How too

[mudd turtle]

I have a Brown Bess that I bought several years ago and have never shot it. Can I shoot shot in it and if so tell me how to do it. I also want a mould for the round ball. Mudd Turtle.

 

[DanChamberlain]

Mudd

The load column should be powder, over powder wad, cushion wad...or not depending on how you feel, shot, over shot card.

Some people buy wads from places like Circle Fly. Some make their own. Some simply punch them out of cardboard. It doesn't have to be expensive.

Dan

 

[Wes/Tex]

I have a Brown Bess that I bought several years ago and have never shot it. Can I shoot shot in it and if so tell me how to do it. I also want a mould for the round ball. Mudd Turtle.

Most Bess bores are .75" now and is basically an 11 guage shotgun. Cards, wads, balls, etc. are available from several sources. Track of the Wolf is one who also sells balls in several sizes. Balls in .735", .715" and .690" are all candidates. The smallest ball, .690" was the British diameter used so the rounds could be fired in combat without too much trouble from fowling. The larger two sizes will probably be the most accurate. Track also sells a .710" bag mold that's just another option to consider.

Military muskets are basically heavy fowling pieces and will behave similarly with shot or ball. For shot, you're best bet is to used equal VOLUMES of shot and powder with a wad between and a card over the shot. Better performance will probably reslut from using slightly more shot, by volume, than powder. As an example, using a dipper holding an ounce of powder and a dipper holding an ounce & a quarter of shot...the actual volumes is something you'll have to experiment with to see what your gun prefers.

With balls, you can used paper cartridges as used by the military, a patched ball or even a bare ball with a thin card above to prevent the ball from moving around. The last variation has proved accurate by a number of shooters but you'll have to try the different variations to see. Good luck.

 

[Joel/Calgary]

As an example, using a dipper holding an ounce of powder and a dipper holding an ounce & a quarter of shot...

Most of us know what this means, but to clarify for newcomers, that translates to using a 1-ounce shot measure to measure the powder to go under a 1.1/4-ounce shot charge (with appropriate wads in between, of course). That will give you 2.5 drams or 68 grains of powder (approximately, depending on the powder, the measure, and exactly how you use it), not an actual ounce (16 drams or 473.5gr) weight of powder.

mudd turtle, you're going to see this often in dealings with muzzleloading smoothbores - using one measure for both powder and shot. Just remember that both numbers refer to volume settings on a measure, but only one of them will be the actual weight involved (the shot, in Wes's example). BTW, drams are the traditional units of measure for powder charges, and an avourdupois dram is 1/16 of an ounce or 1/256 of a pound or 27.34 grains.

powder/shot volume equivalences
2dr = 55gr = 3/4oz Pb shot
2.1/4dr = 62gr = 7/8oz Pb shot
2.1/2dr = 68gr = 1oz Pb shot
2.3/4dr = 75gr = 1.1/8oz Pb shot
3dr = 82gr = 1.1/4oz Pb shot
3.1/4dr = 89gr = 1.3/8oz Pb shot
3.1/2dr = 96gr = 1.1/2oz Pb shot
3.3/4dr = 103gr = 1.5/8oz Pb shot
4dr = 109gr = 1.3/4oz Pb shot
4.1/4dr = 116gr = 1.7/8oz Pb shot
4.1/2dr = 123gr = 2oz Pb shot

These are the traditional equivalencies given for the same volumes of powder and (lead) shot, with shot size not specified but probably either #6 or #8. Larger shot and/or smaller-diameter measures (e.g. powder measures) will give lighter shot charges. Naturally, any other shot material besides lead would give a different weight of shot (steel, bismuth, tungsten-iron, etc.).

In case no one's referred you to it yet, there is a TON of excellent information about muzzleloading smoothbores at Bob Spencer's site:[url] http://home.insightbb.com/~bspen/[/url]

Hope this helps,
Joel

 

[Wes/Tex]

Thanks Joel, that's much more to-the-point than just saying "use more shot than powder". By-the-by, how's that "twice barrel carabine" of yours. Still love telling about my adventure with Canadian Customs!! :haha:

 

[Joel/Calgary]

By-the-by, how's that "twice barrel carabine" of yours. Still love telling about my adventure with Canadian Customs!! :haha:

Still my favorite firelock - and I will be eternaly grateful to your uncle, the judge, for being willing to help. if needed.

Now, if I could just finish working up those steel loads for next year...

Joel