Is it doable?

[hogtracer]

Dear elders
Is it is safe to shoot rifled slugs extracted from  12 gauge smokeless cartridges in a 12 gauge smooth bore black powder muzzle loader gun(Fowler)?If yes, what is the loading procedure and how much powder charge is needed.what may be the effective range. ?
                                  Thanks in advance.

[EC121]

Diameter and weight would be the determining issues.  If the slug weighs about the same as a shot load, the pressures would be about the same.  It needs to be tight enough to be accurate.

[SCLoyalist]

Hogtracer, take a look at 
 http://home.insightbb.com/~bspen/SmoothboreLoads.html
 http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?57308-75-calber-rifled-slug-for-smooth-bore

Since you're asking about 12 gauge slugs in a muzzleloader smoothbore, a google search of "shotgun slugs in Brown Bess" should turn up some other hits and discussions as to loads and accuracy to be expected.

Keep in mind that for muzzleloaders, even though a gun is marked "12 gauge" some barrel makers' products are closer to actually being 11 or 13 gauge, so some trial and error is to be expected in finding a slug that provides the tight fit that EC121 alluded to.   

Your earlier post mentioned wanting to kill pigs.  Whether you pick a 20, 16, or 12 gauge , I'd start with a roundball and experiment with it first.  On a fowler with no rear sight, I'd expect to be able to hit a (standing) pig sized target out to 50 yards, after which accuracy would probably start getting pretty 'iffy' with either slug or roundball.    A roundball should produce the energy and wound channel needed to kill a hog, but effective range/accuracy is something I think you're going to have to experiment with.     Good luck, SCL 

[Standing Bear]

gotta ask why?  IIRC a 12 ga slug weighws a little over 400 gr and a .710 rb weighs a little over 500 gr so if you are wanting more impact, shoot the rb.
TC

[Dphariss]

Dear elders
Is it is safe to shoot rifled slugs extracted from  12 gauge smokeless cartridges in a 12 gauge smooth bore black powder muzzle loader gun(Fowler)?If yes, what is the loading procedure and how much powder charge is needed.what may be the effective range. ?
                                  Thanks in advance.

Its cheaper to cast round balls.
They will hit harder and penetrate better.
Newer is not always better....

Dan

[Bob Roller]

Dear elders
Is it is safe to shoot rifled slugs extracted from  12 gauge smokeless cartridges in a 12 gauge smooth bore black powder muzzle loader gun(Fowler)?If yes, what is the loading procedure and how much powder charge is needed.what may be the effective range. ?
                                  Thanks in advance.

Its cheaper to cast round balls.
They will hit harder and penetrate better.
Newer is not always better....

Dan

Dan is right about the round ball.I haven't looked at a 12 gauge slug for YEARS and if they are still hollow,
you might insert a round ball into the hollow base to get the weight up and have the newer slug.

Bob Roller

[Kermit]

Dan said it. I suggest sticking with roundball. And practice.

[hogtracer]

Got the point sir
                            Thank you all.

[hanshi]

I agree completely; round ball only.

[Daryl]

I can only assume you are wanting the shuttle-cock stability of the 12 bore, Foster slug.

Lee sells the mould.

It will probably not cast the size you want - you will have to or have someone modify it to cast the size slug you want.

Most commercial Foster Slugs (hollow-base) weigh between 7/8ounce and 1 1/4ounce. The most popular are the older standby's the 1 ounce. 1 ounce is 437.5gr. nominally.  The Federal 1 1/4ounce slugs are 547gr. nominally.

As Dan noted, a solid round ball will hit harder and penetrate more deeply.

If unpatched, the slug will shoot "dirty" in your bore and will most likely lead it with long streaks of lead - they are very soft.

If patched to fit, that might work - all we can do is to speculate as to what will happen.

100gr. 2f is a good load to find out. The velocity will be barely over 1,000fps - less than a 12 bore modern round which runs up to 1,750fps. with a 1ounce slug. (they kick)

[WadePatton]

Got the point sir
                            Thank you all.

Thanks for asking and again for not getting defensive or argumentative with the results of your inquiry. (It can happen).

One can also find a huge pile of answers for questions previously posed using the search function here (or an external search limited to alr.org) and also in the archive.  The archive is separate, and that's the whole point of it being available to us, to seek and find. 

Welcome to the forum.

[Daryl]

Forgot to mention size of Foster Slugs & I noticed you are referring to slugs 'pulled' from 12 bore ammo.

IIRC, Remington Foster Slugs are .690", which is actually 3 thousandths smaller than a normal14 bore - That .690" is .040" smaller than a 12 bore - 40 thou! Most slugs, due to being almost or actually pure lead, obturate to fill the bore (.730") before hitting the choke which in full choke is nominally .690" - that is a big of stress, but the hollow design along with the 'wings' many mistakenly call rifling, take this 40 thou compression in stride - no damage,  which is another reason for being soft as well. They penetrate poorly due to very poor density.(sectional density is low)

Winch. and Federal are are largest at about .715" to .710", which is still .015" to .020" smaller than a 12 bore's smoothbore's inside dimension.