Just wondering how many of you out there regularly hunt with muzzleloading shotguns? If so, what are some of your favorite loads? I have a Pedersoli 12 gauge and an original English made 16 gauge. I've hunted a few duck and some sage grouse and shot a turkey last season.

I shoot a 24ga flinter, wing shooting about 13/16 - 7/8 ounce of shot (duplex load 50/50 #7.5 & #5). Turkey (stationary target load) 1 - 1.125oz of #4/#6 duplex. 70-90 grains of 3F or 2F depending on the exact load.

Got a Long Hammock .50 smoothbore tapered Oct-round bbl I'm going to built into a mini-fowler flinter for my wife....one of these days!

Just wondering how many of you out there regularly hunt with muzzleloading shotguns? If so, what are some of your favorite loads? I have a Pedersoli 12 gauge and an original English made 16 gauge. I've hunted a few duck and some sage grouse and shot a turkey last season.

Lost mine recently and it's the one shotgun I really miss. Pedersoili 10ga., guess it was about 15 years old.

For the last couple of years, it did everything I needed a shotgun to do (OK...not quite true..kept a pump 12ga. loaded for defence, but as I didn't have to shoot anyone, it doesn't count as being used).

A traditionalist, would load powder...over powder card...1/2" fiber wad (lubed)...shot..over shot wad. o have to mearue your bores, as you'll probably find your 12ga. is really a 13ga. (and my 10 was realy an 11). They often size the reproductions to the INSIDE of a modern shotshell, so modern one-piece wads fit well...but i fund plastic fouling along with black to be an unholy mess and went back to cards/fiber wads.

Mostly used three basic loads. Small game was a moderate/light 12ga. load using 1oz of shot and 60gr. of FFg. That gun patterned well with #7 1/2 and #4, I'd use #4 in early squirrel hunts where the leaves were still on the trees (and I really don't like picking shot, and #4's generally passed right on through).

Took a crack at dove hunting...liked it, but was a bit slow on the reload for the cartridge shooters...which is OK, I like hunting at a slower pace. Hre I'd go with the 7 1/2's, but keep the load the same.

The full charge load would set you back a bit...same wads, but used 105gr. Fg and 1 5/8ths of shot. HEre #4's made more sense...the gun patterned them well. Would also pattern "0" buck bettter than OO, so that got the call when i wanted buckshot. Not a miss print...used Fg.

(If you are wondering about the odd 1 5/8 weight. Friend gave me an old shot pouch spout...I made the leather shot bag ans mounted the old Irish head...it happened to toss 1 5/8oz.)


The only other load i was playing around with was a round ball. The best results seemed to be with a patched .735" ball (the bore ran .755") on tp of an over shot card wad. 90gr. of Fg seemed to be working best, but Katrina got in the way of finding out more.

Oh yeah...it's on my short list for whenever I get a little money ahead...not any time too soon it seems, but someday one will come my way again.

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Shot some antiques too, but I ever subjected them to the upper loads that the heavy 10ga. Pedersoil got....just cautious I guess...besides, most of the originals are pretty light weight, the brrels are thin, and +100years of use hasn't made them any stronger.

Lost mine recently and it's the one shotgun I really miss. Pedersoili 10ga., guess it was about 15 years old.

For the last couple of years, it did everything I needed a shotgun to do (OK...not quite true..kept a pump 12ga. loaded for defence, but as I didn't have to shoot anyone, it doesn't count as being used).

A traditionalist, would load powder...over powder card...1/2" fiber wad (lubed)...shot..over shot wad. o have to mearue your bores, as you'll probably find your 12ga. is really a 13ga. (and my 10 was realy an 11). They often size the reproductions to the INSIDE of a modern shotshell, so modern one-piece wads fit well...but i fund plastic fouling along with black to be an unholy mess and went back to cards/fiber wads.

Mostly used three basic loads. Small game was a moderate/light 12ga. load using 1oz of shot and 60gr. of FFg. That gun patterned well with #7 1/2 and #4, I'd use #4 in early squirrel hunts where the leaves were still on the trees (and I really don't like picking shot, and #4's generally passed right on through).

Took a crack at dove hunting...liked it, but was a bit slow on the reload for the cartridge shooters...which is OK, I like hunting at a slower pace. Hre I'd go with the 7 1/2's, but keep the load the same.

The full charge load would set you back a bit...same wads, but used 105gr. Fg and 1 5/8ths of shot. HEre #4's made more sense...the gun patterned them well. Would also pattern "0" buck bettter than OO, so that got the call when i wanted buckshot. Not a miss print...used Fg.

(If you are wondering about the odd 1 5/8 weight. Friend gave me an old shot pouch spout...I made the leather shot bag ans mounted the old Irish head...it happened to toss 1 5/8oz.)


The only other load i was playing around with was a round ball. The best results seemed to be with a patched .735" ball (the bore ran .755") on tp of an over shot card wad. 90gr. of Fg seemed to be working best, but Katrina got in the way of finding out more.

Oh yeah...it's on my short list for whenever I get a little money ahead...not any time too soon it seems, but someday one will come my way again.

--------

Shot some antiques too, but I ever subjected them to the upper loads that the heavy 10ga. Pedersoil got....just cautious I guess...besides, most of the originals are pretty light weight, the brrels are thin, and +100years of use hasn't made them any stronger.

I don't shoot my original too much, but I only use 50 grains of FFg and 7/8 oz of shot...shoots quite well, but he bbls are demascus...

I don't shoot my original too much, but I only use 50 grains of FFg and 7/8 oz of shot...shoots quite well, but he bbls are demascus...


Shot damascus singles and double cartridge guns as well...don't think the steel is any differnt from muzzle loaders. Problem with doubles is that you can never get a full visual on the barrel all wht way raound...the top and bottom ribs can hid some terrrible pits, levaing a paper thin layer of steel that isn't visual from inside the bore and it's hidden under a rib outside the bore.

Still...after a few tst shots from remote control...will shoot them with moderate to light loads of black. I just treat the shot caseing (plastic/paper/or brass) as if it were a short muzzle loading barrel. Powder, card wad, fiber wad, shot, and overshot wad. Here I might trim the 1/2" fiber wad or even add a a sliver extra to make the rounds come out to the end of the case (depending on load).

Repaired a nice old James under leaver for a friend...he found a set of "four-tenner" inserts and shoots smokless .410's in that old 12ga. though those inserts. Are modern versions of inserts, but they cost a great deal more than the old Savage four-tenners.


Have used those old doubles to inrodcuse new shooters...using 15gr. of Fg and 1/2 oz. of shot, they will bust hand tossed targets just fine at the short ranges you need to teach the basics. Same loads have gotten rid of quite a few irritating fruit eating birds from a friend's fig trees.