I have a Knight BK 50 cal. rifle. It still shoots #11 caps and is a tac driver. I don't deer hunt anymore. Questions Have any of you ever shot bird shot out of a black powder rifle ? If so how much powder, what kind of wad ect ? I know you can shoot shot out of a rifle slug barrell. Just trying to come up with something fun and safe to do with the gun. Feel free to HEE HAW me for asking ! By the way this is my frist post post have mercery ! LOL
Dumb Question ?
- Thread starter Seapole
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Shot out of a rifled barrel patterns like a donut in a bad way. Rifles make lousy shotguns. If your gun is a tack driver you should take good care of it. Mass produced firearms can vary in accuracy most being just good enough and if you get one that happened to pop off the assembly line as a tack driver consider holding on to it.
Alex Clayton
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The same weight of powder to shot will work the same safely. As mentioned the problem is rifling does not make a good shot pattern. If you want to run a few loads through just for kicks? No harm. If you really want to play with a BP shotgun better to buy one. Damn things are pricey but fun. When I was still playing with them I had a SxS I used to shoot clay with. The slow loading made a box of birds last a while at least. 
It was fun as all get out though. When others would see us doing it they would often come over to want to try. Seeing the cloud of BP smoke was kick.
It was fun as all get out though. When others would see us doing it they would often come over to want to try. Seeing the cloud of BP smoke was kick.
arcticap
Member
Posts #11 and #12 in this thread provide info. about how to load shot without special components and using only newspaper as wad material. --->>> https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/bp-shotgun.470340/#post-5858862
A long time ago someone described how he experimented to make a paper cartridge to hold a load of shot together for use in a rifled barrel, but it would be very difficult to find the posts by doing a search.
Essentially he used the stiff paper board from a frozen vegetable container to wrap up a load of shot in a tube, then perhaps he had put some slits in it so that it would delay opening up until the load was on the way to the target.
His experimentation may have allowed him to shoot a squirrel a 20-25 yards.
But I don't know how fast the twist rate of the rifling was in his gun.
Otherwise like others said, the fast twist rifling and lack of choke constriction will spread out the shot pattern.
Wrapping up a load of shot in a paper tube might be the only way to help overcome the spinning effect of the rifled barrel.
Then the gun and tube of shot would need to be properly loaded and held in place in the bore.
The trick would be to experiment with how to construct the tube, and how much shot and powder to use just to see if it could be made to work reasonably well.
A sabot could probably be used as a base wad for shot if you have any of those.
And a person doesn't need to load a ton of shot or a bunch of powder to try it.
Maybe a small load of powder and shot will provide some entertainment to try patterning it at 10 or 20 feet.
Then come back to this thread and tell us how you loaded it and what your results were.
I remember someone posting how they loaded some kind of filler like grits or Cream of Wheat in their revolver to shoot bees around their property at very close range.
Who ever said that insects won't make for some good hunting fun.
Or maybe you can bring some frog legs home to put on your table.
A long time ago someone described how he experimented to make a paper cartridge to hold a load of shot together for use in a rifled barrel, but it would be very difficult to find the posts by doing a search.
Essentially he used the stiff paper board from a frozen vegetable container to wrap up a load of shot in a tube, then perhaps he had put some slits in it so that it would delay opening up until the load was on the way to the target.
His experimentation may have allowed him to shoot a squirrel a 20-25 yards.
But I don't know how fast the twist rate of the rifling was in his gun.
Otherwise like others said, the fast twist rifling and lack of choke constriction will spread out the shot pattern.
Wrapping up a load of shot in a paper tube might be the only way to help overcome the spinning effect of the rifled barrel.
Then the gun and tube of shot would need to be properly loaded and held in place in the bore.
The trick would be to experiment with how to construct the tube, and how much shot and powder to use just to see if it could be made to work reasonably well.
A sabot could probably be used as a base wad for shot if you have any of those.
And a person doesn't need to load a ton of shot or a bunch of powder to try it.
Maybe a small load of powder and shot will provide some entertainment to try patterning it at 10 or 20 feet.
Then come back to this thread and tell us how you loaded it and what your results were.
I remember someone posting how they loaded some kind of filler like grits or Cream of Wheat in their revolver to shoot bees around their property at very close range.
Who ever said that insects won't make for some good hunting fun.
Or maybe you can bring some frog legs home to put on your table.
Last edited:
Blackpowderwarrior
Member
Truer words have never been spoken. Every gun ive sold i wish i still had. I had a very cheap Savage 22LR synthetic stock i may have given 100 dollars new 15 years ago and that damn rifle would shoot the wings off a gnat at 50 yards. I sold it and every 22 ive had since then Handles nothing, nor shoots as straight as that old cheap Savage. The closest ive came to its accuracy is a old Ruger 10 22
I tried that 15 years ago and wasn't real happy with it. I tried a couple of different ways with two different guns Great Plains Rifle in both .50 and .54. I tried both .410 shotgun wad and .28 gauge wads. I also tried sandwhiching shot between two wool felt wads. Powder load is equal weight of powder to weight of shot. Printing of # 6 shot patterns came out at 25 yards looking like an 18 inch giant comma. I actually did better shooting tree rats with .50 cal round ball with 30 grains of FFFg. Load is good up to 40 yds and ball goes thru and thru without expanding and loss of meat. Tried Goex, 777 and Pyrodex. Powder type didn't matter. Used .012 patch with felt or round ball.
woodnbow
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- Feb 19, 2007
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- 2,106
I once read about someone using a small load of black, less than ten grains, and a felt wad to take a trophy mouse...Posts #11 and #12 in this thread provide info. about how to load shot without special components and using only newspaper as wad material. --->>> https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/bp-shotgun.470340/#post-5858862
A long time ago someone described how he experimented to make a paper cartridge to hold a load of shot together for use in a rifled barrel, but it would be very difficult to find the posts by doing a search.
Essentially he used the stiff paper board from a frozen vegetable container to wrap up a load of shot in a tube, then perhaps he had put some slits in it so that it would delay opening up until the load was on the way to the target.
His experimentation may have allowed him to shoot a squirrel a 20-25 yards.
But I don't know how fast the twist rate of the rifling was in his gun.
Otherwise like others said, the fast twist rifling and lack of choke constriction will spread out the shot pattern.
Wrapping up a load of shot in a paper tube might be the only way to help overcome the spinning effect of the rifled barrel.
Then the gun and tube of shot would need to be properly loaded and held in place in the bore.
The trick would be to experiment with how to construct the tube, and how much shot and powder to use just to see if it could be made to work reasonably well.
A sabot could probably be used as a base wad for shot if you have any of those.
And a person doesn't need to load a ton of shot or a bunch of powder to try it.
Maybe a small load of powder and shot will provide some entertainment to try patterning it at 10 or 20 feet.
Then come back to this thread and tell us how you loaded it and what your results were.
I remember someone posting how they loaded some kind of filler like grits or Cream of Wheat in their revolver to shoot bees around their property at very close range.
Who ever said that insects won't make for some good hunting fun.
Or maybe you can bring some frog legs home to put on your table.
whughett
Member
Are we talking” equal powder/ shot” by weight or volume.
arcticap
Member
Volume
But I've found that it helps the pattern to add extra shot with the higher powder charges.
whughett
Member
Weight was mentioned. Talk about magnum loads
Jackrabbit1957
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- Apr 6, 2018
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- 2,894
My old CVA double 12 gauge wanted equal powder and shot by volume, filled in a huge hole in the pattern.
Blackpowderwarrior
Member
Not dumb brother life itself is a question
I'd still give it try. Part of the fun of black powder is experimenting. As long as you stick to lead shot, you're not going to hurt the barrel.
I picked up a Traditions Trapper 50 Cal flintlock pistol. I'm planning try some shot in it.
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