20ga Trade Gun loading

[bikerbeans]

Hi All,

My son was given a 20ga flintlock "trade gun" by his grandfather. His GF passed several years ago so the background/info on this smokepole is not available. Gun appears to be a replica, 60 to 70s vintage maybe. Only markings on the gun are on the octagon part of the barrel and it is stamped "LONDON" on top and on the left side has a warning in script that says to only load with black powder.

I have measured the bore to determine it is a smoothbore 20ga. The barrel is octagon for the first few inches then transitions to round profile with the "wedding bands" and has a very small front sight.

My son wants now wants to shoot this MZ. I have, I think, what I need. Priming powder 4F, charge powder 2F and twenty ga plastic wads that will fit with some friction in the bore and a container of lead 6 shot and some over shot wads. My only shotgun MZ experience is with a precussion 12ga and the loading data was equal volume shot and powder to a max of 89g BP and 1 1/8oz of shot. This being a 20ga I am thinking a max of maybe 60 to 65g BP and 3/4 oz of shot. Any thoughts on reloading this gun would be appreciated.

thanks

BB

[bikerbeans]

excess,

I have GOEX 4F and 2F. When did they start puttin' BP in plastic containers?

I shot my 12ga MZ with plastic shot wads and got shot density good enough to kill gray squirrels at 30 yards. Without a shot wad I couldn't kill a squirrel with my 12ga unless he had his nose in the muzzle.

BB

[Dean D.]

My latest order of Goex powder from Powder Inc. came in plastic bottles. The previous order was in the old style tins. Must be a new thing from Goex.

I'd say if you follow Excess650's advice you'll be having fun with that 20ga soon. Don't forget you can shoot patched roundballs too!

[DIRT Farmer]

I can only tell you what has worked for me. In a 20 ga, 3/4 oz to 1 oz of shot, slightly less powder ie for a 1 oz load set the powder mesure to hold 7/8 oz of shot, this is the volume of powder, thin card board over powder wad, fiber wad from 1/4 to 1/2 inch of a material that will hold lube and crumble after it leaves the barrel (the ones I use are cetolex) and a thin over shot wad. The thicker over powder wads and some felt wads may disrupt the pattern. ( your milage may vary ) This is the starting point for my compation load. The possibalities are endless and the time at the patterning board will tell. You should be able to get patterns from plowen to modified from a cylinder bore barrel by varieng the componets.
I have used modern plastic wads in expermints,especialy with steel shot, they are intended to function at higher pressures than used in muzzleloaders. A card wad and fiber under a plastic wad has several useful results. The biggest issue is in a fouled bore some wads can be hard to fully seat on the powder resulting in a possibality of an air space. If loading plastic wads always use a marked range rod to verify the wad is fully on the powder.

[waksupi]

Dirt Farmer has it pretty much right. I end up with a bit more shot than powder, and it just takes pattern work to find what works best. I much prefer 3f in 20 bores.
There is a sticky in this forum on making the trade guns shoot. Also another sticky on shooting muzzle loading shotguns.

[johnson1942]

waksupi, was their ever a trade gun ( i believe they were hudson bay guns) that had rifleing in it? i was thinking they were all smooth bores but i may be wrong.

[waksupi]

Trade guns were made by a lot of makers, in a lot of countries. I know of no rifled trade guns. There are trade rifles, that are an entirely different type of firearm.

[johnson1942]

thanks