Heavy Shot Loads

[rodwha]

I still have in mind to buy another .50 cal barrel (either another 24" Deerstalker or 28" Trade Rifle) for my Lyman so that I can have it reamed to 28 ga.

According to Lyman the .54 cal barrels have a max charge of 90 grns (3F) or 110 grns (2F) with a 450 grn conical.

To my mind I don't see why I couldn't load up a one ounce shot load with an equal volume of powder (it should be under the max charge as someone had shown me a chart stating such).

However I'm told that a 28 ga just will not do any more than the original BP loads devised by the British which gives 3/4 oz shot with 55 grns (2 drams) of powder. Their load for the 16 ga was 1 oz of shot to 75 grns (2.75 drams) and seems within reach to me.

Can anyone explain why this wouldn't work?

 

[plumberroy]

Rodwha
I posted an answer to your earlier post if you want a 28 ga muzzle loader
you could buy this
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/578986320
By the time you find a barrel find some one to bore it out
I am still working on loads but this load will pattern well enough for squirrel or rabbit out to around 25 yard
55 gr. ffg
1/2 in 28 ga cushion wads
7/8 oz shoot (powder measure set to 75 gr.)
24 ga over shot card or 2 28 ga o.s. wads
it will shoot 4 in groups @ 50 yards with .535 R.b.
Square loads ( using the same volume of shot and powder) work great in guns with chokes with guns that are Cylinder bore most of the time you need to back off the powder a little to get decent patterns
Since once I get my loads worked out my gun will be a game getter I ordered myself a bag of premium shot I got #6.5 hardened lead nickle
plated 11lbs was $39 but no more than I use it isn't an issue
All wads shot etc I get from ballistic product inc
Hope this helps
Have a blessed day
Roy

 

[rodwha]

I have loved the idea of one frame with several barrels such as the T/C Contender and Encore.

I was (am) quite interested in jug choking but no one seems to do this on a smaller gauge. For small game I'd use a cylinder choke, but I'd like to be able to use it for turkey with a full or extra full choke, which is why I'm interested in heavier loads than the traditional British load.

From what little I understand about shot there's just nothing that beats lead for penetration and holding on to velocity/energy better due to its density in comparison.

 

[plumberroy]

Any load that will put enough shot into a grey squirrel to kill it. will work with a turkey at the same distance. Turkeys are not armor plated rocket scientist . Be patient and most will get close enough. most people over call when a turkey gets close.
As far as jug choking smaller gauges, getting precision tools small enough to work gets more difficult as the bore size decreases. My experience with modern 28 ga 3/4 to 7/8 is the sweet spot for shot . The height of shot column makes a difference a 28 out preforms a 410 with the same shot weight a 12 shooting an once and a quarter will pattern better than a 20 shooting the same shot load the bigger the shot the more pronounced the difference is, this is why a 10 gauge is king for waterfowl with big shot nothing out patterns a ten ga the gun I posted will kill turkey if you are patient enough to let the bird get to under 25 yards
By the way if I didn't have one already the gun I linked to would be headed my way took me a long time to find one
Roy

 

[rodwha]

Can you explain why it is that increasing the shot column decreases the pattern? This is what I'm trying to understand. Obviously is has something to do with the way the pellets interact with each other, but how and why?

 

[plumberroy]

Not sure why but the 2 best examples I have personally is 410 vs 28 both are available in 3/4 oz loads 28 nearly always has a more even pattern than a 410 same thing with 10 ga vs 12 in 3.5 shells I have never seen a 12 shooting 3.5 shells that will pattern as well and my old H&R 10 ga I have a single barrel 12 muzzle loader with screw in chokes above 1 1/4 oz of shot the evenness in pattern starts to degrade . At 40 yards I start getting clumps and open spots in the pattern above 1 1/4 oz of shot shot is pretty evenly spread in a pattern circle until I go above that point . I have loaded it down to 1/2 loads . I have killed hundreds of squirrel rabbit and dove with the square load you mentioned shot dipper set at 7/8 oz full of 2 f powder. over powder card, 1/2 cushion wad 7/8th oz of shot over shot card at 1 1/4 oz loads I have killed 5 turkeys with 4 shots
I have found bigger shot patterns better in larger bore Shotguns too. . I still think the easy way to the gun you want is a renegade in 56 Smoothbore
Have a blessed day
Roy

 

[plumberroy]

I am not sure I got my thoughts across. 3/4 oz of shot Will take up close to 1.5in in a 410 hull , in a 28gauge hull it will take up around an inch in a 20 gauge it will be about 3/4 in. theoretically if all other things are the same. The 28 should pattern better than the 410 and the 20 better than the 28 . The shorter the shot column the earlier it is to get decent patterns

 

[rodwha]

You explained it well. Do you know why it works that way though? I'm one of those that needs to understand the whys.

 

[plumberroy]

Not sure just know it is so from years of shooting some one in the shotgun section might be able to help.

 

[rodwha]

I must admit I'm curious why you feel the gun you mentioned would be better than a Lyman barrel reamed to 0.550".

 

[plumberroy]

I must admit I'm curious why you feel the gun you mentioned would be better than a Lyman barrel reamed to 0.550".

By the time you by a barrel and have it bored it would cost you nearly as much or more . The T/C is a little better Quality Gun than Lyman, I have both. Renegade would be easier to recoup your money if you ever decided to sell it.
I have one I know it works as a 28 ga. . It is a good shooter with round balls too
Have a blesses day
Roy