I have a 12 gauge Petersoli side by side percussion shotgun. I believe that it has improved and modified barrels. Can I shoot round balls out of this gun? How? Where do I get the balls if it is ok. We have a combined season here in PA where we can hunt small game and shoot deer with a muzzleloader at the same time.
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Shooting Pumpkin Balls from My Shotgun - How?
- Thread starter bls4321
- Start date
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Yes, you can, assuming you can load it past the choke...
I would suggest use a smaller ball, like a .648, .678 or a .690 and load it as follows...
Powder
Over powder card
1/2 inch fiber wad
Pumpkin ball
2 (Two) over shot cards
I would not suggest using a patched round ball because of the chokes, the "loose" ball between the 1/2 inch fiber wad and the 2 over shot cards will fly true enough for the range you should be shooting...
Many companies in our supplier's links sell pumpkin balls (musket balls) Track of the Wolf is a good store to deal with, as well as Warren Muzzleloading and many, many others...
"If" you are going to load one barrel with shot and the other with a pumpkin ball, then load the pumpkin ball in the looser choke...
Here is a quick link to Track's musket ball page...
Musket Balls
I would suggest use a smaller ball, like a .648, .678 or a .690 and load it as follows...
Powder
Over powder card
1/2 inch fiber wad
Pumpkin ball
2 (Two) over shot cards
I would not suggest using a patched round ball because of the chokes, the "loose" ball between the 1/2 inch fiber wad and the 2 over shot cards will fly true enough for the range you should be shooting...
Many companies in our supplier's links sell pumpkin balls (musket balls) Track of the Wolf is a good store to deal with, as well as Warren Muzzleloading and many, many others...
"If" you are going to load one barrel with shot and the other with a pumpkin ball, then load the pumpkin ball in the looser choke...
Here is a quick link to Track's musket ball page...
Musket Balls
I would say yes. If you can get it in the powder can push it out. An ounce of lead ball is no harder to move than an ounce of shot, but there might be some concern about it lacking the ability to squeeze through the choke, like a shot column can. Use a .690 ball and a 0.020" or 0.021" lubed cotton patch and you'll be fine. I wouldn't recommend the available 0.715" size ball because of that modified barrel. I also wouldn't go over 82 gr of FFg by any means, and I wouldn't try it with a screw-in choke tube.
I hurl them out of my 12 ga New Englander and they are a real stomper out to 50 yards. You can try making some up in rolled paper cartridges for ease of use & carry.
Thunder Ridge - Round Lead Balls
Track of the Wolf - Round Lead Balls
Have fun punkin chunkin!
I hurl them out of my 12 ga New Englander and they are a real stomper out to 50 yards. You can try making some up in rolled paper cartridges for ease of use & carry.
Thunder Ridge - Round Lead Balls
Track of the Wolf - Round Lead Balls
Have fun punkin chunkin!
Just remember, when you fire either barrel, drop the ramrod back down to make sure the unfired charge is still on the powder. And never load one side, without uncapping the other.
tcsmokepole
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I don't think you're allowed to use a multi-barrel gun for deer. I don't see anything wrong with it myself, but you probably ought to look in your hunting laws book before you do it.
Correct you are. I went to the PA game commission web site and they are specific about it being a single barrel gun for the muzzleloading season. Sounds like something that is worth changing. I think I will start the process. I wonder if I took the hammer off of the left side if it would pass mustard? Defeats the purpose of what I want to do. Would love to grouse or squirrel hunt and take a crack at a deer if one came by.
Brian
Brian
B.Habermehl
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Certainly it would be legal for the regular rifle season. NO it would not be legal for the early muzzloader season. As was stated single barrel guns only for deer. However nothing would stop you from going back to the car and switching guns to hunt small game later.
Rat
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In Washington State we can use a double, but one side must be left unloaded, during ML seasons.
I often hunt modern seasons with a ML...that would allow one here to use a double or swivel rifle/shotgun, but I don't have one. Just Bess for my smoothie and a Jeager on the way.
I do like side by side doubles though, and would like to have one with a rifled barrel on one side, and a smoothie on the other. Same with a swivel-breech if I had one. I've never understood why such "combination guns" are not popular...maybe because of the ML game regulations in most states...???
Obviously, a side by side with one barrel open-cylinder would work best...then you could use a tight ball and patch. Maybe open yours up? I prefer open cylinder for grouse anyhow. Bess will shoot tight patterns depending on how I build the shot-load, so sometimes a choke is not all that important...seems like a choked barrel and an open cylinder would be the best of both worlds, rather than two slightly different chokes.
????????
Rat
I often hunt modern seasons with a ML...that would allow one here to use a double or swivel rifle/shotgun, but I don't have one. Just Bess for my smoothie and a Jeager on the way.
I do like side by side doubles though, and would like to have one with a rifled barrel on one side, and a smoothie on the other. Same with a swivel-breech if I had one. I've never understood why such "combination guns" are not popular...maybe because of the ML game regulations in most states...???
Obviously, a side by side with one barrel open-cylinder would work best...then you could use a tight ball and patch. Maybe open yours up? I prefer open cylinder for grouse anyhow. Bess will shoot tight patterns depending on how I build the shot-load, so sometimes a choke is not all that important...seems like a choked barrel and an open cylinder would be the best of both worlds, rather than two slightly different chokes.
????????
Rat
NO!!!! I have been told that you shouldn't shoot pumpkin balls with a choked gun! You can shoot pumpkin balls out of a cylinder choked gun, but not even a improved cylinder choke. You will cause high pressures when the pumpkin ball bumps up because of the chamber pressures behind it and that will cause very high pressures when the ball reaches the choke. You could cause a bulged barrel or worse!!!!
i have a 20ga double from cabelas its choked ic and mod.i load 60grns 2f a wonder wad and a .600 ball wrapped in a .015 patch.it loads easy and shoots great with this combo. :m2c:
Brenneke slugs are solid conicals and they haven't been blowing up barrels since 1898. There is no danger as long as loads are kept in the sensible charge range and the ball is smaller than the choke. A 12 ga. has a 0.729" bore that restricts to about 0.719" in iImproved cylinder, 0.709 in a modified choke, and as far as 0.689 in a full choke. In the modified choke, that still leaves 0.029", meaning a 0.015" thick patch would only be compressed 0.001" (a sheet of copier paper is 0.004" thick).
With the modern steel of the Pedersoli, and having to be loaded fron the front, it is not a wildly dangerous practice. With a breechloader and the ability to get a ball in the breech that is smaller than the muzzle, and with Damascus barrels out there, you can make a very unsafe mistake. Modern rifled slugs are undersized and hollowbased, so they upset easily and fith themselves to the bore. The undersized ball and cloth patch work in a similar fashion with a muzzleloader smoothbore. To be ultra conservative, use a 0.650 ball in the modified barrel as Musketman suggested.
With the modern steel of the Pedersoli, and having to be loaded fron the front, it is not a wildly dangerous practice. With a breechloader and the ability to get a ball in the breech that is smaller than the muzzle, and with Damascus barrels out there, you can make a very unsafe mistake. Modern rifled slugs are undersized and hollowbased, so they upset easily and fith themselves to the bore. The undersized ball and cloth patch work in a similar fashion with a muzzleloader smoothbore. To be ultra conservative, use a 0.650 ball in the modified barrel as Musketman suggested.
Guest
A break cylinder hone works just fine - check your work often - and do the improved cylinder bore. IT won't take long to open up .009" or so to .001 or .002" of choke which will be as none - maybe 20 minutes. Use a variable speed electric drill- it's easy. Ct for a min or so, then measure. Go sowly and measure often.
: I've done this to many shotguns, 10, 12 and 20 bore, in changing their chokes to improve patterning with specific loads. The easiest way to remove the chokes compleetely, is to cut the barrels off and replace the bead, however to save one choked tube, save the modified one, and ream or grind the little amount of imp/cyl choke from the other.
NOTE!! ; 1st of all - shoot the imp/cyl barrel with patched round ball first. Glue a small piece of knotched wood to the breech for a rudimentary sight for better aiming. IT makes a BIG difference. If the accuracy isn't good enough, then remove the choke slightly, and re-shoot. Stop when the barrel gives the best accuracy, or when it's a true cylinder - whichever comes first. It's easy, it's simple- all you need is an electric drill & something like WD40 as a honing oil. I used to glue emery pathces to the worn out stones with cyanoacrylate glue (CA) and that worked even better than just the stones.
Daryl
: I've done this to many shotguns, 10, 12 and 20 bore, in changing their chokes to improve patterning with specific loads. The easiest way to remove the chokes compleetely, is to cut the barrels off and replace the bead, however to save one choked tube, save the modified one, and ream or grind the little amount of imp/cyl choke from the other.
NOTE!! ; 1st of all - shoot the imp/cyl barrel with patched round ball first. Glue a small piece of knotched wood to the breech for a rudimentary sight for better aiming. IT makes a BIG difference. If the accuracy isn't good enough, then remove the choke slightly, and re-shoot. Stop when the barrel gives the best accuracy, or when it's a true cylinder - whichever comes first. It's easy, it's simple- all you need is an electric drill & something like WD40 as a honing oil. I used to glue emery pathces to the worn out stones with cyanoacrylate glue (CA) and that worked even better than just the stones.
Daryl
