12 guage or 20 guage?

[rollingb]

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. :-)

Uuummm,.... well, I won't argue that when it comes to hunting.

However,.... "hunting" is only one aspect of this sport of traditional muzzleloading. Historical "re-enacting" is another important aspect that some of us find interesting.
For instance, if you do any research at all, you'll notice there's not much mention of large caliburs during the western fur trade era (and "this was the land of buffalo, grizzlies, and hostiles").
I've also noticed a lack of mention in the trappers journals, of deliberately hunting ducks and geese to any extent for their survival. I've seen mention of shooting turkeys out of trees, but that can (and was) done with the "small/medium bore" rifleguns of the day.
Also,.... lead was a very valuable commodity, and was "re-used" whenever possible. Those trappers would have had to've used a wheel-barrow to haul any "quanity" of lead around in the mountains, if they'ed been casting balls of 4-6-8-10 or even 12 bore size, for their daily survival.  )

[mark davidson]

Rollingb, Good information. I see your point. While I find the history side of all this interesting, it is not a guiding factor in my enjoyment beyond the base level.  I like the connection to history in the fact that I am carrying a "like" or "similar" weapon hunting as our forefathers did. Beyond that my main criteria is simply that my arm be effective in the criteria that  I set for it. For me, the bigger more authoritative bores make more sense. I will have to check my state law to see if there is a maximum bore restriction. As usual I had not thought about that.  Actually 10 or 12 guage either one would make the most sense for my simple hunting enjoyment.  Yes, 4 bore for deer would indeed be overkill; it could still be FUN! :-)

[rollingb]

Rollingb, Good information. I see your point. While I find the history side of all this interesting, it is not a guiding factor in my enjoyment beyond the base level.  I like the connection to history in the fact that I am carrying a "like" or "similar" weapon hunting as our forefathers did. Beyond that my main criteria is simply that my arm be effective in the criteria that  I set for it. For me, the bigger more authoritative bores make more sense. I will have to check my state law to see if there is a maximum bore restriction. As usual I had not thought about that.  Actually 10 or 12 guage either one would make the most sense for my simple hunting enjoyment.  Yes, 4 bore for deer would indeed be overkill; it could still be FUN! :-)

I'm sure it's only a matter of "time" before such things will become important to you, my friend.  :rt th

[tg]

"I'm sure it's only a matter of "time" before such things will become important to you, my friend."

How true, I can recall when I had litle interest in how close my guns were when compared to the originals, sometimes it is a slow painless development for some towards the historical aspect of the sport, but for others it hits hard and fast like sharp kick in the family jewels both are survivable, and much easier to stay the course with the internet and its vast resources and large numbers of folks willing to help with making correct choices.

[mark davidson]

Well, I do not doubt that the history side of all this will indeed become important at some time. Right now my little pea brain is full to the brim just trying to learn the loads and tricks of the trade to shoot these things well and be successful in hunting which is my main squeeze.  I find the history fascinating already and find myself considering it seriously when I make a new rifle project choice.

[Loyalist Dave]

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?

A paper cartridge is a paper tube, closed at one end, that holds a premeasured powder charge, and the open end is folded over.  For reenactments they are used as blanks.  (In a musket for real combat, it would also hold a solid ball.)  You tear open the folded end, pour in the powder, and then ram the paper down on top of the powder to form a wad.  I use a decent quality book paper for the powder cartridge.

Shot cartridges I make out of newspaper, and they are the same as the powder cartridges, but only hold a premeasured amount of shot.  I don't tear these open, but you could.  I make mine so that when finished they just fit inside the bore, so I can ram them down whole.  This holds the whole load in place like an over-shot card or wad. The weaker newsprint will rupture as the shot accelerates toward the muzzle, and if you have chokes the chokes will adjust  the pattern.

Here is the step by step method, but they are only making blanks and the paper is not rammed down to form a wad.  

http://www.najecki.com/40thfoot/Cartridge1.html
http://www.najecki.com/40thfoot/Cartridge2.html

LD