is it ok to shoot 'shot' from .50 gpr?

[jamie]

could i just load in like 40 grains and pack it with newspaper..could i ust bird shot? just thinking of those squills and such..
or do i need a wad of some sort?
will it hurt my rifiling?
i think maybe 10 shots a year max with shot wouldnt hurt too much do ya think??
or just load down and shoot them with a ball???

 

[Norskie]

Won't hurt the rifling, but the rifling will spin that shot out in a ring. Try it and see. 'Pattern' it at less than ten feet. You'll be amazed at how big the hole in the center of the pattern is. You could throw a squirrel through it! :grin:

 

[spud]

try putting that shot in a homemade shot cup with a overwad it will amaze you. i've hunted "tree rats" with this in the Port Huron state game area (i'm from Richmond MI.)

 

[Birddog6]

No, it won't hurt it. You may get a tad of barrel leading but that is easily removed.

Even with a overpowder wad & shot cup it still shoots a oval pattern, as the rifling spins the cup & makes it sling the shot. Otherwise all shotguns would have rifling to shoot both shot or ball.

Wouldn't it just be simpler to shoot the squirrel in the head with a patched RB? It is either a hit or a miss & will sharpen your marksmanship. Caliber doesn't matter, it is still a hit or a miss & basically the meat on a squirrel is in the hind legs & backstraps anyway. Or you could pick it to death & get another 2 tablespoons full maybe.........
:thumbsup:

 

[jamie]

whats a homemade shot cup,and how do you make em' ?
ehh. :cursing: more money in wads , shot, shotcups...
ill just shoot there eyes out. :shocked2:

 

[J.D.]

50 gr FFFG behind a .535 patched ball works well for squirrels, so 40-50 gr FFFG behind a 50 cal ball should work well too.

Shoot it at 30-35 yards to check for point of impact that coincides with your sights. You may have to adjust sights, or simply learn how much to hold over, or under for consistent hits on squirrels at those ranges.
J.D.

 

[paulvallandigham]

JD; in my personal experience with my .50 cal. rifle you will be lucky if you can hold any kind of pattern at 10 yds. The rifling spins the shot so that it travels in a spinning tail. The rifling distorts a lot of the shot on the outside, which loses velocity very fast, and drops back and out of the core pattern. If you use larger shot sizes( #5, #4, #3, #2), the larger pellets retain velocity a bit longer and will hold in the pattern out to maybe 20 yds. But that is pushing it. It makes more sence to just shoot a round ball, using a light load for short range work, and take head shots on both squirrels and rabbits. You will have to use lead solvent, and a bore brush to get the lead out of the grooves of your rifling, but that doesn't involve a lot of extra work.I thnk shooting a shot load at anything at 35 yds is largely a waste of time, and shot. You are not likely to hit anything, considering that spinning column or train of shot.

 

[Birddog6]

whats a homemade shot cup,and how do you make em' ?
ehh. :cursing: more money in wads , shot, shotcups...
ill just shoot there eyes out. :shocked2:

Shot cups can be made with pieces of index cards, brown paper sacks, etc. , & folded on the bottom & glued. Wrap them around a proper sized dowel rod to keep them straight & consistant. I have seen them with fiber or felt wads hot glued to the bottoms. I used to take 28 ga wads & cut the cup off & hot glue a felt wad to the base for use in my 24 go double. Put shrink tubing on the petals to make it hold a tighter group out further.

But with a rifled barrel you are basically wasting your time as it will not shoot pellets or a cup of pellets well enough for even close hunting. :shake:

 

[Doc Arroyo]

Bark 'em! Then the head is still attached to hook into the game carrier.

 

[buzz bait]

i shot the birdshot shells thru a hand gun at 15 feet the pattern was roughly 5 foot ring hardly no pellets at the aim point :redface:

 

I have a 1 in 32 ROT for my GPR and I havre no intention of ever shooting conicals out of it. It's a long story on how I acquired this thing, but there it sits. Anyhow, I wonder if I could have the bore smoothed out and use if for a flinter shotgun?