.62 Fowler Smoothbore - What load combination are you using?

[Hood]

Just curious what load you are using for a .62 Fowler as far as ball diameter, powder type and grains, patched or not.

What type of accuracy are you seeing with this combination?

Thanks

[rich pierce]

80 grains of FFG, .600 ball, 0.016” mink oil-lubed patch. I know the patch seems too thick by calculation but it loads. Patches are perfect on recovery so accuracy is going to come. It’s a new gun so I’ve got to get used to shooting it.

[Brokennock]

2 different 20 gauge smoothbore guns.
One has 2 "sweet spot," loads.
TVM Early Virginia Smoothrifle:
80 grains 3f, thin "overshot card," lubed felt wad, .610 ball, 2 thin overshot cards.
Or,
67 grains 3f, thin card, .595 ball patched with lubed .010 cotton.
This gun does not like tight loads. A loosely patched .595 ball shoots far better with 67 or 80 grains of powder than a tightly patched .600 ball does with any powder charge.
Smoothbores are not rifles.

I don't consider a load acceptable unless it shoots 4 inch or less groups off the bench at 50 yards. I don't have much occasion to try it further, or reason to for that matter.

The other gun, a Centermark Fusil des Chase, will shoot a patched .600 ball over 85 grains 3f very well, but it is a lighter gun and can get uncomfortable to shoot this load in anything but an offhand position. Also, I'd like a more historic load for it.
Right now 75 grains 2f, unused felt wad, lubed tow/faux-tow wadding near, .610 ball, overshot card seems to be on the right track. This does need to be played with more. Going to try a 1×2" strip of brown paper folded to 1×1" between powder and lubed tow/faux tow. I like to have a barrier between lubed material and powder, and something to help keep gasses from blowing through the tow wadding. I've tried thin overshot cards and nitro wads but this gun reacts poorly to something stiff between powder and ball.

[Daryl]

One of our lads uses and has only one gun, a 20 bore left hand Pennsylvania Fowler.  He loads a .595" ball patched in .020" ticking over 85gr. 3F GOEX.  On our trail, we have targets from card splits, to straw cuts, to string cuts and gongs of numerous sizes from 20 yards to 110yards. Norm shoots that smoothbore like a rifle and indeed, he is difficult to beat when shooting against him with a rifle.
Taylor shoots his Pennsylvania 20 bore almost as well, sometimes better, sometimes Norm beats us when we're shooting our rifles against his 20 bore.

[JEH]

Was playing with one of my 62 smoothies a couple years ago working up a deer load. 90gr 2f, nitro card. 1/2" fiber and enough patch to keep the .595 ball in the bore. Paper plate accuracy at 50 yds. On a whim I changed to 3F with everything else the same. Darn thing shoots 3" groups! Just have to play with em!

[Hungry Horse]

 You have to remember that the difference between shot loads, and round ball loads is major. What works for one is not likely to work for the other. Shot requires a gentler push, rather than a violent blast. So I try to stay with 1F, or 2F for shot loads. I might try some 3F for a round ball load, but keep in mind if you add all the modern shotgun junk to your load, you’re skating out on the thin ice on a gun with a thin shotgun barrel.
 I personally don’t use all the cards, and wads, I just use a fat charge of 2F ( usually about a 100 grns. ) and a chunk of wasps nest instead of a card to hold the load in. If I can’t get wasp nest I use a thin card, cut on one side so it is less likely to blow my pattern.

Hungry Horse

[al56]

.595 round ball with 65 grains of 2f.  I use .015 patching.  For deer hunting I up it to 70 grains.

[Prairie dog shooter]

I load 80 grains of 2-f, a .600 ball and 0.015 pillow ticking for shooting trail walk gongs.  The same charge with 1 & 1/8 ounce shot, Circle fly cards and wads for birds and small game. 

[Bob Gerard]

For shot, 90 grains 2F square load. I use 75grain measure of corn meal for over-powder and just some paper toweling for over-shot. Packs a wallop and nice pattern out to 30 yards.
For prb it likes 80g 2F, .595 and .018 ticking but I am still developing this load.

[Jerry]

Real close to what Rich Pierce is using.