AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Black Powder Shooting => Topic started by: Kurt on April 04, 2025, 07:27:41 PM
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.395. How much powder did you use, and what was the damage like? Blown up?
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Four of them. Three with 395s and one with 570. All were hard cast with wheel weights. Head shot with the 58 and center breast shot with the 40s. No real meat damage of any consequence. 55 gr of 2f swiss on all 4.
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Many with head shots using a .45 and .50, and a few to the breast straight on with .36.
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Generally speaking, the velocity is too low in a ML to get the demonstrative blow-ups with round balls.
However, a .32 to .40 with a heavy pdr charge will do just THAT to a grouse's body. Head shots only.
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I have killed two with a 36cal using 40gr of 2f powder. No damage to speak of. Both were body shots facing me.
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In the southern mountains, there was comment or decriptions about turkey rifles/calibers, deer rifles and bear guns. I don't remember where the breaks occurred but I think "turkey" rifles went to about .40. It took a big bore to qulaify as a bear rifle. Perhaps Cades Cove Fiddler or one the other southern members can remember the break down in calibers.
J.B.
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Smylee, wheelweights? Why and what kind of patch?
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Hi Ben, I used a 50/50 mix of wheel weights and lead. My thought at the time was a little harder ball would spoil less meat. I used an 18/1000 patch instead of th usual 20/1000.
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lots with a .40 and 60 grains of fff
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This reminds me of a story my grandad told me about killing a turkey with his .36 caliber squirrel gun. He was hunting rabbits, and squirrels, and stumbled onto this turkey in the tall grass. He said it was the first one he’d seen in the wild. It flushed and flew straight away from him, he swung the little rifle up, and as he crossed the turkey’s back he fired. He said it was the most perfect shot he’d ever made, and the turkey just folded up and crashed to the ground. This was in Missouri in about 1920. He said he was hunting for small game for the family table, and the turkey really was a treat. I think he was about thirteen years old at the time.
Hungry Horse
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Thanks for relating your experiences. Good stuff!
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(https://i.ibb.co/27NQvDbX/Flint-turkey.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Rpym3x5L)
I built this rifle to hunt turkeys with about 15 or more years ago. It has a Rice "B" profile 40 caliber barrel. Large Siler lock, Davis set triggers. My load is 60 grains of 3fg, .018 pillow ticking, canola oil lube, and .395 ball.
I shoot them in the wing butt and it just leaves a small clean hole in and out. Hardly any damaged meat at all. I've killed many birds with this rifle and load and never lost a one. The most distance one has covered after the shot was 10 yards.
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Only shot 1 turkey with a round ball. .36 caliber and 40 grains 3f. Was a younger, fall turkey and it nearly was split in half. Was only 15 yards away and that may have been why it was damaged so much. Also was a pure lead ball.
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Darkhorse, nice picture composition.
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I wish hunting turkeys with a flintlock and roundball was allowed here.
Robby
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(https://i.ibb.co/whh4Z1xy/IMG-9779.jpg) (https://ibb.co/d44DsyzB)
A 0.395 roundball and 65 gr. of GOEX 3f at 23 yards with this Kibler mountain rifle. (Earlier model with the 46” barrel.) The ball went through the base of the neck, top of breast area and did not damage much meat.
I have shot other turkeys, some being smaller fall birds, and none of them were appreciably damaged by being shot with a roundball.
My thoughts are if you mostly hit meat and organs you’ll get holes without too much tissue damage. Hit bones and all bets are off.
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Another great pic. I like it.
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(https://i.ibb.co/nMxy4v6j/40-gobbler.jpg) (https://ibb.co/JjDT84mH)
This was a bigger bird. I took this one the year before our population crashed. There hasn't been any turkeys as far as I could tell on our property in over 3 years now.
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Yepper, about 10 years ago while posting for squirrel’s, a small flock of turkeys stepped over the hill top that i was hunting on. Sitting on the ground against a large oak tree they walked straight towards me. At about 45 yards they noticed me an did a 180 back over the hill. One- just one at about 50 yards stopped an stuck his head up at the hills crest. Offhand, 45 cal, i aimed for his eye. ‼️. The ball caught him square plumb center of his noggin. I smiled at every mouthful eating that critter…… $#*!’ that was a shot ill never forget……
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Turkey with a round ball? I have never looked.
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(https://i.ibb.co/nMxy4v6j/40-gobbler.jpg) (https://ibb.co/JjDT84mH)
This was a bigger bird. I took this one the year before our population crashed. There hasn't been any turkeys as far as I could tell on our property in over 3 years now.
Any idea why the population crashed? Coyotes? Bobcats?
Just curious.
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We got plenty of coons and bobcats but the collapse was statewide. The DNR has been studying the issue for several years now but I haven't heard any results.
At the peak we had some really large flocks now we don't have a single turkey. I think increasing human encroachment is playing a part along with outdated laws concerning predator hunting/
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Some interesting reading from Lewis's American Sportsman
SHOOTING TURKEYS.
Various plans are resorted to by huntsmen to kill turkeys, dependent in a great measure upon the particular locality shot over.
If the country be new and wild, and the birds abundant, as well as seldom pursued, much less stratagem is necessary to approach them than if the region proportionately scarce and case it is thickly settled and the turkeys pro-wary from previous hunting much labor, skill, and cunning, to requires for in this; entice them within gun or rifle-shot.
A good turkey-dog is of great consequence, Audubon remarks, in the pursuit of these birds, as they not only scent the game from a great distance, but, when up with service in running into their midst it, perform the most essential and forcing them to take flight to the trees in the utmost confusion, thus procuring for the sportsman the most desirable shots.
If the turkeys were not thus scattered by the dog and made to take to the trees in disorder and terror, they would all make off in a body with such suddenness and precipitancy that would be it impossible for the sportsman to come up with them.
The wild turkey runs with amazing celerity, vigor, and bottom, insomuch that they soon outstrip both dog and rider; even when badly winged, it requires a swift dog to overtake them.
Turkeys are easily killed if shot in the head or neck; when hit only in the body they most frequently make off and are lost to the hunter.
It is a common practice in some localities to shoot these birds on their roost on moonlight nights, when they can be distinguished quite easily on the trees.
Dr. Sargent states " that wild turkeys commence gobbling a little before the break of day, and continue on their roosts until broad daylight during this interim, the hunter can cautiously glide within shooting distance of the tree upon which they are perched, and, silently and patiently awaiting until the dawn has broken, secure his game without further trouble. This march upon our victims must be accomplished in
the most stealthy manner; otherwise, the wary gobbler will be alarmed, and seek safety in the most inglorious flight."
I've always wanted to try shooting with RB on the roost.
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We got plenty of coons and bobcats but the collapse was statewide. The DNR has been studying the issue for several years now but I haven't heard any results.
At the peak we had some really large flocks now we don't have a single turkey. I think increasing human encroachment is playing a part along with outdated laws concerning predator hunting/
We have had the same thing in my area. Used to see turkeys out in fields everywhere ten years ago, now it's rare. Reasons I have heard include bird flu, West Nile virus, predators, cold and wet spring weather, pesticide coatings on seed corn they scratch up and aflatoxin from spoiled corn in deer bait piles over winter. Nothing conclusive yet though. I do know I've been hammering the coons all winter at my place for several years and it's helped, still have a few here to hunt.