Patterning the Shotgun

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

Not feeling the best today with some kind of flu, but I had enough of laying around waiting to feel better.

Went out to 35 yards with the CVA Hawken 12g and loaded up 70gr Goex 2f, 1 1/8oz, over powder wad, 1oz lead shot,thick wad and of course the over shot card.


Backed it down to 1oz 7 1/2 shot and NO thick wad.


Once I feel better I can play around with powder/shot charges.

Recoil is not bad at all! 70gr with 1 1/8oz really started to show the recoil but still not in the 20 gauge shotgun level.

If grouse season were tomorrow, I'd be hunting.

[trentOH]

What was your aiming point?

I hope you get to feeling better very soon!

[Dan]

Was wondering about that too.

I dunno what qualifies as a proper load for BP shotguns, only that in my younger years shotshells were sold with dram equivalent loads, meaning they had a charge velocity equivalent to X drams of BP.  That's the way I understood it anyway.  Factory loads tended to be a little more sedate back then, also as I recall, and I'm talking about the '50s, '60s and '70s.

Later in life I did a lot of clay shooting and found that low velocity loads patterned tighter for the most part than higher for the most part. Read "higher" as supersonic +.  Your patterns look good and dense.  If they are going where you want, you got yourself a load.

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

aiming at the middle of the squirrel, right around the elbow area.

[Kermit]

Sure nailed that tail!

[heelerau]

 Mate'
           I use 2 1/2 drs of ffg, and an ounce and 1/8 of no 4 shot , thick felt wad greased with minnie lube over a card over powder wad, single over shot wad card over the rh charge, two over card wads over the left hand charge. I use this in a nice English percussion gun, have shot plenty of duck  and rabbits,   patterns real even at 30 yds.  essentially equal volume of powder, wadding, and shot. Cheers and good luck Heelerau
 Ps I have found heavier shot than you might use in the same load in a britch loader, carries better from a muzzle loader.

[Daryl]

It is common if using an octagonal barreled smoothbore (straight sighting plane), to shoot low with shot - or ball for that matter.

 Look at any shotgun and see how high the standing breech is, compared to the muzzle. Even then, our eye (rear sight) is above the huge (in comparrison to the muzzle) breech, and the shot hits centre.

You will have to learn how high above the breech to have your eye - or put a block on the barrel that you have to look over to see the front bead. The bead should barely be above the muzzle's surface as well. Rifle stocks generally have too much drop for good shotgun shooting - however you can teach yourself how to hold to centre your patterns.

You are getting decent patterns - just low impact due to the above-noted errors.
This is normal, nothing to worry about and easy to remedy.

[bosteldr]

I have found that 7 1/2 is too light for squirrels, better luck using 4 or 5 for a kill shot.  7 1/2 just knocked them out of the tree and required a quick reload or another means to kill.

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

dang thats pretty crappy is 7 1/2 cant even kill a squirrel. We use it all the time for grouse.

[Daryl]

Back east, shooting black and grey squirrels with the odd fox squirrel thrown in, I use 1 oz. of # 4's and 5's from my little single 20 bore.  When switching to the O/U 12 bore, I kept the same shot size, but upped the load to 1 1/4oz. field loads- 3 drams. Was usually good to just over or around 40 yards with the 12.

I preferred 6's for grouse, which were always flying dead away, flushing wildly 30 to 40yards out.  At the longer ranges, the 7 1/2's were a bit light for heavy fall feathers- and also, too many pellets in the meat at closer ranges.

 Here in BC, we oft times head shoot grouse with our moose rifles or with a .22 kept in the truck just for them as they peck for gravel on the logging roads on mid day drive a-bouts.

Taylor was with me, back in about 78 when I shot a grouse behind old Les Hawke's diggins on Walcott Road between Smithers/Houston. I had my moose charge in the .58, 140gr. 2F and a .575" ball. I guess I pulled a mite low - we saw some birds fly behind the smoke and Taylor said "you missed".  It certainly appeared that way.
As the smoke cleared, we could see pieces of grouse and lots of feathers in the willow bush that was behind the grouse.  Appeared my shot went dead centre and spread the grouse thinnly in the surrounding bushes and ground. One leg hung by a sinew strand wrapped around a tiny twigg, swinging slowly back and forth - while somewhat amusing, it left nothing for "fare" & an empty dirty gun.

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

oh not here, our grouse are on the fat side and normally fly if they are roosting in a tree or after the shooting begins.

Our grouse area,


My brother and I with the evenings first few

Evenings end


I think my catch next year will drop unless I buy a double barrel BP shotgun 

[Dennis Glazener]

I think my catch next year will drop unless I buy a double barrel BP shotgun  Grin

Now that's my kind of hunting! Nothing like wing shooting with a flintlock. I just wish back in the days when we had plenty of Bob White quail that I would have had access to a flintlock. I would have enjoyed that so much!

None of that sitting on a cold deer stand waiting for a deer to finally walk by. Lots of walking/shooting and good eating!
Dennis