12 guage or 20 guage?

[Loyalist Dave]

I use my SXS Pedersoli for pheasants and chukars but my 20 works for rabbits and other bird types.

I use my 20 ga. Pedersoli caplock for all, and it is choked mod x Imp cylinder.  I don't juice up my loads to try and dupe a 12 gauge.  The last time I used it the limit on Pheasants was 6, and I limited-out.  I have never limited out with any other gun.  My load was 70 gr of 2Fg, and the same measure was used for #7.5 shot.  Regardless of the gauge, if you overload with powder, you actually screw up the pattern, and a miss is a miss.  

You can use bismuth and not tear up your black powder barrel.  Steel shot, though is a "no no", and if you get a gun with screw in choke(s), be sure the choke is rated for steel shot if you go for waterfowl.  Otherwise you will ruin the chokes and the muzzles.  (personal experience)

Mark,
NEVER NEVER use regular plastic wads such as Remington or AA brands for BP.  There are some wads out there that will take the temperatures, but regular reloading wads aren't them.  They will melt in your barrel and cause all sorts of problems (again personal experience).  I use paper cartridges, one for powder and the paper is rammmed down on the powder to form a wad, then followed with a newsprint cartidge of shot, which is gently seated on the powder/wad charge.  It works well, and is a fast reload.  

LD

[mark davidson]

Thanks for the patient and excellent information. I thought I read somewhere that regular reloading  wads were used with MLer shotguns. Now another newbie question. Just what is a "paper cartrige".  I think I know but if you can describe it for someone new, please do so. Is a paper powder cartrige just your powder charge somehow wrapped in paper and dropped down the bore? I assume the end must be torn off or something to allow the fire to get to it??  Is a paper shot cartrige just your pellets wrapped in paper and dropped down as a unit on top of the powder?  Sorry if the question is dumb but you guys are my best source of info. right now. :-)

[mark davidson]

Note to Jerry:  You guys are so courteous and helpful on here that I have become a bit paranoid about being misunderstood. I will for sure gather me up some wasp nest to try and I live on a farm so that will not be a problem. I was making a little joke above about my neighbors and in no way belittling your use of wasp nest. This note was probably not necessary but I thought I would make sure I had not put my foot in my mouth again. :-)

[tg]

If you are going to use it pretty much for shot only the larger bore would be a good choice , a 20 open cylider can be a bit light for Geese if you also want to shoot ball you might split the difference and go with a 16 years ago that model 97 /16 was my favorite for all my wingshooting, give all angles some thought once you settle on a bore size then you can figure out what style you favor.Thease guns do shoot the ball verywell ut to 50 yds or more some do better than others...those are big balls...something else to think about.

[mark davidson]

tg,  It would be for shot only, a dedicated bp shotgun for turkey, ducks, and maybe some squirrel and rabbit shooting or a novelty dove hunt. I am a horsepower freak so the 12 guage would likely be as small as I would want. I have a .62 cal. rifled gun in the process of being built so I have a gun for solid projectiles. My fowler urge is purely for dedicated shotgun work. I might launch a few big .72 balls just for the experience or "just in case" but that performance is way, way down my list.

[No Deer]

tg,   I might launch a few big .72 balls just for the experience or "just in case" but that performance is way, way down my list.

He says now  

[mark davidson]

No Deer,  I assume you think I might like launching the big balls more than I think I will. :-)  You may be right.  I reckon life is a journey or so they say so I might as well have fun along the way.

[Bigsmoke]

And then - and then - he's going to try a couple of .72 balls in that thing - and all of a sudden the rifled .62 will start looking pretty anemic to him - and then - and then - hmmmm, a rifled .72 will be in the works - and then - and then - a smooth 10 ga will be next in line - and then - and then,,,

Mark, the way I see this is you well might be responsible for putting some gun builders kids through Yale at this rate.

You just gotta love this sport.  There is just no end to the surprises or the excitement.

See Wyosmith's posting under what was it?  So you like recoil?  He has some photos of a 2 bore he was working on that are just phenominal.  So, yes, there is an end to this, somewhere.  And it is pretty darn scarry.  Once you get over a 4 bore, the fun really has stopped, and depending on the load, maybe there is no fun with a 4 bore either.  But lots of horsepower!!!!

[russ t frizzen]

I've gotten by for years with my 20 bore fowler and a .69 caliber musket. But I have a 10 bore fowler with a 48" barrel on the way for turkey and water fowling. The 20 bore will still serve for small game and some uplands work, at least until I see how the 10 gauge patterns with lighter loads. I'd rather go bigger than smaller but it's taken a long time to reach that decision.

[mark davidson]

Bigsmoke,  :-)  I see your point.  Let's remember, I'm a regular ole broke Mississippi school teacher so I am going to have to pace myself at this gunbuilding and buying thing. ha ha..... I do have the black powder addiction now though and it is pretty cool. I did look at those really big bore pieces and they are beautiful but even I am not that much of a glutton for punishment. Don't get me wrong, if I had a chance to shoot one of those shoulder cannons I would just absolutely have to try it just one time maybe. :-)  If the .62 starts to look anemic then I likely need to seek counseling!!!  :-)
    Russ T; I too have come to the "big is good" conclusion. Way too often I have begun too small. A big knife will do anything a little knife will do but a little knife will not do anything a big knife will do. Seems that a bigger bore gun will do anything a smaller one will do but again not the other way around.
    For a fowler, if I discover that availability of components is not a real issue, then I might well build a 10 guage  or even an 8!!!  Years ago I killed ducks OK with 2 3/4" shells but the big 3 1/2" sticks I shoot now are the obvious authority.  Seems to me that there is no reason to be undergunned no matter how well you do or can place the shot.
    Bigsmoke, Actually I picked the .62 over the .72 for a rifled PRB deer rifle cause the ball weight of the .62 seemed an ideal balance between the lighter(maybe too light) .54 I already have and the sure enough heavy .72 which has almost got to have trajectory issues.  100 yard performance is important to me and I would like to have a really usable hunting tool on out to 125 or maybe 150 yards if need be. My eyes are still pretty good.
   I guess my kids are doomed to community college. :-)

[tg]

"He says now"

  The force of the smoothbore is strong Luke


As long as he enjoys his journey and has lots of room to store guns he will do fine, starting with a well fitted 12 bore for shot only usage would be a nice way to go and fuel the fire that smolders within..

[mark davidson]

Gearing up:  The problem with new addictions is gearing up. Once it is done then you are fine for a while. It started with a $100 used TC Hawken.  Then of course I wanted a "custom" gun a little bigger so came the .54. Then I decided something bigger was in order so comes the .62. Then you think outside the box and go...."wow, I bet a black powder shotgun would be way cool."  Then, "How about a pistol; man I love to shoot a pistol,....I need a black powder pistol."  Then..."Boy I bet shooting squirrels with a muzzle loader would be neat....I wanna get me a squirrel rifle..."  :-)  And so goes the addiction. The disease spreads way faster and farther than the paycheck so patience is in order but it does not numb the "wants." :-)  A feller can have all the rifles and shotguns and pistols he needs but when he realizes that he wants to do all that with black powder then there you are at scratch starting over again. :-)  Fun Fun Fun!!!

[Kermit]

Ayup. And the "custom" bug will have you by the, um, antlers when you have one that FITS you for the first time. I've dumped every one of the "ready mades" I had to folks who fit the "today's average shooter" description. At 6'5" one that fits me is a joy.

As to "punishment," remember that a 10 in BP is a lot kinder than one of them modern 10 3-1/2" mag things. I've shot 8 bores that were gentler to my body than 12 mags.

[mark davidson]

Kermit,  I hear ya man!  I am 6'3" and my custom .54 is a joy to shoulder and shoot. My TC factory gun has not been out of the house since I got a gun that fits!
   Punishment..Thanks for your observation. That has got me to thinking hard. Recoil with black powder guns in general seems much kinder to me than even supposedly hard kickers in centerfire. I would like to shoot a hopped up 10 guage or 8 and see how it feels.

Is there any real drawback or handicap or detriment to having a 10 or even an 8 other than perceived recoil from standard full power loads?  Seriously, guys why are 12 and 20 such the standard pair? Any real advice on why NOT to go with 10 guage or maybe even 8 as a primary bp hunting shotgun???

[No Deer]

Well, in some states there is a maximum bore size you can use for hunting, depending on the species.  Availability of supplies, 12 and 20 gage are more common.  Then there is the cost, bigger bores typically will use bigger loads of powder and shot or ball, so it will go through your supplies faster.  Then there is the whole recoil thing. Others I am sure will give you more reasons.