Shooting clays with smoothbore

[Minnesota Mike]

Working with new trade gun using shot in preparation for Oct (Bob Lee VA State Offhand that we host) . . .

Would like to get smarter about shooting shot with smoothbore - have a great member at the club who is mentoring me thru it - super guy, hell of a shot too. (Best line so far: for bringing target in line remember as you swing the muzzle, it's 'butt-bird-beak-BOOM!" . . . you can't beat that . . .)

In shooting a couple of times, have noticed that shooting shot leaves a lot of fouling in barrel.

Are there any other tidbits or pearls of wisdom from other smoothbore sages out there to consider or be aware of?

. . . bad pun, but shooting this flinter is a 'blast' . . .

r/
MM

[Gambia]

Well Mike shooting clays or game with a smooth bore shotgun needs plenty of practice.
You must shoot according to weather conditions  shooting on a calm sunny day is totally different to shooting on a windy one.It is down to swing and timing and after plenty of practice  it is just comes naturally till you can  come off a sporting layout with a straight 25 kills.
Yes shooting shot from a smooth bore leaves the barrels like a sooty chimney but not to worry I think a smooth bore shoots better in this condition ,it is only when you have difficulty ramming the card wads down the barrel then it will need swabbing out

Feltwad
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A Flint Lock will not secure a chicken house door

[Capt. Jas.]

Feltwad,
What kind of presentations do you have in the UK on the 25 shot sporting layout for flintlock shooting?
James

[Gambia]

James.
By presentations I think you mean the type of  wing or ground game that the clay represents.
Different shoots put on different types of clays ,a sporting layout is the same  for flint, percussion and breech loader,here where I live the most common are as follows.
Crossing Pigeon.
This is a bird that is thrown right to left at 30 to 40 yards or left to right, it is similar to skeet.
Bolting Rabbit.
This clay is  rolled along the ground  from the left or right at  a bolting rabbit speed, to make them more sporting they are shot as they pass between two blinds spaced out at 10 to 15 yards.
Springing Teal .
These birds are thrown vertically into the air from  12 yards from  the shooter some as singles and some as doubles.
Driven Grouse
These are an incoming bird that are  thrown  at a height of 15 to 20 yards high and very fast,they represent shooting grouse from a butt as the real thing on our grouse moors.
High Pheasant
This represents a driven high  pheasant this clay is also fast and high and travels at a height of 35 to 45 yards,if they travel with the wind they move faster and plenty of allowance is required.
There are plenty of other types of stands most are for 6 or 10 birds from each stand.
Hope this has been of some help
Feltwad
                  ----------------------
A Flint Lock will not secure a chicken house door.

[Capt. Jas.]

Over here our basic sporting courses are set up with 100 birds and usually 12-15 stations of varying presentations.
I think you guys throw more driven than we do but I have seen that changing. Most of our competition courses would not lend itself to unchoked guns.

I think Friendship has a sporting course for muzzleloaders but I have never shot it and dont know who does the target setting.

Minnesota Mike,
You are shooting "swing thru" method with the "butt, belly, beak" deal.
Here is a link to some articles that may help you. (lessons 1-5)
http://www.woolleyshooting.com/articles.html

[Gambia]

Capt.Jas

A 100 bird sporting course on the competition shoots are also shot in the UK but mostly in 4 lots of  25 birds,this also applies to DTL.or trap shooting.For trap or DTL the trap is set in a hole in the ground  the clay from where it reaches ground level to 10metres must only be 2 m above ground level its flight must be no more than 60m.The stands for  percussion guns of which there are five number are 8 m from where the clay reaches ground level,peg 3 is the center and 2 is 3m and 1 is 6m the same is for 4 and 5 for flintlock there are 3 stands at 5 m from where the clay reaches ground level peg 2 is center and 1 and 4 are 4m to the left and right of 2.
Feltwad
              -------------------------
A Flint Lock will not secure a chicken house door

[Gambia]

Trap shooting today as I have described with clays above represents the now illegal sport of live pigeon shooting from traps.These came in bore sizes from 4 to 12 enclosed is a stand of original pigeon guns from left to right 4,8,10,12,these guns can still be used today for trap shooting clays.

Feltwad[albumimg:9t25wa32]2780[/albumimg:9t25wa32]

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A Flint Lock will not secure a chicken house door

[Capt. Jas.]

Trap shooting today as I have described with clays above represents the now illegal sport of live pigeon shooting from traps.

There's big money in live pigeon shoots over here.  

[Minnesota Mike]

What loading methods seem to work best for everyone?

r/
MM

[Riley/MN]

From the muzzle...

[Minnesota Mike]

From the muzzle...

Sure you ain't from Iowa? . . . or Green Bay?

r/
MM

[Riley/MN]

:lol  Sorry...

[Minnesota Mike]

:shock:

   Sorry...

Me too . . . should never say anything 'Green Bay' about a Minnesotan . . . soooo ashamed . . .

r/
MM

[Gambia]

Well MM most muzzle loading shot gunners have their own preference.
I personally believe if you stick to a volume load you can not go wrong.my loading proceed er is as followers if a flinter plug the vent with a pricker for a percussion never remove the spent caps or lift the hammers from the previous shots.Next take the required charge of powder and pour it in the barrel take a 1/8 card wad and ram it onto the powder next take a volume charge of shot and pour it into the barrel and finish with a 1/16 overshot card wad.Some load powder ,card wad, felt wad ,card, shot, card wad,if you prefer this way always place a card on the felt wad ,if this is omitted then it will surly blow your patten.The reason for the pricker and not removing the spent caps is because when you ram home your card wad onto powder it blows the powder into the nipples,thus with the pricker in place and the hammers down reduces powder been blown out through the nipples and vent  and thus reduces a hang fire.
Enclosed are a volume loads I use for different gages,here in the UK we measure in drms,27.5grains to 1dram

 10 gage  3.1/2 drms to 1.1/2 oz shot

  11 gage  3.1/4 drms to  1.3/8oz shot

  12 gage  3drms   to   1.1/4 oz shot

   14 gage  2.3/4 drms   to 1.1/8 oz shot

   16 gage   2.1/2 drms to   1oz shot

Feltwad
                      ------------------
A Flint Lock will not secure a chicken house door

[markinmi]

I forgot where I read it,It was an 18th century primer for fowling(bird hunting)They said to spit down onto the shot,Now not wanting to kiss a muzzle I spit in my hand(not lung oysters) and scape it into the muzzle,then push the over card down. seems to work though.Pretty gross I know, and people think I'm a snob for not shaking hands