Smoothbore Shot Patterns

[roundball]

My experience is that larger size shot usually produces tighter patterns as their heavier weight make them bore through the air better, less affected by the air, etc.

I have a good load / 2 foot wide pattern at 25yds from my .54cal Flint smoothbore barrel using 1+1/8oz #6's...was planning to try it out this Saturday on squirrels.

Today I discovered a left over box of .12ga copper plated #4 Turkey shells and thought I'd rob the #4's out of them to try in the .54cal smoothie instead of the #6's.

Granted there will be fewer pellets overall, but my expectation is that the shot charge will hold together a little tighter for a little longer distance.

Any thoughts?

 

[jim gray]

I think you're right. Last year I shot a squirrel with a load of mixed 4's and 7 1/2's that were included with the gun when I bought it. At 25 - 30 yards I didn't find any of the smaller pellets in the squirrel and the dozen or so number 4's had penetrated to rest against the skin of his back. The shot was upward and from behind as he leapt from one old oak tree to another.

The fours will definitely get out farther and hit harder than the smaller stuff. I think that I'm going to get some fives to try out though. I have some sixes that I'd like to try on grouse, but the problem is that I tend to flush grouse as I walk into my squirrel hunting spots and really don't want to unload and reload with different shot after I get there. If I load each barrel with different shot, I won,t have time to think about which barrel to use once the grouse takes flight.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Less powder
More lead
Shoots far
Kills dead

More powder
Less lead
Up close
Wide spread

The heavier shot resists the upset of the muzzle blast and holds together better. Whan I was shooting my long barreled, chokeless Bess I got much better patterns with heavier shot driven slower. Granted, an ounce of shot is still an ounce of shot regardless of the size, but the mass of the individual pellets seems to have a big difference in holding their course.

 

[Rebel]

I like the #5 shot myself. I have used it for years on jackrabbits and cottontails. Also took my first turkey this spring with it.

 

[big bore 75]

last weekend I used stumkillers remedy less powder more shot it worked fairily well with #4 shot(chilled)I started using equall powder to shot 75 grains 2fg and used the same measure for shot over powder wad .500 cusion wad shot and card over the powder lubed with spit , shot the load and at 25 yards out side spread was sweet but left a huge 12-15" circle that did not have a hole in it I kept adding shot and less powder untill the pattern shrunk to a one inch on hit area I figuared that was good enough for now as i only have about 1/4 pound of shot left, but boy oh boy it was fun, that old tradition single shot 12ga. is fun. bb75

 

[Rebel]

Try splitting that .500 cushion wad in half and see if that doesn't help take the hole out of your pattern. I think that heavy wad gets blown through the shot column and blows the hole in the pattern. Ya might give it a try, can't hurt, and if it works for you, like it did for me, you get twice as many wads out of the bag. :front:

 

[crgabel]

I too am going for Tree Rats this weekend using a 28GA or 54 cal. My local builder suggested the Wonderwad over the powder instead of the .500 thick wad. He claims that it will pattern better than the .500 thick wad. I have some arriving from Track tomorrow. Can't wait to see how it goes. Thanks for the good info on shot size, I've been scratchen my head over that one for 2 days now. I'm going to try the #5 shot.
Craig

 

[Rebel]

Glad to be of help. The #5's seem to work real well. A bit bigger than a #6 and a bit smaller than a #4. Seems to be a good compromize size.

 

[roundball]

I too am going for Tree Rats this weekend using a 28GA or 54 cal. My local builder suggested the Wonderwad over the powder instead of the .500 thick wad. He claims that it will pattern better than the .500 thick wad. I have some arriving from Track tomorrow. Can't wait to see how it goes. Thanks for the good info on shot size, I've been scratchen my head over that one for 2 days now. I'm going to try the #5 shot.
Craig

[url] FYI...In[/url] my new GM .54cal Flint smoothbore barrel, the following gives me a perfect 2 foot pattern at 25yds, several pellets in a coke can, etc:

70grns Goex 3F
Two Oxyokes Wonderwads
1+1/8oz #6's
Circle Fly overshot card

 

[Deadeye]

In testing a TC 54 that I bored out to 20 ga. using my homemade shot capsules containing 1 1/8 oz. of # 8 + wads.
Didn't have a pattern board but shooting a beer can at 27 yds. I counted 32 hits. If larger shot shoot better I should be able to blow a turkey's head clear off. I'll do some more tests and see.

 

[roundball]

In testing a TC 54 that I bored out to 20 ga. using my homemade shot capsules containing 1 1/8 oz. of # 8 + wads.
Didn't have a pattern board but shooting a beer can at 27 yds. I counted 32 hits. If larger shot shoot better I should be able to blow a turkey's head clear off. I'll do some more tests and see.

Yeah, the large volumes of smaller shot fill out a pattern of course, but the key to hunting in having the 'energy' at distance for penetration/power.

A rudimentry penetration test is to use a bunch of heavy metal cans, like tuna cans, to test penetration at different distances.

In my .62cal/.20ga smoothie, my long range turkey load that gave a tight pattern and penetrated tuna cans at 40yds is as follows:

70grns Goex 3F (or 80grns 2F)
Two Oxyoke wonderwads
Paper shotcup
1+5/8oz #6's
Over shot card

Tight enough to put eight pellets in a coke can size target at 40yds...should handle a turkey head & neck...just need to get one to cooperate and get within 40yds!
::

 

[big bore 75]

Dead eye what did you use to bore out the 15/16 barrel to 20 ga. I have a old 50 15/16 barrel that is completely wore out,I've been thinkng of doing that too.

Rebel thaks for the insite, about splitting the cosion wad I did not think of that, but was thinkin on punching a hole in the center of the couson wad wondering what that would do.I had heard it could help but that is speculation, but it sure is fun. bb75

 

[rudy parnell]

I would prefer the #4's on varmits. The 6's is good all around for birds and varmits. Remember that the buffered shot or coated shot is much harder. Unless you are pouring on the powder, you really won't get much for the extra money that it cost. And you'll expend less energy into the quarry if you don't hit um hard with the buffered shot. When pure lead hits it flattens out and slaps harder. My experience is that the harder shot will hold up at greater ranges. This would be an advantage to the big bore shotgun.

 

[gmww]

Dead eye what did you use to bore out the 15/16 barrel to 20 ga. I have a old 50 15/16 barrel that is completely wore out,I've been thinkng of doing that too.

I'd like to know too. I have an old .54 barrel that is 15/16" that I'd like to convert.

 

[Rebel]

I punch holes in my thick overshot wads before i glue the cushion wad to them. I glue them together so there is one less step in loading. After gluing them i dip the cushiion wad in melted Crisco. Not sure if the hole helps a lot after they are glued together, might be better to put a nick in the edge to let air escape while seatin.

 

[big bore 75]

I do nick the edges with my knife, some were I read about punching a hole about center of the wad, I'll have to try and see what id does. bb75

 

[Deadeye]

You could probably get by with just a drill and polishing.
I used an under sized drill and a expandable reamer
to get a smooth finish then polished. It still came out a little larger than I planned by the time it was polished,
.625 rather than .620 but that doesn't seem to have made any difference in how it shoots. This particular barrel is 1" but 15/16' is plenty big, I just happened to have this one in 1". I've never seen any reason to nick or punch any holes in any of my wads for this barrel or my Fucil which is .620.

 

[bnail]

how would buck shot work in a 44" smoothie?

 

[roundball]

how would buck shot work in a 44" smoothie?

Don

 

[AZ-Robert]

That's pretty darn impressive.

I guess #1 (.30) buckshot or smaller would probably stack up in there pretty neatly. Single 0 (.32) or larger would probably get you back into that stagger pattern.