One of the greatest, and I believe, NICEST surprises I had when I began shooting Muzzle loaders many years ago was to learn that ML ballistics had NO relation to Modern, Smokeless cartridge ballistics. I didn't want to believe it of course, so my education came slowly. But, before I got into owning and shooting my own MLers, I served a couple of deer seasons as a Deer Checker at a county check station. I checked in hundreds of deer, but only a few of them were taken with Mlers back then( Late '60s) But, the hunters who took those deer were very willing to answer questions, and I was able- actually had to-- examine closely the wound channels on the animals, counting entrance and exit holes. I never saw a deer taken with a MLer using PRB that had more than ONE Entrance wound. I saw many deer killed with shotgun slugs that had multiple Entrance wounds, and a few exit wounds- almost all being made by 12 gauge slugs. I had a few deer killed with 20 gauge slugs, but by far the most common firearm used was a shotgun shooting foster style slugs.
Those 12 gauge bores are .72 caliber- actually .729" in diameter. The slugs make a big hole. If they hit any kind of bone, they expand. Sometimes, hunters would show me recovered slugs from their deer, also. The vast majority of deer were being taken at well under 50 yards. Some of the deer with multiple wounds were shot as they ran by a stand or stands of hunters, and that is why they had so many hits. There were far too many leg wounds, and peripheral hits. But, even those deer shot through the lungs might take a second shot. Not with a PRB.
If you read the Hunting section on this forum, you will get a good education on how well a performance you can expect from various calibers.
On deer, any caliber from .54( 28 gauge) on up should be expected to put a ball completely through the animal, leaving a wide primary wound channel. Most balls are NOT recovered. The balls begin at 230 grains for the .54s, which is a bit more than 1/2 oz of lead, and go up from there. Its the weight, and the thin skin and bones of the deer that allow such deep penetration- NOT velocity( as would be required with modern bullets).
If you will look up Bob Spenser's Website, The black powder notebook, and read his articles on the guns he uses, including his own articles, and a second by V.M. Starr, the dean of shotguns, you should get a good education on loads, choice of shot for different species, and expected performance.
I shoot a 12 gauge DB shotgun, cylinder bore, and it has taken Pheasant, partridge, and dove. I have a 20 gauge fowler, with a rear sight on it, that was made for me to do double duty- on deer, and on birds, including turkey. The Fowler is a flintlock. With FFg powder, recoil is more a shove, rather than a sharp crack to the shoulder. I am still working on loads with the fowler, but I have achieved some very nice patterns with the 12 gauge using modest loads.
That is the other secret about shooting BP shotguns: With modern shotguns and smokelss powder, using choked barrels, and plastic shotcups, you have to increase velocity to get tighter patterns at longer ranges, in general. With Black Powder, and particularly with cylinder bore( NO CHOKE) shotguns, you tighten patterns by REDUCING your powder charges. You can tighten patterns up by buffeting the shot, and using shotcups made from index card stock, or several layers of paper, to protect the outer pellets from rubbing against the bore, but you are only going to get about 5-10 more yards at best doing this. BP shotguns are basically a 30 yard gun, unless you use choke, either " jug choke", or the modern muzzle choke, fixed, or screw-in.
Personally, I intend to use my fowler for just about everything, except clay target matches where doubles may be thrown. Then my DB 12 will come out. If the price of some of the newer non-toxic shot comes down some, so I can live with my budget buying some of it, I might still take my 12 ga. out goose hunting, and maybe duck hunting, where having that second shot will be very nice. My fowler will "shine" being used for everything else.
I usually hunt with friends who take modern guns, and I can let them take the other birds that get up while I am reloading. :thumbsup: Unless a bird goes up right in front of a shooter, we rotate who moves in on pointed birds, so that everyone gets a shot. There is something very satisfying in shooting a bird that holds tight enough to allow you to get set, and take it on the rise after the flush. A 24 or 20 gauge shotgun is just about perfect for that kind of shooting. :hmm: :v :hatsoff:
