How do you load your fowler?

[Johnny Too-Tall]

Did @Johnny Too-Tall mean a 0.600 ball and 4 0.400 balls in his 20 gauge? Just gotta ask as 0.500 seems too small for the ball size for a 20 gauge buck and ball load.

No sir 50 caliber. I tried .600 and the pattern opened up and the largest ball hit all over the place. 50 cal ball stays within that 3-4” of center

 

[Mike in FL]

Starting to think about putting a fowler together before the next hunting season, and clearly there is more to it than loading a rifled ball. I've been watching the youtubes and there are hardly two folks who seem to do it the same. From flax and oakum fibers, felt, card, newspaper wads... They seem to be in several different arrangements that all seem to work. Looking to plumb the board for information and insight.

What is your process/ritual, and why?

Never owned one. but if I did. I'd look up "Skychief's Load." That seems to be the gold standard.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Oh that's AWSOME! I'd like to see a target and know your load column. This seems like a deer gettin machine. I do not eat antlers and this sounds like a head shooting special what with NO meat damage. What gun and calibre? Smooth or rifled?

I know right ... questions questions questions.

Make sure multiple projectiles are legal for m/l large game in your region. They are not in New York State.

 

[bigted]

Good to know. I will definitely check this out.

 

[Tony Rothrock]

Oddly enough, one of the best performing loads I've had I came upon by forgetfulness I guess one could say. Had a commitment cancel so I had some time. Grabbed my Rob Miller 62 cal and headed to the range. Well my shooting bag was mostly set up for 45 rifle and I didn't have wadding and such. So I improvised. 80 grains 2f, wad of McDonalds napkin, square load of shot, and another napkin wad. Shot great patterns at 25 yards.

 

[Johnny Too-Tall]

Oddly enough, one of the best performing loads I've had I came upon by forgetfulness I guess one could say. Had a commitment cancel so I had some time. Grabbed my Rob Miller 62 cal and headed to the range. Well my shooting bag was mostly set up for 45 rifle and I didn't have wadding and such. So I improvised. 80 grains 2f, wad of McDonalds napkin, square load of shot, and another napkin wad. Shot great patterns at 25 yards.

Man with the success from McDonalds napkins, I'd almost recommend trying the toilet paper but as rough as it is it would remove the steel of barrel in a few shots.

 

[Duk]

Man with the success from McDonalds napkins, I'd almost recommend trying the toilet paper but as rough as it is it would remove the steel of barrel in a few shots.

Yeah but it would be clean.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Oddly enough, one of the best performing loads I've had I came upon by forgetfulness I guess one could say. Had a commitment cancel so I had some time. Grabbed my Rob Miller 62 cal and headed to the range. Well my shooting bag was mostly set up for 45 rifle and I didn't have wadding and such. So I improvised. 80 grains 2f, wad of McDonalds napkin, square load of shot, and another napkin wad. Shot great patterns at 25 yards.

A greasy McNapkin might work well for wadding.

One of my favorite things when I lived in Nevada was to drive outside the city into the desert on my Saturday off before sunrise. This was to beat other shooters to the little open shooting areas around.

I’d stop in to McDonalds and get a sausage biscuit and hash brown and coffee. I’d get to the public land shooting areas and there’d be nobody around for miles and I’d eat the food and set up my targets and just be in my zen moment shooting and plinking until the early afternoon.