Turkey Loads?

[Blind Dog]

I have used both but the guns have liked 3fffg the best and I do also based on pattern and hits.

JMHO

Sorry meant 2F or 3F. Ever try 1F? Lower pressures seem to give better, tighter, patterns.

 

[Huntschool]

Sorry meant 2F or 3F. Ever try 1F? Lower pressures seem to give better, tighter, patterns.

I have not used 1fg. Always found it to be too dirty. Lower pressures do give tighter patterns.

 

[Brokennock]

Sorry meant 2F or 3F. Ever try 1F? Lower pressures seem to give better, tighter, patterns.

I've heard good things about better patterns with coarser powder. But, I've found 2f to leave too much fouling for easy reloads with my turkey loads. I use 3f in my 20 gauge for turkey and my roundball loads. I'm experimenting with 2f for squirrels and other small game. And, have also read too many reports here of a distinct lack of killing power on birds smaller than turkeys, without using obscenely increased powder charges.

 

[Rich]

seriously thinking of taking the smoothie out this spring to try on the mountain Merriums in the White River Forest. For elk I use a .600 round ball with 90 grains of FFF. I was thinking of using FF with 90 grains and 1-1/4 oz of 6’s. Sound good or would you do different with a .20 bore?

Shooting 67 grains of Goex FFG, powder card, cushion wad, 1oz #6 shot from 62 cal smoothbore at 32 yards gives me this pattern. More powder just seems to thin the shot pattern markedly. FFFG powder also seems to disperse the shot too much.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/62-smooth-bore-by-wkd.112199 about 8 post down, see picture.

 

[hinamanra]

seriously thinking of taking the smoothie out this spring to try on the mountain Merriums in the White River Forest. For elk I use a .600 round ball with 90 grains of FFF. I was thinking of using FF with 90 grains and 1-1/4 oz of 6’s. Sound good or would you do different with a .20 bore?

I worked through about a few hundred load combinations in my Fusil de Chasse 42" .618 cylinder bore (no rear sight). 1F 2F 3F, OP card 1/2" fiber wad lubed wet with ballistol and thin OS cards with 4, 5's and 6's. 3F seemed to blow the shot pattern no matter what the wad/shot combination so I gave up on 3F. I had good results with 1F and 2F. To make a long story short, I best load I came up with is 110 gr by volume of 2F, 4 thin over shot cards in place of the thick OP card, the 1/2" fiber wad lubed with ballistol split into 4 sections and 2 oz.by weight of nickle plated #5's. at 30 yards the pattern is just about as tight as my tightly choked 835 ultimag turkey gun and will penetrate a steel soup can and the 1/2" plywood back stop. I couldn't tell the difference between using 1F and #4's or #6's loaded the same way. I use 2F because that's what I shoot in everything else. I've killed two eastern long beards at 20 and 25 yards and it killed them dead no flop not even a flinch out of them. This is the only gun I hunt with anymore.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

That's a pretty stout load for a 20. More of what I'd recommend for a 12-10. Can't argue with your results though!

 

[hinamanra]

It doesn't feel any different than 100 gr behind a round ball. but if you compare it to what the normal 20 bore loads everyone is shooting, I'd say stout. My normal game load is a square load with 1 or 1 1/8 oz of shot.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I've done 140gr 3f and 2 1/2oz of shot in a 10 bore before while working up a good pattern. very similar to being hit in the head with a wet mop. Very effective load though.

 

[Blind Dog]

That might be just a wee stout for this old man...

 

[GANGGREEN]

Can anybody give a ballpark what we're talking about from a volume standpoint for a 1, 1.25, 1.5 or 2 ounce load of #5s or #6s? I suppose I can weigh shot loads and carry them in small "speed loaders", but it would be nice to know what the approximate volume was so you could load out of a powder loader in the field.

 

[Zonie]

Using a adjustable black powder measure you can figure on about .014 ounces of shot per grain of measured black powder.

Using this figure we have
50 grain volume = 11/16 oz of shot
70 grain volume = 1 oz
90 grain volume = 1 1/4 oz
110 grain volume = 1 1/2 oz
145 grain volume = 2 oz

Of course, these are just approximations and each size of shot will be slightly different but they should be close enough for muzzleloading shotguns.

Here's another link to a post on the forum in the Articles, Charts and Technical References section.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/powder-measure-shot-loads-chart.21119/

 

[GANGGREEN]

Thanks Zonie, that's very helpful, I'm going to have to write that down and put it with my fowler range box.

 

[Grenadier1758]

You can get a combined shot/powder measure. These dippers have markings in both ounces of shot (by volume) and drams (volume of course).

Unfortunately Track of the Wolf is out of stock.
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/100/1/SHOT-DIPPER-D

However Dixie has one. Its a bit cheap and limited to 1 1/8 ounces of shot.
https://www.dixiegunworks.com/index...35/product_name/QA6443+ADJUSTABLE+SHOT+DIPPER

 

[jrmflintlock]

seriously thinking of taking the smoothie out this spring to try on the mountain Merriums in the White River Forest. For elk I use a .600 round ball with 90 grains of FFF. I was thinking of using FF with 90 grains and 1-1/4 oz of 6’s. Sound good or would you do different with a .20 bore?

You shouldn't have too much trouble as long as you know where your smoothie patterns with that load at each distance. And stay within those known distances.

You have to remind yourself that the gun you are shooting is not a modern suppository gun and you can not reach out and touch the bird. If the bird hangs up beyond your known lethal distance, just don't pull the trigger! The Tom deserves the most lethal blow you can give him!

If its all about the kill, use a modern shot gun.

Your load is plenty within its own parameters. Know them and and stay within them!

Good luck!!!!