Pillow Ticking "Shot Cups"

[roundball]

Bismuth shot or NiceShot both are supposed to be as safe as lead shot with any barrels

Niceshot for sure as I've used it in 4s & 6s, plus it patterns tighter than magnum lead shot for me...using it for turkey this April.

But I thought Bismuth was no longer being made or was no longer readily available?

 

[Joel/Calgary]

But I thought Bismuth was no longer being made or was no longer readily available?

It's back. I don't know who's actually making it, but you can get it from Precision Reloading, and maybe some others.

Regards,
Joel

 

[rabjr]

Not sure but Brown Bear might have started his hibernation. Was supposed to head to Anchorage today or tomorrow for a couple of weeks then heading down to the lower 48 for a couple months. He said he'll try to pop on now and again but hes pretty much out of action for a bit now.

 

[roundball]

It's back. I don't know who's actually making it, but you can get it from Precision Reloading, and maybe some others.

Thanks for that...in checking / comparing prices just now I was hoping to find a significant difference but there's hardly any difference at all...

 

[Clovis]

Thanks Swampy, I remember now seeing Brown Bear say something like that about going to Anchorage but it didn't click with me. I didn't think a patch would contain steel well enough but thought it was possible I might learn something. He had posted at around the 7th post in the thread he was using a similar load for ducks and I was trying to pump him for more information on that. Bismuth or niceshot would certainly be better, but steel is not as expensive and frugal people think of me as cheap

 

[Deadeye]

Made me a copper tube one. Maybe it'll warm up enough this weekend for me to shoot some patterns.
It's about 10 below now. No problem with shot bridging in the copper tube. This 3" patch is large enough for about 1 1/2 OZ. of shot. I'll be using spit or crisco.

Deadeye

 

[rabjr]

Nice! That'll work! :thumbsup:

 

[Twice boom]

Looks good. :thumbsup: How much charge will it hold.
Twice.

 

[BrownBear]

Brown Bear, I'm curious about using non-toxic shot in this system for waterfowl. Specifically, have you tried it? If you have, have you found any sign of the shot tearing through the patch and scratching the bore? If not would you think the patch would protect the bore from damage or am I stuck using plastic shot cup/wads? If I were to use this I would be using a 12 gauge New Englander with no choke on the geese and ducks here in Maryland.

The only non-toxic I tried was a couple of shots of bismuth I removed from 12 gauge shells. No prob there, which holds promise I think for ITX. I got the gun so late in the season that the combo of weather and tides conspired against my using it on quackers this year. Come spring I'll get some ITX and learn more.

I would definitely expect steel or tungsten to beak through the patching though. The previous owner of the gun got some plastic wads intended for steel shot and used those a lot. From examining the bore, I can tell you that they protected the bore completely. I'd just rather not go there, so will stick to bismuth, or perhaps ITX.

 

[BrownBear]

Saw these while looking through a new catalog...didn’t know if they were anything that could be used for the patched-shot idea”¦

Blackpowder spout kit”¦various sizes
http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/search_catalog_command.cmd?fromProductSearch=true&item1=FB 21-3417

Goes with this blackpowder funnel
http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/search_catalog_command.cmd?fromProductSearch=true&item1=FB 21-0367

I think they'd work great, provided there was no bridging with larger shot and the tubes were long enough to seat the patch as deeply as you wanted. In fact, that's essentially what I'll be "building" from copper tubing or pipe for my 20. Much cheaper, but you gotta love that brass!

 

[BrownBear]

Made me a copper tube one. Maybe it'll warm up enough this weekend for me to shoot some patterns.
It's about 10 below now. No problem with shot bridging in the copper tube. This 3" patch is large enough for about 1 1/2 OZ. of shot. I'll be using spit or crisco.

Deadeye

Wow! That looks cool! Let us know how it goes.

BTW- As I was passing through Anchorage I found some really heavy ticking at JoAnnes. No mike to measure, but I'll check it once I get home next week.

 

[DanChamberlain]

All you industrious types with lathes and such. I've decided to trump you all. I've just hired someone to load the gun for me.

Dan

 

[Twice boom]

All you industrious types with lathes and such. I've decided to trump you all. I've just hired someone to load the gun for me.

Dan

Some people got it made,Bro. :bow: :wink:
Twice.

 

[Deadeye]

TB, the copper tube with the funnel will hold way more shot than you would ever want to shoot. The 3" round patch in a 12 ga. will hold about 1 1/2 oz. for more you need to get a bigger patch or maybe a different shaped patch.
Deadeye

 

[luieb45]

Does the patch size need to differ with differing amounts of shot? Does it matter if the patch is round or square?

 

[Twice boom]

I thought it might hold a bit more than needed. Thanks.
Twice

 

[BrownBear]

Does the patch size need to differ with differing amounts of shot? Does it matter if the patch is round or square?

Not so far in my experience. Even having the patch a little off-center when seating doesn't appear to change the pattern for me, though someone here either reported oblong patterns or worried about them.

In fact I'm likely to cut down on the size of the patch I use because I just don't load as heavy as 1 1/2 oz or 1 1/4 oz most of the time.

 

[Joel/Calgary]

Even having the patch a little off-center when seating doesn't appear to change the pattern for me, though someone here either reported oblong patterns or worried about them.

I reported getting some oblong patterns, but I was trying circular paper shot patches. It may have to do with the paper's stiffness compared to washed-&-dried cloth, but I tried to gather them up as symmetrically as I could when loading.

Regards,
Joel

 

[BrownBear]

Thanks Joel. I think there's a whole lot of untilled ground on this whole idea, and every little bit helps.

I haven't got around to it yet, but I'm still planning on doing the same thing with soft leather patches. No reason for it, except I always seem to have scraps laying around. Maybe the same as ticking and maybe different in terms of results, but I won't know till I try.

 

[hoochiepapa]

BB-did you find any of that heavy ticking with the sizing? Mine is like thin cardboard.