Thoughts, Guidance and wisdom needed 12 Gauge BP loads involving #4 Buckshot

[Sakdog]

Alright so first off I am hoping not to get too horribly lambasted for this but I acknowledge that its a possibility. Its very interesting how one gains an interest in a topic. For me I had absolutely no interest in black powder whatsoever until I got a free pound of goex FFFg and I had to find a way to use it somewhat constructively. I immediately decided that I will burn it off on .38 specials and will likely be happy in so doing.

Somehow or another I stumbled across a youtube video of a chap doing some field expedient reloading of plastic hulled shotgun shells for a single shot and I thought to myself "how neat" I dont think its ideal to use rags for wads and use steel BB gun BB's for shot but... still pretty cool.
First things first, I really dont want to get into Shotshell reloading for volume at all so my endeavors would be purely field expedient and very low volume. likewise all will be fired from a single shot modern smokeless break open 12ga. (3" chamber)

Secondly, I could care less for loading up any birdshot. My main inquiry is to determine whether anyone has had any sort of success loading either 00 buck or #4 buck with black powder (or substitute). If I find that it is a worthy pursuit I think i'll give it a shot. My angle of attack on this will be to use slightly trimmed plastic hulls in a similar fashion as outlined on the YT video. I am not attempting to load these for anything else other than close range varminting only. my questions thus far are:

What does your functional Buckshot BP load consist of?

Is it possible to go with a 3" shell (wanting to get roughly the same number of #4bk shot as a factory 3" or 2-3/4)

My proposed idea would be to try the following:

Either a 3" or 2.75" fired shell (all high brass) would have the unfolded crimp section cut off.

I will re-prime said case and probably start with ~50-70 grains FFg powder

I will use 1 or 2, maybe 3 wads constructed from double walled cardboard the wad whose face contacts the powder will have a thin layer of silicone on it the other(s) I might soak in beeswax or something.. Dont know why but it sounds like a good idea. especially compared to a rag.

I will then add up to but no more than 27 or 40 #4 pellets (2.75" and 3" respectively)
The amalgam will be topped off with a thin card and sealed with wax or hot glue. I might draw a smiley face on the top wad. then again maybe a frowning face.. still cant make up my mind on that.

If my face is still intact after shooting that I might work more powder into the above load

Any critique would be greatly appreciated. I want to stay as primative as possible with regards to using the plastic shells, and using some form of home brewed wadding...

Thank you in advance.

[Baja_Traveler]

I have loaded #4 buck in a 16ga shell with 60gr 1 1/2 swiss. Just like everything else - it's a volume for volume loading powder/shot. If you use plastic shells you will be volume limited, and consider the shells junk after one shot. The heat of the black powder just wrecks the crimp area of plastic shells. I started out with the plastic also, and used a roll crimp tool on my drill press, which made great looking shells that I didnt have to worry about opening up in my shooting vest during a hunt.
Once you shoot a few and decide to devote your life to just shooting black (It will happen) order up the Magtech brass shells from Midway or Ballistic Products. With those you will get unlimited reloadability and greater case volume for heavy turkey or coyote loads.
I use a 1/2" fiber wad between powder/shot, but I've read that you can get better shot patterns with a thin hard card over powder. I havent patterned both to see though, and what I shoot has dropped plenty of pheasant (with #6 shot) so I'm happy.

[Sakdog]

Good info, Yeah I don't know why but the whole BP thing is very appealing thus far. I've yet to ignite any except the few mini mushroom clouds I sparked in the fire place, but I feel the pull for sure.

The plastic endeavor is a proof of concept for me, if it works and I like it I will be buying a #4bk mold as well as the aforementioned hulls.

[MT Chambers]

Get a punch to make wads of the size that is a tight fit in your chosen cases, make card wads and felt wads, the cars wads are for over powder and over shot, the felt wads are to make everything fit. Get a roll crimper from BP that fits on a drill or better still, a drill press. A 3 dram charge will be 80grains of black powder which is still a fairly light load. Deprime with a nail, reprime with a hammer and wooden dowel on a very flat surface, enjoy!

[Sakdog]

Chambers, good advice, Thank you

What's this about "volume for volume" Is that the ideal loading in a BP shotgun (or anything else) and is it actually volume to volume or equal weight portions (one cubic inch of powder and one cubic inch of lead.. very different)? I have heard of the "square load" same weight in BP as the shot. I wonder if this can be achieved with 40-41 pellets of #4 buck


Thanks!

[fouronesix]

Don't over think it. Equal volume to equal volume for the ratio of shot to BP charge- it's just as it has been stated. It is a general rule of thumb for BP shotgun loading. The ratio can be fine tuned some if desired and based on load testing. If you get into it, the practical approach is, as has been stated, the brass shotshell. Cleaning inside and out, of both gun and brass shells at the end of the day is required.

By experimenting, you can find the right equal volumes of powder and shot that together with the wad end up with the right length to fit into the shotshell. Prime the shotshell, put the powder in the shotshell, insert wad, compress it a little with a wooden dowel, put in the shot charge, put on a thin overshot card, apply a little bead of wood glue or thick nail polish around the edge of the overshot card, let dry (and/or lightly roll crimp the shell's mouth if desired)- shoot. Clean at the end of the day. Don't over think it.

[Sakdog]

Certainly aiming to keep it simple, utilitarian and primative.

The terminology of "volume" threw me for a loop but if we are speaking of volume for volume match I calculate:

I guess if I look at the volume of 41 spheres .24" in diameter I get a volume of ~4.8506 CC ... Sounds like roughly 70-75 grains of the black stuff..

Just taking a compass bearing here.

[fouronesix]

That's more or less the idea. Go ahead and get a shotshell for experimenting with. Put in 70 gr BP. Add the (thicker) overpowder/cushion wad. Press down with the wooden dowel for some light compression. Then add however many #4 buck pellets it takes to fill the case mostly full leaving enough room for the thin overshot card and the roll crimp if used. That will give you a base line for adjusting the total volume (length) of any of the components inside the shell. Don't over think it. Don't approach it like smokeless loading. Forget about the techniques for high vel/high performance ballistics of the modern smokeless shotshell. BP shotshell loading is really much simpler and more straight forward.

[Sakdog]

Gotcha, I think I smell what you're cooking now! I have yet to delve into this but I know I am going to enjoy it. The advice to shelf smokeless knowledge make all the sense in the world with regards to what I am seeing in the BP world thus far.

Thanks for the helpful advice!