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I have a savage 310 SxS with a mod choke and a bunch of .62 roundballs. Im wondering if anyone has any patch thickness/material recommendations to make a working load. Trying to get accuracy up to 50 yards, want to have the option to use her on a bear while im out hunting turkey this spring.
If it is a 12 Ga. I am thinking the 62.cal would be a little small. I thought that 12 Ga. was equal to a .75 cal.
I believe 12 ga is 72 cal as to bore. A 62 cal round ball would need .050 on a side there about. So it would be closer to a sabot. You might push a shot wad in your case and measure ID of it carefully iy may be close.
.60 cal ball and .020 patch is what my 62 Hawken likes =20 ga
.625" is 20ga. 12ga will be .725 -.729ish.
If using a 62 cal ball, you will need to seat in a 12ga wad / shot cup of some ilk. I am highly dubious about outcome.
If 20 ga, 62 cal ball inside a Mylar sleeve or thin shot cup would be the starting point. I use a .626" ball in an H& R rifled barrel over 93 grs FFg to great effect.
The SxS is a 12 ga. I have a 20 ga fowler i’m building so already have the roundball mold for that, i had forgotten that it will be less then .62. I have been messing around with it in a shot cup but it is inconsistent accuracy. 10” groups or worse at 25 yards. 5” or better at 50 would be ideal.
I guess what im looking for is a mold recommendation for a 12 ga slug or RB that will perform in a MOD choke. Probably needs to be .69 or so.
I love the shotgun, shot all my pheasant and duck with her this season using BP loads of either 1 1/8 oz #4 lead or #2 steel. She especially loves the lead. Wanting it to be more versatile now for turkey/bear and maybe a grouse/elk gun. I dont mind getting in close.
You might get a good fit using denim or other very thick cotton cloth for 0.620" balls.
I got my first good round ball groups from my 12 ga. using 0.662" RB's cloth patched into shotcups already in the hulls so kinda like patching for a muzzleloader except no short starter.
I used an old cotton shirt for patch material but didn't check actual cloth thickness, just that the balls patched snuggly into the shotcups. Groups ran around 4" at 5 yards which is pretty good and much better than my Lyman Foster slugs ever did.
A tip for loading round balls in shotcups ~ I use at least one 1/8" nitro card wad in the bottom of the shotcup then a small scoop of Cream 'O Wheat to seat the ball on. The reason is that the shotcup will try to wrap itself around the ball at firing if there isn't support in the bottom.
I've also had excellent results with 0.678" RB's in standard shotcups and with 0.735" RB's naked over a hard cad wad column and plastic gas seal. But you don't want to be shooting that 0.735" RB through a choke! Even the 0.678" balls would likely be tight in a modified choke. Shouldn't hurt the choke but would likely pinch off petals and ruin accuracy.
Another option for choked gun is to use donut wads... they have a hole in the center which keeps the ball centered in the bore and clearance on the outside. I have not personally used donut wads but it makes sense and several people have posted that they good good results using them. Inverted gas seals can work too ~ the ball sits in the cup.
0.620" RB's will weigh around 7/8 oz. so load accordingly, and fastish powders are probably the best bet for a light payload like that.
Longbow
I would go with a lubed patch as it works and no concerns about plastic residue !
Good afternoon
Go to the Casting & Reloading section. (One section up from here.. Guns and Shooting)
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Author's report on loading 3 .60 caliber RB's in 12 gauge .
Mike in Peru
Thank you all for the input. Longbow especially. I played around with her a little more and i think i can make it work. The denim patch is a great idea in particular. Im still seeing alot of flyers but im also noticing a pattern where it wants to be accurate. Im using homemade black so my measurement is the power equivalent to 75 grains of Goex. It takes up about 2/3 of the cartridge. Can anyone tell me if using square vs round patches will effect accuracy? The square definitely load easier into the hulls and stays centered. Any other tips for controlling variable would be greatly appreciated, this is alot harder then charging her with shot and hoping it patterns well.
A few years ago I used a .62 inch round ball in my 12 gauge 1887. I used high brass hulls and a claybuster wad. Put me powder in the primed hull, seated the wad and dropped the ball in. Poured some super grex to fill up the empty space and put a star crimp on the hull. I found the accuracy acceptable for deer sized game.Quote:
Originally Posted by boise outlaw
I have shot a patched round ball out of a muzzle loading double barreled shotgun with good results. I loaded it just like a shot load with a hard card wad then a cushion wad with the patched round ball on top. 50 yard accuracy kept most in the bulls eye. You might try loading your shells like that.