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Old 08-27-2012, 08:32 PM
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catnthehat catnthehat is offline
 
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Default shooting the black powder shotguns for hunting

Well, I have been asked several times over the last few years and more than a few lately about BP shotguns and hunting.
To that end, I will start this thread.
Many others , mind you , hunt steady with them as well, my good friend Hornhead, on occasion, uses a double flint shotgun to hunt pheasants and geese, and I know Petew also hunts with a muzzle loading shotgun .
I have also watched DaJimmer -after only a quick few minutes of instruction take a fast flying chukar with his single barrel muzzle loader as well.

So, for those who are interested, i will get this on the go, and will start from the bare basics, so if anyone wants to chime in please be aware that I am not going to get too complex about things so the new guys can get some sort of info on just how easy and enjoyable shooting with the old guns can be!

Also be aware that I will not be talking about the new stuff like inline muzzle loading shotguns because I know nothing about them.

First off, I will start with the muzzle loaders because they are a bit easier to decipher than cartridge guns.

You have several ignition systems, but flint and percussion cap are the two most common and I will only be talking about the cap guns because they are by far the most prevalent.

The percussion cap is just that, a small cap that is put over the nipple of the gun.
When the hammer strikes , the primer in the cap sens a strong spark down the barrel and ignites the black powder charge

The charge itself is made up of (for a 12 bore gun)
A: Black powder - either FFG or FG Powder

B: a hard card wad of about .125thick to seal the gasses

C: a softer lubed cushion wad of about .50 thick that is used to keep the fouling soft and to cushion the shot charge . This is a very hot topic among BP guys - many say the cushion wad does nothing, but most of the guns I have shot over the years are far easier to load after shooting with cushion wads.

D:another very thin wad of about.035 keeps the shot from inbedding in the cushion wad

E: the shot charge itself is then poured down the barrel and

F: another .035 wad is rammed down on top of it.

The gun is then capped , the hammers in turn are lowered slowly onto the cap to make sure it is seated properly, and then the hammers brought back to half cock.
Some hunters refrain from capping until the game is sighted or the dog goes on point, preferring not to trust a half cock hammer- on older guns this is often a very wise thing if the half cock is worn.

TOOLS THAT ARE IMPORTANT!

Okay, that's is how the gun is loaded, now here is what you NEED to load it!
Be aware, that the range is not the same as the field, many shooters ( I am not innocent here either!) tend to spread stuff out all over the bench when they are shooting at the range , but the most important thing to remember when hunting is to have a good system to organize your possibles in !

There are numerous bags out there, and some have the shot bag built into the strap with a special measure to dispense the shot .
Most also have several pouches in them, and often times a smaller pouch with a separate flap .
A horn or flask is also needed for your powder, and a cap dispenser , although not mandatory, is very handy.

You will need a measure of some sort as well, and the easiest way to find that is to buy a brass adjustable one with a swing over funnel on it.
Many shooters use a bit more shot than powder, but if you run 90 grains of FFG and use the same measure for your shot you will not go wrong with a 12 bore.
You will also need a a ram rod of course, and with shotguns there are synthetic ones out there that do well and tend not to break in the field!

NOTES ON LOADING:
before we load the gun, it must be clean and not plugged in the ignition channel, many hunters snap a cap while holding the muzzle down near a blade of grass to see if it will be blown by the ignition when the cap is snapped, other simply blow down the muzzle to see if the channel is clear - I MUCH prefer the snap a cap method!
hen you laod the gun the hammer(s) are on half cock, this way no air can get trapped with the powder.

The powder is poured from its container into the measure and in turn it is poured into the barrel.
Many fellas keep a thumb over the other barrel when they are pouring the powder in, then put the card wad jsutt started, then do the other barrel the same .
After the card wads are put down, they then repeat with the other wads , and in turn the shot.
This insures that they do not get a double charge or no charge in one barrel !!
I will stop this here for know and get some pics up.
Cat
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Anytime I figure I've got this long range thing figured out, I just strap into the sling and irons and remind myself that I don't!

Last edited by catnthehat; 08-27-2012 at 08:43 PM.
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  #2  
Old 08-27-2012, 08:59 PM
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Stuff tends to get spread around the bench when at the range because , well, it does!



A well organized bag goes a long way to making a hunt enjoyable.
This is the bag that was issued with this Berreta 300 year Anniversary muzzle loader.
Note that it is a O/U, most original guns were SXS, but this one was copied from an original and was one of 1,000.
Good guns with a few quirks of their own due to a very long ignition channel for the lower barre.

measuring the powder


wads going in

Capped and BOOM!

Followed closely by " Did I hit it??!!"

Cat
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Old 08-27-2012, 09:02 PM
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Are you ever planning a trip up this way?
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Old 08-27-2012, 09:08 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joshcat View Post
Are you ever planning a trip up this way?
Not in the near future, no, I am planning to pack up the guns and head south for the annual "Great Alberta Bird Safari" to brooks however.
Cat
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Old 08-27-2012, 09:14 PM
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I am interested in a BP, just not sure If i would go cartridge or muzzle loader.
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Old 08-27-2012, 09:15 PM
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DANG! Side tracked AGAIN!!
Okay, MORE tools!
In case you get a damp charge that will not ignite, , or no powder, you will need a little gadget that screws onto the end of the ram rod and is called a worm.
This looks like a cork screw that you can pull the wads with to clear the offending barrel and get it smoking again.
After the wads are out , work the worm in there until you get the powder out, then try and snap a cap on the barrel - it helps to make sure you are on the PROPER barrel .

I saw that once at a shoot, and the shot charge made a pretty impressive hole in the ground, the shooter's face didn't go back to normal for the whole day!
After the barrel is clear, it helps to put a brush onto the rod and work the crud out of the barrel.
many guys carry a small bottle of water or gas line anti freeze, or windex with them for this as well.
Snap a cap and resume the fun!
Cat
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Anytime I figure I've got this long range thing figured out, I just strap into the sling and irons and remind myself that I don't!
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Old 08-27-2012, 09:23 PM
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Okay, that is about as uncomplicated it gets for muzzle loaders - except for the cleaning.
Most guns have what is called a hooked breach, the barrel basically is held by a wedge that when slid out of the stock, lets the barrels get lifted off and then you can remove the nipples and stick the barrels into a bucket of hot soapy water and work a patch up and down on the ram rod like a bilge pump.
Run a rinse through it, make sure it's dry, oil it up, and then clean out the nipples.

I spray my guns down with G96 afterwards, some guys use WD40, and others use other stuff.
Still others simply clean out their guns with Windex, but unless I am going to keep shooting all day Ii don't like to do this.
Seems to me we were shooting a few years back and I loaned a gun to a fella and never checked it afterwards.
Turns out I traded the thing and the poor guy who got it finally gave up trying to get it clean!
Very embarrassing for me, nobody's fault but mine for sure.
Anyway, ask any questions and PM away if you wish, we will start on the cartridge guns tomorrow!!
Cat
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Anytime I figure I've got this long range thing figured out, I just strap into the sling and irons and remind myself that I don't!
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Old 02-19-2013, 11:27 PM
Smoolodag Smoolodag is offline
 
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Default shooting the black powder shotguns for hunting

I have been told that the govt is working on gun powder that goes bad. Putting an experation date on ammo. Ending people "stocking up" on ammo.

That would stink,to put it nicely. I have rifles that I only shoot one or two shots a year. At 40 a box, a box should last me 10 years. If it goes bad then Im out more money for nothing.
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Old 02-19-2013, 11:34 PM
petew petew is offline
 
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But the government doesn't make gunpowder.
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  #10  
Old 02-20-2013, 06:38 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Smoolodag View Post
I have been told that the govt is working on gun powder that goes bad. Putting an experation date on ammo. Ending people "stocking up" on ammo.

That would stink,to put it nicely. I have rifles that I only shoot one or two shots a year. At 40 a box, a box should last me 10 years. If it goes bad then Im out more money for nothing.
Urban legend!
Cat
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Anytime I figure I've got this long range thing figured out, I just strap into the sling and irons and remind myself that I don't!
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Old 03-05-2013, 03:20 PM
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Guess I need to study this page more. I am the very proud owner of a pristine Pedersoli 12ga Double. Cat came thru with an awesome gun for me. Thanks Bud. I love it and can hardly wait to fill the air with smoke and shot.
Pete
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Old 03-06-2013, 07:36 PM
petew petew is offline
 
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Friday is the day to christen the new Double 12 I got from Cat... I had caps and powder and shot, but no wads or cards. Today I got a few cards and wads from my buddy, and now I am getting excited to try out the Pedersoli double. I can't wait to hear her bark and belch smoke and flames.
I expected a heavy weight gun like my Hawhen rifles are, but to my delight it is the lightest weight double I ever held. After the shooting trials on friday I will post about how good or bad and easy cats directions above are, without the part about removing a charge because of no powder in the barrel I hope.











I think I am sliding off the evolutionary chain. Modern semi autos to compound bows , to traditional bows , to Home made all wood self bows, to percussion caps and Flint locks.
Yup going backwards and loving every step.
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Old 03-06-2013, 07:40 PM
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catnthehat catnthehat is offline
 
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DANG!! I should have thrown some wads in for you!
Cat
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Old 08-29-2014, 11:42 PM
bang_on_sk bang_on_sk is offline
 
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Sorry to be a bother, hopefully it's the last question I have!

I noticed this with one of the flash holes when I had the nipples out. Is it still good to go?


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Old 08-29-2014, 11:54 PM
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YIKES!!
That doesn't look good at all!
I would remove both plugs and see if track of the Wolf can sell you a replacement set.
Cat
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Old 04-22-2015, 02:16 AM
tegraarms09 tegraarms09 is offline
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That's awesome. Is this procedure safe?
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  #17  
Old 10-19-2016, 07:19 PM
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I rearranged my photos so they got deleted here.
will put them back up with some ore recent ones.
These are all pictures with muzzle loaders in them
Cat





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Anytime I figure I've got this long range thing figured out, I just strap into the sling and irons and remind myself that I don't!

Last edited by catnthehat; 10-30-2016 at 06:26 AM.
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  #18  
Old 10-28-2018, 12:49 PM
davy403 davy403 is offline
 
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Default supplement of BP

Nice article, should shooter add some lead or iron balls into the black powder? Like the standard cartridge with shotgun.
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  #19  
Old 11-20-2018, 09:17 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davy403 View Post
Nice article, should shooter add some lead or iron balls into the black powder? Like the standard cartridge with shotgun.
‘Scuse me??
Powder and projectiles should always be seperated .
Cat
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