lb bottle of copper plated #6s from Midway for $26 + $11 shipping...I'll only it for turkey loads...and if I punched both turkey tags every year, it will last me 45 years !

The good news is a couple months ago I bought a left over 25lb bag of copper plated #4s from a local guy for $5...not enough pellet count for long range turkey head shots but the #4s sure did a number on a 25yd squirrel last week!

 

[reddog]

I would be interested in that #5

 

[slowpokebr549]

Hey Roundball, try mixing that 6 and 4 shot.Thats what I carry in my shot snake during turkey season. I figured if Remington can make duplex loads then....

 

[bwhoffman]

so what is copper plated shot going for these days?
reason I ask, I have about 20# of CP 6 and some CP 5. I dont see me using it.
might have to trade it off some day!

for clarity....
when "that" day comes, it will be in the classified section!

sorry if I got anyone's hopes up with my comment :v

 

[roundball]

Hey Roundball, try mixing that 6 and 4 shot.Thats what I carry in my shot snake during turkey season. I figured if Remington can make duplex loads then....

I had some of those in .12ga years ago...I never got comfortable with the logic of mixing 6s and 4s for a small turkey head target...only thing that made sense was that it expected turkey hunters to use them in the 20-25yard range.

I could sort of understand mixing 6s and 5s...but the pellet count reduction when mixing in #4s is significant...thinning the pellet count in a tight pattern needed for a small turkey head target at long range just shortens the efffective range.

The reason I'm staying with 6s, AND getting them as copper plated 6s...is to 'extend' the range of a tight pattern beyond 40yds, not shorten it.

:grin:

 

[Horace]

I just checked on the nickel plated shot and they are now $38.95 for 11 pounds. i think I paid about $25.00 a year ago. Man haw that stuff gone up!

 

[roundball]

"The Brown Truck" delivered my 10 lb bag of Copper Plated #6s today...I poured them into a one pound coffee can and the 10 lb bag almost filled it up...will pattern check them after deer season and see what they'll do with a turkey head target