nswilliams007
32 Cal
Hello all, so I own a Pietta 1851 .44 cal revolver that I carry around the homestead because we get the occasional rattlesnake around the house and don't want them messing with the chickens. Recently to improve the patterning of the birdshot loads I use for this purpose, I purchased a CSA JH Dance barrel for my 1851 made it smooth bore, and did the required modification to make it fit on an otherwise incompatible sub model for that barrel. Well now I'm on the other end of the spectrum, I can't get enough spread to not have to worry about causing too property damage.
I use the landmark distance of 6ft for all my testing because realistically, that's as close as I would ever get to a living rattlesnake, with the old rifled barrel I was producing a 6in pattern at that distance, after tinkering, the best group I could get with a slightly different loading method out of the smooth bore is about a 2in pattern, a very tight pattern that I worry may blow through the siding of stuff like the chicken coop or take a chunk out of the house foundation.
The current best load for the smooth bore in order of loading into the cylinder: 35gr FFFG Blackpowder > Wad > Compress Powder > 80gr of #8 Soft Lead Birdshot > Wad > Compress > Bore Butter
I'm wondering, what are my options for inducing a little more spread? When I undertook the whole project I expected some gains, but I got far tighter patterns than I ever imagined I would with the new barrel. Can anyone weigh in on this or maybe offer some loading advice?
I use the landmark distance of 6ft for all my testing because realistically, that's as close as I would ever get to a living rattlesnake, with the old rifled barrel I was producing a 6in pattern at that distance, after tinkering, the best group I could get with a slightly different loading method out of the smooth bore is about a 2in pattern, a very tight pattern that I worry may blow through the siding of stuff like the chicken coop or take a chunk out of the house foundation.
The current best load for the smooth bore in order of loading into the cylinder: 35gr FFFG Blackpowder > Wad > Compress Powder > 80gr of #8 Soft Lead Birdshot > Wad > Compress > Bore Butter
I'm wondering, what are my options for inducing a little more spread? When I undertook the whole project I expected some gains, but I got far tighter patterns than I ever imagined I would with the new barrel. Can anyone weigh in on this or maybe offer some loading advice?