Muzzle loader turned into shot gun

[randyrat]

I bought a Knight muzzle loader .50 cal inline (uses little orange disk to hold primers) at a very cheap price..In fact, the box of stuff that came with it is worth more than the rifle..This muzzle loader has a real nasty bore. I tried using valve grinding compound, soaking it and some other desperate methods to no avail..So it is now officially my Muzzle loading shot gun.

Do you have any suggestions for quantity of black powder to use? Under 1 ounce or so loads
I think 1 ounce of shot over 60-70 grains of black power

[johnson1942]

are all the lands and grooves gone? is the barrel safe to shoot?

[fouronesix]

If the breech plug is good, they are very strong.

Just thinking that those estimated charges are a little high. A 50 cal is about 36 ga so I'd approach it more like starting loads for something between .410 and a light 28 ga. Maybe start with 1/2 oz of shot and about 40 gr of BP. Not that the gun wouldn't stand higher pressure, but the performance as a shotgun might suffer. Then work up from there to see how it patterns with more shot, greater charges and variations is loads/wad combinations.

[randyrat]

OH yeah, all the lands and grooves are good and the gun looks safe, but the dang bore just looks like an old war zone, dark in many spots. I can't quite tell if it is pitted or just real dark in spots.
One thing I have not tried yet is shooting a valve grinding compound (fine) embedded slug, last resort.

I'll take your advice and start low 1/2 ounce over a light load..

[Beerd]

Shot in a rifled barel don't shoot the best pattern
just sayin'
..

[texassako]

I am about to start working on loads in a muzzloading shotgun. A lot of suggestions to keep close to equal volume of shot and powder, and to use FFg. The rifling is probably going to make the shot pattern poorly. It sounds like yours would be a good candidate from a bore smoothing trick I recently found out about elsewhere. You will need to pull the breech plug to do it. Pull a bore snake coated with Turtle chrome polish through it. It slicked up a frosty bore to where it doesn't lead anymore and is mostly shiny.

[DeanWinchester]

I'm willing to bet if you started paper patching, that bore would clean up in short order.

[bubba.50]

if you don't bore the riflin' out of it, it won't be worth a fig as a shotgun. my opinion & yer welcome to it, bubba.

[johnson1942]

dean winchester is right. dont use any lube on the paper.

[fouronesix]

OH yeah, all the lands and grooves are good and the gun looks safe, but the dang bore just looks like an old war zone, dark in many spots. I can't quite tell if it is pitted or just real dark in spots.
One thing I have not tried yet is shooting a valve grinding compound (fine) embedded slug, last resort.

I'll take your advice and start low 1/2 ounce over a light load..

Yes, Try some fire lapping first. You can put some compound- like 200-300 grit- on a patch and shoot patched roundball over fairly light load. Clean in between firings. Repeat until you can "feel" it's smooth when running a tight jagged patch through. Follow up with a couple of 600 grit (or even a few lubed with JB bore paste) patched roundballs for a little smoother finish. Then fire a few known regular accurate loads through it to see if it works. Being a Knight inline it likely will have a fairly tight twist- maybe 28" or so.

If all that fails, you'll need to ream or get the lands out of there to have any chance for decent shotgun patterning.

[mold maker]

Don't fear the fire lapping process. From what you say, you have little to loose, and might gain a good shooter.

[randyrat]

I'll give the Fire lapping a try and paper patch, maybe one of them will clean it up enough to make it shoot..I did figure in the rifling would have a bad effect on a shot gun, I figured it could be fun rifle for close range and a lot of smoke. Maybe I should look at it again and possibly clean it up. Thanks

[fishhawk]

Well Randy in answer to your original question use the same measure for powder and shot if you load 60 gr of BP use the same measure for the shot. With that gun 80 gr of BP should be OK to load but will probably blow a hole in the pattern so pattern it to make sure.

[texassako]

Came across this today and found out it might actually work in a muzzleloader rifled barrel depending on the twist: http://www.muzzleloadingshotguns.com/articles/rifledbarrelsandshotpatterns

[Geezer in NH]

Just how is the lands and grooves good?? I do not get it they are good or not makes no sense, what is it?

Bored smooth Knight rifle used unbelievable amounts of powder and Shot. 3 50 grain pellets of Pyrodex and unbelievable 2oz loads of shot for turkey made on guns by GM Rifle barrel company.

Out of touch IMHO made for advertising Hype and the Jim Shocky tribe.

[waksupi]

I would shoot projectiles and see how they work. I've shot some originals that looked like crusted rust from end to end, and they shot just fine.
As far as shotgunning, look at the sticky in this forum on the muzzleloading shotgun.

[ThaDave]

Many years ago I had a no name .50 cal BP "carbine" with a 18" barrel. I would often use it as a shotgun loading 50-90 grains of FFg followed by a little TP then just pouring BBs down the barrel a little more TP on top and blasting away, killed more squirrels and birds with that than I can count.

Now days I know that isnt a safe thing to do but I still have that front loader and it is still perfectly safe. I'm not saying that your weapon can handle doing that but all I am saying is they are often stronger than people give them credit for.

I would suggest like any other reloading project start low and slowly work your way up in power and shot writting down every change you make as you work you way up until you find a load that works well for you and your gun.

[OverMax]

Black powder barrels can be pretty nasty looking and they'll still shoot after a reasonable clean up. Kind'a like old Winchesters.
If intentionally looking to make a shotgun out of it. Without some sort of barrel choke it won't offer much pattern or for that matter shooting distance. I wouldn't suggest someone try using. But I've used Naval Jelly on one occasion in a dark barrel. Cleaned the barrel up enough to where it was a dull metal color and quite shoot-able. If I were to paper patch it now I know without to much effort it would shine like a new dime. But its a wall piece so I have no intentions to follow up.