English .28 Gauge Single Shotgun need Help

[WALT53]

I have no recommendations for a load, but I must say you found a gorgeous shotgun. Congrats from Kentucky.

I would start at 45 grins powder and 60 grins shot add your powder then the same measure of cornmeal on top then your shot on top of the cornmeal then a thin os card or what ever to hold it all in.For round ball I would try a .530 ball and some pillow ticking so it’s not real snug like for a rifle on top of 60 grins .all powder charges I’ve tried are in 2 f cause that’s what worked in my 2 -28 gauge guns .iwould not go over 70/80 grains of powder in a 28 gauge probably 60 should be tops . Good luck .

 

[German Jäger]

Thank you all i have buy also a 14 caliber Sporting shotgun from the same Seller. Maker was :Worrall how knows that Name ist also brittish same Style

 

[Feltwad]

For standard load for a 28 bore percussion with Damascus barrels the load is 1,3/4 drams of FFFg to 9/16 oz of shot
Feltwad

 

[TFoley]

27.3gn! Approximately 1/16 of a avoirdupois ounce.
A dram in liquid is 1/8 ounce but not avoirdupois.

Doh. I'm so used to translating two and a half drams - the service load for the P53 rifle, that I screwed up....

 

[TFoley]

Thank you all i have buy also a 14 caliber Sporting shotgun from the same Seller. Maker was :Worrall how knows that Name ist also brittish same Style

Worrall is a British name. I went to school with Clive Worrall - no relation to your gunmaker, AFAIK. British, btw, is spelled 'British' - one 't' and a capital B.

 

[52Bore]

Nice piece for some small game shooting.
London proofs marks on top of barrel of a sporting arm, seems odd as most are hidden underside.
It’s not for ball - no rifle rights and the straight stock, octagon -round bbl would be for shot.
Feltwad provided a safe load to start.
Enjoy

 

[German Jäger]

Her the Second Worrall Marking in 14 Gauge

 

[Feltwad]

You will find that a 14 bore was common in that period a single in this bore is mostly very light in weight and it is best to use a 16 bore load of 2..1/2 drms to 1oz of shot if the gun is on the heavy side a 12 bore load of 2.3/4 drms to 1.1/8 oz of shot is ok
The main reason for a size of 14 is mostly due to the boring of the barrel in fact I have restored several double with a 14 and a 12 bore barrels
Feltwad

 

[springfield art]

Appears better than average quality; not just what we would call a "hardware store" gun! Very nice.

 

[WALT53]

For standard load for a 28 bore percussion with Damascus barrels the load is 1,3/4 drams of FFFg to 9/16 oz of shot
Feltwad

Feltwad to what distance would this load be good to .

 

[TFoley]

I shoot a similar load to Feltwads' second recommendation in a pair of Boss guns cartridge guns made in 1878, although only on clays. The owner limits himself - as do I - to around fifty years/metres. Both have right cylinder and left improved choking. He does very well, as indeed he ought to, as he's been shooting them as a pair since age ten or eleven, the same as his father and grandfather, for whom they were built.

My success rate is somewhat less, but I'm not a wing shot.

 

[Feltwad]

Feltwad to what distance would this load be good to .

A good killing distance for a 28 bore with this load is 30 to 35yards . I also shoot not often a sxs 32 bore for pigeon and crow decoying which kills well at that distance using a load of 1.1/2 drms of 3fg to 1/2 oz of 6 or 7 shot
Feltwad

 

[tiklikker]

Just to elaborate and confuse, that Scottish dram might be poured as a "wee deoch an doris" -- a "drink for the door" or "one for the road" as they say here in the Colonies to warm your guest on his or her journey home. Sorry. Couldn't help meself!
That's an absolutely spectactular shotgun you have there, German Jäger. Congratulations, and I hope you can make it perform to your complete satisfaction.

I haven't heard that term "wee deoch an doris" for over 40 years but I still remember it. My Scottish neighbor's Father-in-Law was visiting form Glasgow, and claimed to know the distiller at Johnny Walker. We were having whisky shots and beers at the Canadian American Legion hall. He showed me how a "true Scot" drinks his whisky. As he rolled his empty shot glass in his hands, he explained a good whisky coats the inside of the glass, and the warmth of the hands allows the last drops of whisky ("wee deoch an doris") to collect for that last drop. Sorry for the lengthy digression, but it brought back a fond memory.

 

[Sooty Scot]

Beautiful gun; the pattern of the damascus barrel is outstanding.

 

[German Jäger]

 

[German Jäger]

This is my 14 Bore so i need good Hunting Losds Advice for Ducks & Phesant. Is the Barrel from Damascus Steel Dangerous?

 

[Grenadier1758]

@German Jäger, our searches always start under the topic of useful information that we find in the General Muzzleloading Forum. There we find three suggested loads for a 14 gauge. Bear in mind that we can always load down and use the information for a 16 gauge being a bit lighter in power than a 14 gauge.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/smoothbore-loads.103462/

Of course, the PDF file only give powder granulation and weight of shot charge and not the stack of wad columns.

I am going to guess that your 14 gauge is cylinder bored with no choke. Measure the bore to be sure that you are ordering the correct diameter of wads and cards. The best suggestion is to order an arch punch to make discs slightly larger than your bore. A 14 bore will be 0.700 inches (17.8 mm). And those cards will be all you need to establish a load column. The load is built at the muzzle. Of course, the powder is loaded first. Then 3 or four of the thin card stock disks are loaded and pushed about 2" (50mm) into the barrel. On top of that is the shot charge and the final over shot card or disc. the entire load stack can then be pushed to the breech with the ramrod and once capped, shot.

In this case, I would suggest a light 16 gauge load to start of 61 grains, volume of course, of 2Fg black powder. Perhaps one over powder card disc then up to 60 grains of corn meal to act as the buffer wad. Now is the time to build the load stack. Use some light grease to wipe on the edge of the over powder card discs. This will keep the fouling soft. Load the 1 ounce shot charge and top it off with the final over shot card. Push the load to the breech, cap and shoot.

Use shot size appropriate to ducks and a smaller shot size for the pheasants.

Your fouling gun with the Damascus or twist steel barrels should be safe as long as there are no signs of delamination. The gun appears to be well constructed and should provide you with a lot of good hunting experience.

At some point in the future, you may want to try using the soaked over shot wad (Skychief Load). Keep the loading simple for now. The simple loads have worked well for many of us.

 

[TFoley]

Appears better than average quality; not just what we would call a "hardware store" gun! Very nice.

The UK never had' hardware store' guns of any kind. Here the hardware stores are/were called ironmongers, and they sell/sold household goods and kitchen/gardening et al equipment, but not firearms of any kind.

 

[Britsmoothy]

The UK never had' hardware store' guns of any kind. Here the hardware stores are/were called ironmongers, and they sell/sold household goods and kitchen/gardening et al equipment, but not firearms of any kind.

I know of two hardware stores that sell guns in the UK

 

[TFoley]

I know of two hardware stores that sell guns in the UK

Do tell.