Your TMA Officers and Board of Directors
Support the TMA! ~ Traditional Muzzleloaders ~ The TMA is here for YOU!
*** JOIN in on the TMA 2024 POSTAL MATCH *** it's FREE for ALL !

For TMA related products, please check out the new TMA Store !

The Flintlock Paper

*** Folk Firearms Collective Videos ***



Author Topic: Shooting Patch & Ball From A 12 ga. Smoothbore  (Read 1892 times)

Offline Paulk

  • TMA Contributing Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 113
Re: Shooting Patch & Ball From A 12 ga. Smoothbore
« Reply #15 on: October 21, 2017, 07:53:25 PM »
My smoothbore is a .62.  With a lubed patch it gives consistent 3 shot groups of 3" or a little less at 50 yards.  With a .606" WW ball loaded without a patch, the groups are larger but still pie plate size with 5 shots.  The patched load has killed deer previously so is a proven load - 70 grains of 3F.


Hanshi, I'm working up a load for a smooth bore and have to ask what a WW ball is.  What does the "WW" stand for?

Offline Winter Hawk

  • TMA Contributing Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2367
  • Location: Chauncey, OH
Re: Shooting Patch & Ball From A 12 ga. Smoothbore
« Reply #16 on: October 21, 2017, 09:49:35 PM »
Wheel weights?  Although the new ones have precious little lead in them.

~WH~
NMLRA Life
"All you need for happiness is a good gun, a good horse and a good wife." - D. Boone
USN June 1962-Nov. 65, USS Philip, DD-498

Dues paid to 02 Jan. 2025

Offline 2grouse

  • TMA Forum Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 4
  • TMA: Supporting Member #809
  • TMA Member: Membership Expiration; 3/1/2020
Re: Shooting Patch & Ball From A 12 ga. Smoothbore
« Reply #17 on: February 18, 2018, 08:44:59 PM »
Winter Hawk, i once built a 12ga New Englander, and checkered it. Sold it to Jack Schrader in Bremen Ohio. Wonder if it’s the same one. Ric

Offline Flint62Smoothie

  • TMA Forum Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 130
  • TMA Member: #260 Exp.11/17/2019
Re: Shooting Patch & Ball From A 12 ga. Smoothbore
« Reply #18 on: February 20, 2018, 08:48:05 AM »
If a longer barreled smoothbore, say ~44” & over, I have seen a marked improvement in consistency by switching to 1Fg powdah. Using my big 75-cal Dutch ‘Hudson Valley’ fowler of 60” barrel, I took 2nd place in a woodwalk (18-targets) where I only missed the 15 & 20-yard animal gongs (shot over them) and didn’t split the 3/8” wood dowel in half :( .

But, I hit all the other chains or gongs out to 80-yards and whilst using a 90-grn 1Fg load, I shot well over 30-shots that day without wiping the bore between shots.

FWIW I find that a vege fiber wad cut in 1/2, lubed & seated below the patched/lubed ball, gives my smoothies the best accuracy at 50-yds, as in 3” groups or better (benched). But I also do load development for each load, starting at # of grains = bore caliber & working my way UP in 5-grain increments.

My experience ... smoothies shoot better w/ higher powdah charges! Oh and whilst using that 1Fg load ... the recoil is negligible, whereas 90-grns+ 2Fg charges wasn’t fun for more than a few shots.

My current goal is to create a traditional ‘paper cartridge’ load that gives me 3-4” groups or
better at 50-yards.
« Last Edit: February 20, 2018, 08:50:08 AM by Flint62Smoothie »
All of my muzzleloaders will shoot into a ragged ~1/2" hole ALL DAY LONG ... it's just the 2nd or 3rd or other shots that tend to open up my groups ... !

Offline doggoner

  • TMA Contributing Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 141
  • TMA: Supporting Member # 687
  • TMA Member: Membership Expiration; 9/2021
Re: Shooting Patch & Ball From A 12 ga. Smoothbore
« Reply #19 on: February 20, 2018, 03:33:26 PM »
Thanks for the heads up on the 1f powder. I'll need to try it in my 62 cal. I get fair results (3-4 inch groups @ 40 yds) with 3f now so maybe I can improve on the targets with the 1f. The fun is in the trying!

doggoner
"A hand on a gun is better than a cop on the phone," --Jerry Ellis, Oklahoma State House of Representatives.

Offline Winter Hawk

  • TMA Contributing Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2367
  • Location: Chauncey, OH
Re: Shooting Patch & Ball From A 12 ga. Smoothbore
« Reply #20 on: February 21, 2018, 05:15:30 PM »
Winter Hawk, i once built a 12ga New Englander, and checkered it. Sold it to Jack Schrader in Bremen Ohio. Wonder if it’s the same one. Ric

Maybe, maybe not...  I picked it up on one of the websites, sold it there a couple of years later.  It was sure pretty!  I did have photos but must have deleted them.  Sorry....

~Kees~
NMLRA Life
"All you need for happiness is a good gun, a good horse and a good wife." - D. Boone
USN June 1962-Nov. 65, USS Philip, DD-498

Dues paid to 02 Jan. 2025