Shot Bag on Strap?

[Marc Adamchek]

Have/had any of you a (smoothbore) shooting pouch rig wherein a shot bag was attached to one of the pouch's straps? Is this arrangement brilliant or a big pain in the arse? If you prefer keeping your shot elsewhere, please elaborate on the system that has worked out best for you. It seems that there are so many other things that need to be carried for a fowler than a rifle! I'm just trying to get something organized as best as possible.

 

[Dave K]

Marc, this is what works for me. I use a turkey hunters shooting vest, some use a fly fishing vest. The reason is, they have plenty of pockets. In my right pockets, I carry the powder flask, over powder cards and cushions. In the left pockets, I carry the shoot pouch and over shot cards. Around my neck is my Ted Cash capper. As you can see, when I go the the right pocket for powder and when I return the flask, I grap a card and cushion and ram them home. When I go to the left pocket, grap the shot flask and when I return the flask, I grap an over shot card and send that home. When all is safe, cap the nipples or prime the pans. You would be amazed how fast you can do this. To be more PC, I can hunt out of a shooting bag and I have. But, when I have game birds flying, I use this set up. Much faster. I even keep a T-handled rammer with muzzle guard, in a golf club sleeve tied to my shooting vest, for quicker reloading and I don't carry a rod in the gun.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I was given one of those leather hunting bags, with the shotsnake attached to the strap. The bag is HUGE, but I decided to carry it anyway. Nothing says you have to carry everything you own in it! The irish measure works okay, but as I have said here before, I found that the measurements marked on the dipper that comes with the device does not accurately throw the indicated amount of shot, using #5 shot. So, I take the dipper full of shot out of the snake, and pour it in a separate measure that I have set for the amount of shot I want to shoot, with that separate measure based on a weighed volume of shot. It takes me 1 1/2 measures of shot from my snake to get the shot charge I shoot, but that is okay. I am not in that much of a hurry. The Irish snake works fairly well, particularly if you don't try to fill it to the maximum capacity. I believe it can hold almost 2 lbs. of shot, which is a lot of weight to be hauling around on your shoulder.

As for ramrods, My double barreled 12 gauge has the ramrod thimbles removed. I carry the rod under the bag strap down the middle of my back, with the jag tucked into my belt. The rod sticks straight up behind my hand, interferes with nothing, and I can grab the rod and get it into action with the swipe of a hand behind my neck. I get some curious looks from modern shooters, which I ignore, and of course they all gather around to watch me load my gun after I kill that first bird. By the end of the hunt, they think I have come up with a good solution for carrying a loading rod, and they are impressed with the killing ability of a blackpowder shotgun.

 

[Rebel]

I fixed the head on my Irish flask to throw the amount of shot i want it to. It was supposed to be 1 oz, 1 1/8 oz, and 1 1/4 oz but i fixed it to throw 7/8 oz, 1 oz, and 1 1/8 oz by taking some .44 cal revolver wonder wads and seating them inside and then measureing a load into a measurer until i had enough of them to allow it to throw the loads i use most in my .20 ga.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Good advice. I am sure that works. My problem was that the scoop did not deliver enough shot, or fill completely with each pull from the snake. Since I could not get a consistent amount of shot from it, I went to a second measure to make sure. Any ideas what's wrong with my Irish measure?

 

[Rebel]

No i wouldn't know. Mine is an older CVA flask and seems to work right.Is there enough metal in the bottom f the scoop to drill it out some more so it will hold more shot?