Kibler fowler
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Another recent thread, same topic that might help you.
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...ing-in-your-kibler-20-ga-fowler.188079/unread
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...ing-in-your-kibler-20-ga-fowler.188079/unread
When mine shows up, I’ll mic my barrel and post it. It was supposed to be here Monday but the post office seems to be moving it further away vs closer, lol. I’m sure it’ll get here this week or next. I will be trying a .600 ball regardless as it ends up I have a mold for it .
Cruzatte
50 Cal.
Depends on the gun. Some like a .595, others a .600, and still others as big as a .610. Try all three and see which one works best for you.
So based on micrometer my bore is .615 at the muzzle, not the greatest way to measure a bore though. So not going to say it’s an accurate measurement. I should be in the test firing stage soon and will try .600 ball with pillow ticking patch.
I get decent groups at 55yds with .570 and .585 in my 20g kibler Fowler. It is too cold to cast up some .60rbs, so I will have to wait until spring.
I used some .600 balls yesterday with pillow ticking and they were pretty darn tight, accurate but too tight. So will have to find a smaller ball or run them bare.
Yeah, there is no advantage to running tight patches in a smoothbore. There are no grooves to fill.
smoothshooter
50 Cal.
I prefer a .590” ball in 20 gauge smoothbores.
Thicker patch, more lube.
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Try some .010 patching, or some old t-shirt.
You don't have to worry about sealing the grooves in a smooth bore or imparting spin.
I ended up finding some thin denim that loads easily with the ramrod.
I hear ya! I’ve been having a great time shooting .580 in mine. patching also helps keep down on the fowling. I also shot .600 with paper wading over powder and then ball, not bad But damned Dirty
I mainly utilize tow wadding and shoot an unpatched, nude ball so prefer around .610”. Works well.
One thing I’ve noticed with bare ball loads (get your mind out of the gutter, lol), is that they lose a lot of velocity, same with thin wad stacks in shot loads. I had to stop shooting my kibler Fowler since I shattered the lock mortise somehow ( pretty sure I messed something up during kit assembly) it’s on the bench as we speak getting repaired. Once it’s back operational I’ll chronograph some loads with different wads and post the velocity differences, it can be a pretty big difference and makes a big difference in wing shooting as it changes leads considerably. My .600 ball with the thin denim patch was just about the perfect amount of tension for loading ease and plenty of accuracy, I’ll probably stick with that. This is an offhand group at 40 or so yards I shot with that combo and maybe a 60gr 2f charge. I was pretty happy with that.
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I’m stalking up the same trail as you on this smoothbore safari. Wing shooting with my flintlock smoothbore will be my commitment for most of my bird season in the new year. I’m thinking the birds will be pretty safe! I think you’re pretty smart to prove velocity of your wadding. Smart. And good luck.
It’s pretty interesting, I had a load that used wasp wadding under greased felt and you could tell that load was moving and I hit almost every clay bird with it but When I ran out of wasp wadding I started using an over shot wad over the powder then the felt everything else was the same and I could tell it was much slower and I couldn’t hit anything after that, it was also a very dirty load. I think (with standard charges)heavy fouling is an indication of low pressure and most likely low velocity under most circumstances.
This is kinda related to this thread. If not I apologize. So given yalls different ball/patch combo how does the hickory ram rod hold up to jamming balls down the barrel? Obviously it’s not as tight as a rifle, but I have a Brown Bess which has a metal rammer, are you guys using the ramrod that came with it. Or getting a range rod?
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This question has come up many times, if you learn to properly use a good hickory ram rod, short strokes gripping the rod close to the muzzle, you will never break one.
I have a ramrod in my .32 that has served me well since the 1970's and in all the rifles I have used over the years I have never broken one.
That being said, some people either don't or can't learn and replace their ramrods with brass, delrin, fiberglass etc. YMMV
Cruzatte
50 Cal.
First off, if you're jamming the ball down onto the powder, you've either got the wrong size ball, or too thick of a patch, or both. Since this is a smoothbore, there are no grooves for the patch to fill. All you need is something to keep the ball from rolling out the muzzle. Wads would suffice.
Second, as has been said, use short strokes with a hickory ramrod; 4-6 inches at a time is just fine. If you learn to do this, you'll never break a ramrod.
You will have issues if the ball is too tight. With my pillow ticking and .600 ball combo I used a range rod bit that was a bad combo and would not use a load like that if I could put together a looser load. My new load with the thinner patch loads without a short starter and is more accurate than the pillow ticking load. So I guess it depends. I have seen original Fowler that were converted for militia use that had the stock shortened and bayonet fitted and a metal rammer adapted to them. Pretty cool guns actually. Fitting a steel rammer isn’t as easy as it sounds fyi.
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