16 ga turkey loads

[Dennis Glazener]

Last year I experimented with some shot cups made from strips of heavy brown paper bag material. I never was happy with the patterns from my 39 1/8" cyl bore 16 ga. I remember several years ago reading about using two strips of greased pillow ticking across the bore (like a plus sign) pushed down with a 16 bore sized (little undersized) dowel. Then filling the "cup" with your selected shot size then topping with an overshot card. Has anyone here tried something like this? Supposedly this was to give 5 to 10 more yard patterns.

Dennis
 

[Daryl]

Certainly sounds like a worthwhile experiment, Dennis.  I think I'd try a card or 2 overshot wads on the powder first, then the greased cloth, then overshot wad.

Too - post it notes might work.

Some here have said paper post it notes (or coin wraps) wrapped and glued around shot charges shoot too tight like slugs- no spreading - but - did they pattern at longer ranges, like 35 to 45 or even 60yards?  

The shot concentrators sold by many suppliers in England in the 1800's (noted by WWGreener in his book) for use in CYLINDER bores, had 'different' ranges, identified by the colour of the paper wrapping.  One of them, green, I think, was for shooting wolves and deer out to 50yards OR ducks at something past 75 or 80 yards.  These apparently worked like slugs close in and nice patterns further out. One such 'concentrator' put 28 pellets through a card of paper 4" X 7" at 75 yards - in a shooting contest by an English sportsman using a 14 bore SXS w/26" tubes at St. Louis and an American market hunter with a 12 bore SXS with 4' barrels. The American market hunting Gentleman called the Englishman's shotgun a "little pistol", indeed it was, compared to the 12 bore with 48" tubes.

Perhaps these paper wrapped concentrators could be 'adjusted with slits, etc' to give different ranges with our smoothbores as well.

[Dennis Glazener]

Perhaps these paper wrapped concentrators could be 'adjusted with slits, etc' to give different ranges with our smoothbores as well.

Last year I tried making shot "cups" out of 1 1/8" x 2 3/4" brown grocery store paper. Turn a wooden dowel just under bore size, put the paper strips on end of dowel (paper will fit in a "u" shape) slide it down until ends are even with muzzle, fill cup with 1 1/8 oz of shot, put over shot cared on top of that and ram home. (I use a over powder card and 1/4" fiber wad over that, then the shot cup etc). what you end up with is a 2 "petal" flower to peel back and release the shot.

I felt sure it would tighten up my patterns but it didn't, might have had too much powder if I remember I was using 75 gr of fffG Goex.

I want to try them again with lighter load of powder.
Dennis

[Robby]

I tried many different combo's in my 16Ga., including one similar to that one Dennis. The best solution for me was using those heavy paper index cards my wife uses in her recipe file. I don't remember the dimensions of the top of my head, I wrapped them around a wooden bore sized dowel leaving enough above the end of the wood so I could fold a crimp, similar to a shot gun shell, I would tap that crimp with a wooden mallet, that would secure it together so I could make a bunch ahead of time, slide it into the bore, fill with shot and send it home, over shot card it. It did tighten groups a bit, cutting the cushion wad to 1/8-3/16" made an even bigger difference.
I did end up jug choking the barrel and it has made all the difference, no more fooling around with cups.
http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/shotgun-tools/barrel-hones-accessories/shotgun-barrel-hone-prod7930.aspx

Easy to do and has no appreciable effect on accuracy of the patched round ball that I could see.
Robby

[Dennis Glazener]

Robby,
I have been thinking seriously about sitting my barrel up in the lathe and cutting a jug choke with a boring bar but I was a little concerned about getting the front/rear angles right. I looked at the barrel reamer awhile back and wondered how you got the angles right using it? Do you angle the ends of the stones or ?
Dennis

[Robby]

Dennis do you mean the entry and exit angles? I did have some concern about that, but figured a smooth transition in and out would be best and from my results I am either right, or it doesn't really matter. I marked the honing tool for maximum and minimum depth into the bore, if I remember correctly that space was a total of three inches long, I also marked the tool with the limit of my transition area, 1" each end, all starting 1" from the muzzle. Moving the tool back and forth in the choke area mainly and periodically running to the transition area to create a ramp. I used a pair of inside dividers to measure my progress. In the very center of the jug I took out about .025 total. I am very confident that it would be effective out to forty yards. I have not had to stretch it that far yet, but the paper tells me this and it also will penetrate a coffee can full of water, using 80Gr. ff, 1-1/2oz., #4 & #6 mix of shot. Maybe this year I will have to test that yardage, I think the turkeys are getting wary of my calling
Robby

[Dennis Glazener]

I marked the honing tool for maximum and minimum depth into the bore, if I remember correctly that space was a total of three inches long, I also marked the tool with the limit of my transition area, 1" each end, all starting 1" from the muzzle. Moving the tool back and forth in the choke area mainly and periodically running to the transition area to create a ramp. I used a pair of inside dividers to measure my progress. In the very center of the jug I took out about .025 total.

I wondered if that would work, obviously it did for you.

When you say .025" I assume you mean .0125 on each side?

I think the turkeys are getting wary of my calling Grin

For my calling I need an honest 60-70 yard gun
Dennis

[Telgan]

You and I need to go to turkey calling school

[Robby]

Yes, .0125 around.
Robby

[Eric Krewson]

I tried a lot of shot patching in my . 62 cylinder bore trade gun. In the small bore a round patch won't work, too much material but crossed strips worked OK but are still a pain to load.



You have to have a slightly undersized rod to form your shot cup. It is then add shot, tamp it down, add more shot tamp down until you get all your shot load in the patch then cut the patching flush with the muzzle and add an over shot wad.



This is a two shot target, the Xed out holes are from a 25 yard shot with no patching, pretty thin, just a few shot on the target.

The other holes including the red circled holes in the spine are from the patched shot load, pretty impressive. The patches in the picture were recovered after the shot, I use olive oil for lube.

[Dennis Glazener]

You and I need to go to turkey calling school

I know I do, somehow my Turkey speak comes out gibberish!

[Dennis Glazener]

Eric,
If I got that many kill shots in my patterns I would be happy! Usually only 2 or 3 at most. I am going to try the crossed ticking strips, was going to today but its raining, cold and windy. Maybe tomorrow. As usual I have waited too long, Sat is opening day for Spring Gobbler. Weather is supposed to cold, rainy and windy.
Dennis

[Percy]

Eric,
What are the rest of the details of your load -- width of ticking, shot size, powder, wads, etc. I'm waiting for my .62 cal smoothbore to get finished, your load details will give me a good place to start working up a load it likes.

Dennis,
I'll be watching for your test results.

Thanks,  Percy

[Mike Brooks]

I never had any CONSISTENT success with all of the above methods. Jugging is the only thing I found to give me CONSISTENT results. I have built jugged 10 bores loaded with 2 5/8oz plated 4's and 6's that would kill past 50 yards easy. I have personally patterned a jugged 20 bore with a 1 1/4oz load of 4's that put them all in a  18" circle @ 25 yards....better be on the head with that gun.....

[Curt Lyles]

Dennis Try switchin to 1 f powder and see if that dont help.cCurt

[Eric Krewson]

Hard to remember but I think it was 80gr of 2F, an over powder wad, 1 1/2 oz off #6 shot patched and an over shot card. The ticking was .015, the strips were 1 1/4" wide.

I have a jug choked gun now.