Good 24 ga shot load?

[Bigmon]

I have a 24Ga flintlock fowler that I need to develop a good hunting load for.  I have a bunch of #6 shot so would like to use that.
I also have the thick fiber wads, thin cardboard wads and felt wonder wads.
Don't seem to matter how I load it I don't get much of a pattern, or hit hard over 15 or 20 yards?
Any ideas are appreciated, thanks

[Robby]

How long is the barrel? I used the Skychief load configuration with 1-1/4 ov. #4 &#6 mix with 80gr. ff. My barrel is 48" long, it does make a difference. Good luck!!!!
Robby

[Daryl]

1 1/4 seems like a lot of shot to me, for a .58 smoothbore. I use 82gr. and 1 1/8oz. in my choked 20 bore.
I would think 70gr. to 75gr. and 1 ounce might be a better load for a 24 bore.
I guess the .58 isn't that much smaller and I know there are fellows who REALLY load the powder and lead
in their 20's.
So - Skychief load - how does that shoot?
Just overshot wads, no thick wad - how does that shoot?
Good looking gun, really slim in the wrist. Looks like it would be a fast handler.

[Bigmon]

BBl is 40".
I had tried 75gr 2F / one thick fiber wad / an equal amount of #6 by volume / and a thin cardboard over the shot.
Not a good patern.

[bob in the woods]

Toss the thick fibre wad.  I used the thin wads exclusively in my 28 bore and it patterned beautifully.  It was a real good partridge gun, but a friend talked me out of it 
Try 70 to 75 gr powder , thin wad , 1 oz shot and another thin wad.   Give the Skychief road a try as well

[Sparkitoff]

I have a 24 gauge that shoots best with a square load from the 65 grain measure. I use a over powder card, 1 cotton ball lightly lubed, another card then shot and an over shot thin card.

[Daryl]

My chart indicates that a 60gr. measure holds 7/8oz and 70gr. holds 1 ounce.
The more weight you put behind/below the shot, the more chance there is of "blowing" the pattern wide or do-nut'ing it.

[Robby]

Daryl, 1-1/4 oz. is what it likes and the results are what I like, that makes us one in out endeavor.


Robby

[martin9]

I shoot 1&1/4 ounce of shot with 70 grains of 2f out of my 28. It's throws a fine turkey killing pattern out to 25+ yards. I wouldn't be worried about that load out of a 24.   Depends on if you want to do a lot of wingshooting....then you have to worry about shot stringing with the bigger loads.

[Daryl]

Shot string length is mostly critical when pass shooting, or shooting rising birds.

[Tim Ault]

My chart indicates that a 60gr. measure holds 7/8oz and 70gr. holds 1 ounce.
The more weight you put behind/below the shot, the more chance there is of "blowing" the pattern wide or do-nut'ing it.

.  Where would one find a volume /grain to the oz. chart like what you mentioned ?

[Daryl]

Right here, although I don't know where I got it from. The 'chart' I printed out has been on the wall now for at least 15 years. It might have been on the wall
in the shop in the other house as well.  I'll copy it out. Save and print it if you want.
These are stricken measures"  Different "makes" of stricken measures, will throw different amounts, especially in different granulations & different "makes" of powder.
Best to check your measures with a powder scale.
 The powder drams, lines up closely with the powder throws/drams equivalence charts:
Measure ------shot-----actual drams measure at marked weight
1/. 50gr.        3/4oz.  = 1.83drms
2/. 60gr.        7/8oz.  = 2.20 drams
3/. 70gr.       1 ounce = 2.56 drams
4/. 80gr.       1 1/8oz = 2.93 drams
5/. 90gr.       1 1/4oz = 3.29 drams
6/. 100gr.     1 3/8oz = 3.66 drams
7/. 110gr.     1 1/2oz = 4.10 drams
8/. 120gr.     1 5/8oz = 4.40 drams

1 dram = 27.3gr. To this day, most modern shotshell boxes still mark the loads in drams equivalence.
1/. 54.60gr. = 2   drams
2/. 61.40gr. = 2 1/4 dr.
3/. 68.25gr. = 2 1/2 dr.
4/. 75.10gr. = 2 3/4 dr.
5/. 82.00gr. = 3 drams
6/. 88.70gr. = 3 1/4 dr.
7/. 95.60gr. = 3 1/2 dr.
8/. 102.4gr. = 3 3/4 drams
9/. 109.2gr. = 4 drams
10. 116.0gr. = 4 1/4 drams
11. 123.0gr. = 4 1/2 drams

[Tim Ault]

Thank you very much !

[Daryl]

Welcome, Tim. I made some changes - including what the 50gr. through 120gr. measures throw by actual dram weight.