Favorite shot concoctions....

[S.Kenton]

I'm fairly new to the smoothbore business...so I was wondering what all shot recipes you guys use for the best pattern, I've read everything from using paper and plastic shot cups, beeswax and muffin mix mixed with shot and a whole host of others I'm sure I've missed. Also have read about all sorts of over card, lubed wad combos as well. I'm having Jackie Brown make a New England fowler for me, I should be getting in a month or so. It will be used as a turkey, rabbit and squirrel gun.

 

[biliff]

Since a fair amount of my hunting requires the use of non-toxic shot, I use shot cups to protect the bore. Yeah, it's not HC, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

My load is powder, overpower card, lubed fiber wad, shot cup, shot (in my case, I use Hevi-shot) and over shot card.

The over powder card protects the powder from the lubed fiber wad and helps with a gas seal. The lubed fiber wad helps to keep the plastic shot cup from melting and as stated, the shot cup protects the bore from the shot.

Note: I also put a small slit in the over shot card to let air escape. All that wadding makes a pretty good seal and by the time you get to the last card the air pressure can build up pretty good if you don't give it a way out. Learned the hard way when I launched a rod 30' up into a tree.

 

[Skychief]

All that wadding makes a pretty good seal and by the time you get to the last card the air pressure can build up pretty good if you don't give it a way out. Learned the hard way when I launched a rod 30' up into a tree.

:rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :thumbsup:

 

[Skychief]

S Kenton, it's a lot of fun trying to find loads that will work for the game that you are hunting. As you know, every gun is different and may like a load another gun won't.

For turkey and squirrels, where a denser pattern is sought after, I've found that using an over the shot (thin) card and then a heavily lubed full cushion wad on top of the shot charge, to give me the densest patterns.

Previous to this, I had success by loading a nitro or over the powder card or two on top of the shot. With no lube, expect to clean your bore while hunting where more than a shot is to be fired.

You may want to monkey with these ideas, especially the fully lubed (with olive oil, ballistol, etc) cushion wad and see how ya make out.

Several here have found that it works, especially in cylinder bores.

Good luck, Skychief

PS, you probably know that changing one thing at a time to be a good idea. Saves confusion and wonderment in the end. :haha:

 

[spudnut]

I use in my brown bess 90 g 2F a wad of leaves or wasp nest packed over the powder about 1 and a half to 2 inches guesstamated, use the same measure I use for powder, 1 and a half measures (never weighed it) of 4 or 5 shot then enough wadding over it to hold it in place.I use this for skeet in a tradegun match too as my theory is we don't get the same velocity as modern guns so the heavier shot carries further,and all it takes is one or two pellets to bust a clay

 

[Treestalker]

Back in the dreamtime in East Texas when we went afield with a ML smoothbore, we would load a square load of powder and shot (equal volume) separated by a goodly wad of brown paper bag stuffed tight, and another overshot wad of the same paper bag, just enough to hold the shot in place well, and killed squirrels and such in the baygalls and sloughs and river bottoms. Works good against cottonmouth moccasins and mad dogs and 'coons in the corn crib and 'possums in the persimmon trees too. Never had a problem with wads causing a fire, but it was wet where we lived. Good shooting with your smoothbore, it's the homesteader's friend. George P.S. I used a shot snake with an Irish charger and a large brass powder flask with a deer antler charger. Very convenient. Also you might consider using musket caps with a larger bore gun, and carry them in a civil war type belt pouch.

 

[smokepole tc]

I have an11 bore use 80 gr. 2f and 100 gr. of #5 shot. Powder over powder card shot thin card 1/2 inch fiber lubed wad mainly turkey patterns great out to 30+ yards

 

[majg1234]

I use shot and powder cartridges made from brown paper rolled on a dowel in my 16ga fowler.90gr of Ffg with one end twisted the other folded.Unfold and dump powder ram cartridge with 2 overshot cards on top.The shot Cartridge is 100gr shot one end twisted and the other folded with a 20ga shot card on top of the shot to hold it in,tear the folded end off,drop into the barrel place a 16ga shot card over this and Ram home.Takes way longer to describe than to do.I carry eight of these premade cartridges in 2 Altoid tins in my pocket for fast reloads.while I'm doing all this I have the shot cards in my mouth to soften fowling on the load,also nick the corners of the cards with my teeth for easy loading This is currently my Turkey load and puts 12-18 pellets in a head/neck of a turkey target at 30 yards.The gun is jug choked though.I'll work up a lighter load for bunnies ETC later :grin:

 

[mnbearbaiter]

I produced tightest patterns I've ever gotten from my 10ga Pedersoli with 80gr ffg T7, .030 os card, (1) 1/4" dry felt wad, (1) 1/4" lubed felt wad, another os card with a tiny hole slightly off center to help vent while seating, 1.75oz shot, and topped off with half of a 1/2" dry fiber wad to hold everything in place. Shoot straight #6 through cyl bore and an equal part mix of #4/#5/#6 shot of same weight in mod choked barrel. Good to 30yds other than the gun not totally shooting to center but I'm working on it. Kentucky windage will be exercised this spring

 

[S.Kenton]

Thanks guys! I will refer back to this and try each one... And probably make a couple up of my own.

 

[Wes/Tex]

I'm fairly new to the smoothbore business...so I was wondering what all shot recipes you guys use for the best pattern

That's a tough one and you'll get, and have gotten, good answers. It's been my experience that only testing will ring the very best out of any smooth bore's patterning abilities. I've used just about everything you can imagine and then some. Please remember that you will never, and I mean NEVER, get the same kind of real tight patterns from a muzzleloader you will from modern plastic powered shotguns...it's just a given.

Having said that, the best bet is to go with a variation of wad, cards and even tow and experiment till your guns says it's happy. The late Dick Weller was one of the best I've ever met and his method was basic and simple. He made paper shot cartridges like the military used by gluing a shotgun reloading wad in the middle of a paper tube he rolled. The shot was poured in, the top twisted and tied off with string and the outside brushed with lube. The powder charge was poured in the bottom and the paper folded like a military ball cartridge of the 18th century. The powder was poured from the unfolded tube to load and the whole pushed into the muzzle. He cut off the string tie and laid a card atop the whole thing and rammed it home. Dick was a stickler for thoroughness and even sifted his powder through screens so it was the best it could be. Can't argue with results though. He hunted with original LLP and SLP Besses, a Baker rifle made on govenment contract by John Brown and a wonderful old 10 gauge fowler by William Clark. I've a picture of him holding up the Clark fowler and a Canadian goose, so we know it worked. :wink:

There are a number of ways to tighten patterns but the basics are that you'll probably want to use more shot than powder (by volume), use cards or thin wads (lots of argument there and I still use lubed full wads without a problem, when I use wads), experiment with paper or cloth shot cups which can be made with everything from typing paper, coin rolls and even post-it notes.

Spence is an old hand at this and I found my technique to be remarkable like his...including our love of longer barrels. I recommend everyone thinking of using a fowler read through his site and taking a few of his lessons to heart.

http://home.insightbb.com/~bspen/


I wish you good luck with your fowling adventures. Will only add that we of the grey beard fraternity, who started out in the 50's, realized early on that we were working at a disadvantage with muzzleloaders and adapted our thinking to match. Front stuffers just do not, nor will not, ever have the range of modern smokeless powder guns, period. As a youngster, I was taught to stalk deer to pine come tossing range and have always adopted it during hunting. If you think you're close enough...sneak a bit closer. Outwitting Bambi only makes him taste better! About the only thing I can't sneak up on are turkeys. Like Noah Smithwick's retelling of the Tonkawa hunter's tale to the lady he provided game for, it's possible to creep up on deer but when a turkey looks up, no matter how near or close you are, it's "***** by God!" and he's gone! :haha: :wink: Good luck and have a ball with your fowler!