How much is two much?

I have a 62 cal smoothbore. I tried loading with 70 gr # 6 over 60 gr powder. When I went squirell hunting it didn't seem to pattern well enough. So I recently went again and tried 80 gr. # 6 over 70 gr powder. Again the pattern seemed to open up too much.
My friend used to shoot 100 gr shot over 100 gr powder. He had very good results with this.
I am always hesitant to try a super heavy load. Does anyone else shoot a load this heavy in a 20 ga.? Is this too much?

 

[Rebel]

Try using 70 grs of 3f powder and 100 gr equivalent of shot which should be about 1 3/8 oz. See if this tightens your pattern. Usually more shot than powder gives tighter patterns.

 

That sounds pretty good. I was wondering what the weight in ounces is on 100 gr shot. I have 2f powder in my horn so I'll have to try it with that. Should I maybe use slightly more powder since it is a corser granulation? Thank you for the info! :hatsoff:

 

[Rebel]

Try 70, 75 and 80 grs of 2f and see how what patterns best.
Shot Volumes
1 oz 70 grs
1 1/8 oz 80 grs
1 1/4 oz 90 grs
1 3/8 oz 100 grs
1 1/2 oz 110 grs
1 5/8 oz 120 grs

 

[Ohio Rusty]

Remember the powder and shot combo is only one part of the equation. You should also play with your wads and cards to see what that does. Combination of different wads and cards, or just cards and maybe hornets nest type material (newspaper). My 12 gauge SxS throws bad doughnut patterns with 90 grains of 2F and 1 1/8 oz.of shot. Drop it to 85 grains of 2F and bump the shot up to 1 1/4 oz., it throws tight pheasant killing patterns out to 30 yards. Why 5 grains of powder and 1/8 oz. shot difference makes such a big difference I don't know, but it does. I discovered this while experimenting with different shot/powder combo's and cards/wads. Mine likes the thick fiber wads between the powder and shot. Keep playing with your components and keep your shot and powder loads low until you find that magic pattern on paper. Then you can move up both shot and powder volumes from there.
Ohio Rusty

 

[Roy]

I believe that sometimes having too much powder will lead to that "doughnut" effect as its blowing a hole thru the shot rather than by just pushing it. Try some less powder loads on soup cans. If it'll put lead into or thru the can it'll kill a bird, squirrel or rabbit. This also all depends on what your shooting grouse, pheasants, or just clays. I like to set the cans up with a cardboard or paper background to see what the pattern is doing as well.

 

[roundball]

I have a 62 cal smoothbore. I tried loading with 70 gr # 6 over 60 gr powder. When I went squirell hunting it didn't seem to pattern well enough. So I recently went again and tried 80 gr. # 6 over 70 gr powder. Again the pattern seemed to open up too much.
My friend used to shoot 100 gr shot over 100 gr powder. He had very good results with this.
I am always hesitant to try a super heavy load. Does anyone else shoot a load this heavy in a 20 ga.? Is this too much?

READ THIS:[url] http://members.aye.net/~bspen/SmoothboreLoads.html[/url]

I use 70grns Goex 3F, two Oxyoke wads, 1+5/8oz #6's, and a .030" over shot card in my .62cal Flint smoothbore, works great. (120grn powder measure setting is 1+5/8oz)

If you want to extend the tight pattern out to 40yards for small targets like a turkey neck or squirrels, use a paper shot cup with this load.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Old English adage as to smoothbores; little powder, much shot, shoot far.

Velocity is not an end all, putting more shot on target is the name of the game.

Works for me, nuff said.

 

Wow, my thanks go out to all of you! Lots of good info here. I am definately going to have to head to the range and do some patterning.

The wadding I have been using so far is a ball of linen tow. I was planning on ordering some of the pre made wads/cards I just havn't done it yet.

Hopefully I'll get a good squirell killing pattern soon and then head out to the woods for some meat.

 

[CrackStock]

See what my friend Bill White says:
[url] http://members.aol.com/illinewek/faqs/shotcup.htm[/url]

 

[J.D.]

The rule of thumb with flint guns is 1 and 1/2 X more shot than powder. So if you shoot 50 gr of powder, a 75 gr measure of shot would be about right.

The rule of equal amounts of powder, wad, and shot comes from the cap gun period, and doesn't seem to work as well in flint guns as 1 1/2 X more shot than powder.

My 11 ga bess gives almost full choke patterns at 30 yards shooting 70gr FFG, ONE .200 card wad, 110gr measure of shot and an 1/8 inch thick slice of felt filler wad, over shot. The 1/8 inch slice of over shot felt wad holds the shot in place while traipsing up an down hills when hunting, but breaks up on firing, giving good dense patterns.

I haven't tried the paper shot cups, but many shooters report good results with them.
J.D.

 

[pennsyltucky]

its "little powder, much lead, shoots far, kills dead"

i use 1oz shot and 80g 2f for my .62 at close range. i bump it up to 1 3/8oz shot for longer ranges. but i have a choke tube.......

 

Updated results...

I did some more shooting. Here are the results.

120 gr shot over 70 gr 2f knocked over an 8 oz coke bottle but did not break it.

120 gr shot over 75 gr 2f blew the bottle into tiny shards of glass.

100 gr shot over 75 gr 2f reliably broke the bottle but didn't blow it into pieces as small as it had with 120 gr shot.

90 gr shot over 75 gr 2f did not even knock over the bottle.

All shooting was done at 25 yards using tow wadding over both powder and shot.

I am going to try oxyoke type wads soon as the tow wadding leaves a chunky red residue in my barrel.
Has anybody else ever experienced this phenominon?

 

[Rebel]

If your shot will pass through a TIN can, not aluminum, it will do for game at that range. Also, you don't have all those broken pieces of glass to pick up afterwards. You did pick them all up didn't you?

 

[Mike Brooks]

Tow doesn't give you reliable results. You'll find cards and wads will improve your velocity and patterns.
That red stuff is common. I get it in all the muzzlelaoders I shoot.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

As long as this thread has been going on I can't believe that no one has pointed out the obvious fact that the only way to get any idea of your pattern is to shoot on PAPER, not squirrels or coke bottles!!!

 

[Roy]

I like to set the cans up with a cardboard or paper background to see what the pattern is doing as well.

:grin:

 

[Roy]

All I was saying earlier was that I like tin cans because you will know if you still have a leathal shot.