Black Powder shot guns

[Tightwad]

I've a keen interest to learn all I can about Black Powder
shot guns, most notably double barreled guns, as a retirement
hobby. While one can surf the net for info I still need first hand
owner info if I can find someone to share with me.

Can anyone here help??

 

[[email protected]]

You can get black powder shells for normal shotguns if thats what you need. In a museam in new mexico once I saw a black powder muzzleloaded shotgun, do you mean a muzzleloader?

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

One of our members, and a good friend of mine, Smoke Rizen, shoots black powder class in CAS. He loads his own BP shells and has worked over a few old sxs shotguns for competition as well as hunting.

He's been busy lately but if I can catch him I'll try to get him to respond to this thread.

 

[ArmedBear]

You'll shoot your eye out!

I know a guy with a whole collection of old doubles. He has a Mec Sizemaster set up to load his own BP shells (he has a whole building full of reloading presses, but he keeps one set up for BP). He shoots a lot of them, even Damascus if they're in good condition. Shoots trap and hunts with them.

He also has been known to sneak a BP shell into others' shell bags while they're shooting trap, just to watch their expressions at the smoke and muzzle flash.

 

[dpote]

I use magtech brass hulls, large pistol primers and a BP load that has earned my SXS 20ga the nickname "The Messiah". I shoot cowboy action with this.
I also load .410 shotshells for the Mossberg 500E, using the same methods.
I got a lot of information here.
Someday, I hope to buy a Mec for the .410.

Dave

 

[Dr.Rob]

I happen to have a black powder double barrel 12 ga muzzle loader by Pedersoli.

Cabela's sells these for about six hundred bucks, so they aren't cheap but lordy they are fun.

You must manually cock each hammer and the cloud of smoke from each discharge makes scoring a double difficult indeed.

Rob

(back away cuz sm is about to drool all over the monitor and it's a big image)

I found this one for a steal, it's had all the bluing removed from the barrels but there is a thin coat inside for corrrosion protection.

 

[MCgunner]

You might ask in the Black Powder forum. The real knowledge of muzzle loading is there. I like my Hawkin Hunter and my revolvers, but I always figured BP shotguns would be a little worthless in the salt marsh on a drizzly morning. LOL! I bet they're a total HOOT at the range, though, and if I turkey hunted much, they might be fun for that to put a little spice in the hunt.

 

[Dave McCracken]

I'm drooling too, Rob. I've shot a couple BP MLs here and there. Lots of fun and effective within limits not much different than more contemporary firearms. A couple things...

Since one builds the load in the barrel, consistent results mean one has to use consistent methods, especially in the amount of pressure one uses in seating the wads.

I've known ML veterans that bring bathroom scales to the line. Theyplace the butt on the scale and exert the same pressure when seating the overpowder wads.

For both BP breechloaders and muzzleloaders, I strongly suggest sticking to the maker's recommendations for loads. Leave experiments alone....

 

[sm]

Thanks Dr. Rob!

dpote,
Great link you provided, thank you!

I still like shooting paper hulls, with smokeless powder, no telling how many I have reloaded over the years.

Smoke_Rizen,
Great guy, has a bunch of BP shotshells ready to go for me to take lessons from him, just I have to show up in his state to do so. I am so looking forward to this.

I have taken game with BP shotguns, ducks, dove, quail, wabbits, squirrels...
Just it was , hand me gun "do this, do that, you know how shoot a shotgun, so shoot" type thing.

This is what I want to get into, BP shotguns , someday.

I have had too much fun shooting light BP shotgun loads out of a Single Shot shotgun...too much fun.

"Bang" - smoke, cough, hack, "You took two doves with one shot!"
<waving hands to get smoke away>
"Yeah , I figured I did, but where'd they go? "
Good thing I had a spotter and dawg, because I saw the hits, just things got smokey, things got blurry, and maybe my grin got in the way...

 

[Oldnamvet]

I also love mine for up close deer hunting. Put down 90 grains of FFG in each barrel, over powder card, fiber wad, patched .69 lead ball, cap and wait for them to get within about 30 yds or less. Great thing to sit in a tag alder thicket with on a cold November day. When everyone starts leaving the woods for lunch, be especially watchful.