Grins and Giggles with Two Barrels and Big Balls

[Semisane]

First you buy a gun you didn’t need.



Then buy a mold and cast some nice shiny balls.



Then fabricate a crude temporary peep sight out of a plastic bottle cap.



And stick it on the gun with a little dab of hot glue.



That should work!



Then find a big piece of cardboard for a target backer and stick it out at 25 yards on the hunting club rifle range.


 
Then load both barrels with 75 grains GOEX FFg and a pillow tick patch around the balls (lubed with my “traditional” Liquid Wrench), and take two shots from the bench.


 
DANG!, I should have made the hole in that "down & dirty" peep a little closer to the barrel.  OK, let’s take two more shots.


 
Wow. Those two came together nicely. I wonder if the fouled bore was responsible.  Let’s try two more shots.



OK, that’s not too bad. Not great, but not horrible. Let’s go with two more.


 
Hey! That’s starting to look like a group.   

By now the temperature is somewhere above 90-degrees and the humidity ain’t far behind. Even in a T-shirt, shorts and flip flops I’m sweating so much my underwear is soaked and I have to wipe my eyes every thirty seconds. But I just have to shoot one more final round. Here it is.



Well guys. That’s it for me. The fun has totally gone out of this session. Lets go find some patches.



They’re in pretty sad shape.

Next time out I’ll have to try some thick greasy patch lube or maybe a wad over the powder. But not today! It’s time to head to my little hooch in the camp ground for some air conditioning and a cold beer.

[stubshaft]

Some better patching or a wad of tow over the powder might have brought the group size down.  All in all, great job!

[Bob Roller]

Some better patching or a wad of tow over the powder might have brought the group size down.  All in all, great job!

That is not a bad looking gun and apparently safe to fire.You might try it minus the
fabricated sight and see what happens.
How well will modern rifled slugs fit? If they will then there may be a real hunting load
in the making.Lubed bullet with more lube packed into a hollow projectile.

Bob Roller

[Hungry Horse]

Try a hundred grains of 2F, a bare ball, and a greased piece if old army blanket on top of the ball just to keep it in place. I think you will be surprised. Your peepsite appears to have too large an aperture, and is too far away from your eye.

  Hungry Horse

[Daryl]

Good start, Semisane.

Crossing means not enough powder in a BP double. You may only have to increase that load by 10 to 15gr. to get it shooting together. At that close range, you should get
groups closer to 3"", with the barrels shooting parallel, ie: the distance between each barrel's group, should be same as between the bore axis.

You appear to be cutting the patch upon loading into the muzzle. Thus, the crown needs some "smoothing" work. You may need slightly thicker patching as well.

I would like to see a target posted with HH's, bare ball and army blanket 'over ball wad'.

[Semisane]

Thanks for that info Daryl. I have zero experience with smoothbores and balls. I do plan to play around with different loads & patch/wad combinations when the weather is more agreeable to a lengthy range session.


I'm certain the muzzle is not cutting the patch upon loading. The patched balls enter the bore with an easy thumb start. I agree, a thicher patch will likely improve things.

This morning I took another look a the picture of the final target with an eye to the individual groups from each barrel (see picture). I wish the left barrel hadn't had that wild outlier with the first shot.   

[Daryl]

Those circles do make it easier to see the individual barrel groups.

If you are thumb starting, then I misread the patches. Sure looks like cutting to me and not burns.

I would most certainly use a thicker patch & a bit more powder as well.

However, change only one thing at a time.

[Mike Brooks]

I always shot shot in shotguns......

[Matthew1969]

Looks like fun to me. Only will get tighter with more shooting, so more fun to have. That temp AND humidity would kill a desert born man like me! Stay cool and dry (if that's possible)!
Matthew