Shotloads for Varmit hunting

[Daryl]

RB - your last post on the plastic wad improved shooting was as I see it, except I think the plastic wads improve patterns mostly from holding the shot together out past the muzzle a bit longer than if there is no sideways guidance, more so than reduced deformations.  Instead of punching into the base of the shot cloud, the curved, cupped and/or thicker plastic base sections are cupping the shot cloud at the base, increasing the denisity of the pattern, much like the 'old Sweidish cupped wad" did, that Greener talked in in "The Gun etc. 9th edition".

[northmn]

Some used to play with a smaller card wad and then gluing a paper sleeve around the thing to bring it up to gauge.  May be an idea.  Forsyth talked about using his 9 gauge for choke testing so large bores were used in the old days.  My mention of drop shot was an historical observation.  With hard shot you can increase the shot sizes.  I would want a 10 bore minimum for 2 oz.  With buckshot you have to count pellets as they often do not add up to an even amount for oz, and do not measure well.  Whether that would matter much in a BP gun I do not know.  The Dead Coyote load is a Hevi-Shot tungston load using a tungston wad and tungston pellets do not deform. It may be difficult to get that type of pattern out of a BP gun.  Again like roundball's Eco shot you may find better results in a substitute.  Like rifles, you may have to get them closer for a smoothbore.

DP