Firing shot from a rifle?

[Oldnamvet]

Using shot loads in a rifled barrel usually results in a donut shaped pattern. But then it is usually with a much faster twist than a round ball barrel. Could you fire shot effectively from say a .54 rifle with 1/66 twist? Using a plastic 28 gauge shotcup should minimize leading in the rifling or would it? Anyone ever tried this for short range rabbits rather than hitting them with a .54 ball? Or would this just be a way of filling in the rifling and turning it into a smooth bore?

 

[rice1817]

Even a 1/66 twist imparts a tremendous amount of rpm to any projectile in it. At a moderate 1000 feet/sec muzzle velocity you get around 12,000 rpm, or 200 rps. Spinning a shot cup that fast is going to get the shot spinning with it, and thus you get big holes in your pattern.

I think about everyone with a muzzleloader has tried it at one time. I believe that it may work to some degree with no shot cup,(all the shot in the column would not be in contact with the rifling) but I don't think the pattern would be very good even then.

Others may have had better luck..But there is a reason that shotguns are smoothbore.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

the idea has been kicked around here before. some including me have tryed it. shot scatters fast. I'm wondering about a well greased undersize shot cup or paper shot tube? would it 'skip' over any rifling and get some sort of pattern?
might be worth a try. time is a factor for me so don't know when I can try it.

 

[davemcg]

Anyone ever tried this for short range rabbits rather than hitting them with a .54 ball? Or would this just be a way of filling in the rifling and turning it into a smooth bore?

I've never thought about shooting shot in a rifle, I'd probably just go for a head shot with the ball, save the trouble of picking shot out of the rabbit too :2

 

[Oldnamvet]

Picking the shot out? Oh no, just get some of the shot these guys use http://www.seasonshot.com/Home.cfm
:rotf: :rotf:

 

[Dphar]

Using shot loads in a rifled barrel usually results in a donut shaped pattern. But then it is usually with a much faster twist than a round ball barrel. Could you fire shot effectively from say a .54 rifle with 1/66 twist? Using a plastic 28 gauge shotcup should minimize leading in the rifling or would it? Anyone ever tried this for short range rabbits rather than hitting them with a .54 ball? Or would this just be a way of filling in the rifling and turning it into a smooth bore?

I have shot shot from a 54 pistol with a 66 twist. It would kill small game to 15-20 yards maybe. But I kept the velocity low and the shot load at heavy 20 ga levels.
I would try shooting 25-30 grains of powder and just use a ball. Takes less lead by about 1/2.
Smoothbores are not as economical to shoot as a rifle in most cases since even the smaller smoothbores generally take more than a ball weight of shot to make a decent pattern.
One of the reasons the indians in the east were encouraged to use smoothbores was that the traders sold more powder and lead.

Dan

 

[Stormrider51]

Centrifugal force will tend to spread the shot into a doughnut pattern. It might be worth testing to see at what range a given rate of twist/shot charge/powder charge is effective on a given type of game. For instance, the "ring" of shot might be devastating when using a head-hold on a turkey at 15 yards while the same shot on a rabbit would be crippling at best. If you ask me how I know this I'll claim complete ignorance. PETA might be watching. Let's say that shot is best left to smoothbores and not rifle guns. If you use a rifle for small game, work up the best RB load for the situation and try for a headshot. The odds are in your favor that you will either miss entirely or get a clean kill. Either one is okay and far better than a wounded animal.

Storm

 

[davemcg]

Oh BROTHER! Now that's a dandy idea, you 'spose they'll add some rock salt to it too, and then of course they'll have to have some w/o rock salt for folks on low sodium diets :rotf: :rotf:

 

[Robert Egler]

I have found that shooting shot from a 50 cal rifled barrel, 1:48 twist, with a paper shot cup, produces usable patterns out to a maximum of 15 yards, good patterns to 10 yards. You will have to play with the various load combinations to get the best one.

I might also note that no matter what load I used the oft-predicted “donut hole” pattern never appeared. The pattern gets thinner or more dense, but pretty uniformly, there was never a distinct lack of pellets toward the center. I absolutely agree that a donut hole is what I’d expect, but my actual patterns don’t support that idea.Someone else may have different results.

Of course, 15 yards being the absolute maximum range is somewhat limiting :grin:


In the end, I swapped the rifled barrel for a smoothbore barrel, which gets MUCH better patterns, and out to 30 yards.

 

[buck1]

When I was a kid my dad use to say he had to salt the bullets on his rifle cause he could shoot deer so far awy the met would spoil before we could get to it! I guess thats kinda the sme thing as seasoned shot :rotf: :rotf:

 

[juancho]

this is exactly what i've been playing with latetly.
I wanted to see the doughnut shape pattern, and yes is doable, but you have to work at it.
On the best one I got you can actualy count the lands on your gun!
Best way is to make paper cups that fit tite the rifling and a good wad.
Other tests show a very nice pattern,just like a .410(i'm useing a .45)with undersize paper cups
that just almost fall in the barrel and a weak load(25 grains fff and 45 grains volume of shot)
I use the short starter to make the cups and newspaper.I twist off one end and that twisted part keeps it in place inside the barrel.Load the other end and I have just enough to fold/crimp the pellets in place.
I gess i'll have to wait for the squirrels to tell me what they think :grin:

 

[FPDoc]

Can you use that seasoning shot in a pistol? Hey hon, please pass the turkey.. and that flintlock.. :rotf:

 

[bob4st]

...WHAT!?!?!?... that has GOT to be a joke!... it sure looks ligit... but no way some seasoning pellets can even approach the density of steel, lead, bismuth, etc... I don't think it can even come close to aluminum... and who would ever use that in a shotgun!?!?... gotta ba an April Fools thing...right??... please say it ain't so!...
Bob

 

[BV]

This topic makes for interesting discussion, but from a practical standpoint I think I would either buy a smoothbore or a small caliber rifle.

Either way you win because you get to buy a new gun.