bigbore442001
05-18-2008, 08:28 PM
A couple of weeks ago I saw an ad for a new in the box TC Black Mountain Magnum 12 guage with a full turkey choke. The previous owner never fired nor even put it together. He needed the cash and so I bought it at a very reasonable price. Needless to say I have been doing a lot of pratice finding the right load for turkey. It has been very frustrating but I think I got it .
My first session went sort of like this.
I made some photo copies of a turkey head and neck target for patterning purposes. I do believe I will have to get some butchers paper and do a proper pattern test. This gun seems to pattern a bit low on target.
Shot no. 1:
90 grains of H777
2 oz of No. 5 shot
Knight shot cup
RWS musket cap.
Shot off the bench at 25 yards.
41 pellets in the head and neck target. 10 pellets in the brain and spinal cord.
The shot still had a bit of a hollow sound. It may be the result of shooting under a pavillion.
Shot no. 2 :
90 gr. H777
2 1/8 oz no 5 shot
Knight shot cup that has been trimmed to the level of the shot.
RWS musket cap.
Shot off the bench at 25 yards.
Total of 7 pellets in the brain and spine area. 30 pellets in the whole head/neck target.
I noticed that the there was a cluster of shot in the lower left quadrant of the target. 36 pellets in a three inch circle .
Shot No. 4 :
90 gr H777
2 1/8 oz of no 5 shot
Knight shot cup, untrimmed
RWS musket cap
Shot off the bench at 25 yards.
Aimed a tad high. The front bead was placed on the head of the turkey target.
A total of 46 pellets were in the head and neck target with 17 in the brain/spine area. .
I noticed that as the gun got a tad dirtier, the hollow sound diminished and it seemed there was a bit more recoil. Maybe the gun needs a fouling shot for it to perform.
Shot no4. Same as above but at 30 yards. There was a slight delay in ignition and I moved.Sooooo...only three pellets in the bottom of the target.
Shot no 5, same load except trimmed shot cup and off hand at thirty yards. I suspect that thirty yards is more realistic as to what I would expect to see a bird at .
A total of five pellets in the head and neck target with three in the brain/spine. The pattern seemed to be a tad low.
When it comes to hunting turkey you tend to be sitting and shoot off your knees, so the pattern may be better.
The second session of testing proved to be more fruitful. I do believe I found the secret, so to speak, of shooting this shotgun. The saga of finding the right turkey load may have come to an end. I did some testing at the range with the same load but sighting in differently.
I took a shot using the bead in the notch like a rifle and summized," I wonder if this thing shoots high, like a regular shotgun? " Keep in mind that my other turkey gun is a H&R single shot 12 guage ,3 1/2 " magnum with a scope on it.So I sort of instinctly used the muzzleloading shotgun more like a rifle.
So here are the test results.
Shot 1. 12 guage Black Mountain Magnum
90 grains of H777
2 oz no. 5 shot
plastic shot cup and foam over shot wad
RWS musket caps
At 25 yards with a slight high hold,7 pellets in the kill zone. Still looks like a cluster off to the left and bottom quadrant of the target.
Shot 2:
Same load as above but trimmed shotcup.
At 25 yards, 7 pellets in the skull/spine and 27 in the whole kill zone.
Shot no 3. Same as above but I shot it at 10 yards. I wanted to see if the column of shot was shooting differently than the point of aim. Held the bead in the U notch of the tang.
One ragged hole at the bottom of the target. It was five to six inches below the head of the bird. I aimed it like a rifle at the center of the neck. Hmm. This gun shoots a tad high.
Shot n0 4: Same load
Again at ten yards holding the bead high on the head of the gobbler target. One ragged hole at the base of the wattles of the neck. It also seemed to center on th lower left quadrant. Hmm. I think I have to hold high and to the right a bit .
Shot no 5: Same load at 25 yards. Pointed the shotgun with the bead a tad high and to the right. Definitely would kill a bird. There were 6 pellets in the spine/skull and 22 in all of the head and neck area. the shot still seemed to cluster a bit low.
Shot no 6. Thirty yards offhand like I was in the woods. I want to say same load but something wasn't right. What an idiot. I am worried about all the big doings at work tommorrow and forgot to put the shot down the bore. In effect a nice big blank load. Target was clean.
Shot no 7. Same load off hand with the bead on the turkey head and pointing like a normal shotgun.
Best load/shot I have seen yet. A total of 27 pellets in the head and neck area. A definite gobbler killing load.
Sooo. It looks like this coming weekend will find me out in the woods of central Massachusetts with Dad in the truck( he broke a bone in his foot and cannot really hunt with me) hopefully taking a gobbler with a muzzleloading shotgun. That will be a big first for me, if it happens.
My first session went sort of like this.
I made some photo copies of a turkey head and neck target for patterning purposes. I do believe I will have to get some butchers paper and do a proper pattern test. This gun seems to pattern a bit low on target.
Shot no. 1:
90 grains of H777
2 oz of No. 5 shot
Knight shot cup
RWS musket cap.
Shot off the bench at 25 yards.
41 pellets in the head and neck target. 10 pellets in the brain and spinal cord.
The shot still had a bit of a hollow sound. It may be the result of shooting under a pavillion.
Shot no. 2 :
90 gr. H777
2 1/8 oz no 5 shot
Knight shot cup that has been trimmed to the level of the shot.
RWS musket cap.
Shot off the bench at 25 yards.
Total of 7 pellets in the brain and spine area. 30 pellets in the whole head/neck target.
I noticed that the there was a cluster of shot in the lower left quadrant of the target. 36 pellets in a three inch circle .
Shot No. 4 :
90 gr H777
2 1/8 oz of no 5 shot
Knight shot cup, untrimmed
RWS musket cap
Shot off the bench at 25 yards.
Aimed a tad high. The front bead was placed on the head of the turkey target.
A total of 46 pellets were in the head and neck target with 17 in the brain/spine area. .
I noticed that as the gun got a tad dirtier, the hollow sound diminished and it seemed there was a bit more recoil. Maybe the gun needs a fouling shot for it to perform.
Shot no4. Same as above but at 30 yards. There was a slight delay in ignition and I moved.Sooooo...only three pellets in the bottom of the target.
Shot no 5, same load except trimmed shot cup and off hand at thirty yards. I suspect that thirty yards is more realistic as to what I would expect to see a bird at .
A total of five pellets in the head and neck target with three in the brain/spine. The pattern seemed to be a tad low.
When it comes to hunting turkey you tend to be sitting and shoot off your knees, so the pattern may be better.
The second session of testing proved to be more fruitful. I do believe I found the secret, so to speak, of shooting this shotgun. The saga of finding the right turkey load may have come to an end. I did some testing at the range with the same load but sighting in differently.
I took a shot using the bead in the notch like a rifle and summized," I wonder if this thing shoots high, like a regular shotgun? " Keep in mind that my other turkey gun is a H&R single shot 12 guage ,3 1/2 " magnum with a scope on it.So I sort of instinctly used the muzzleloading shotgun more like a rifle.
So here are the test results.
Shot 1. 12 guage Black Mountain Magnum
90 grains of H777
2 oz no. 5 shot
plastic shot cup and foam over shot wad
RWS musket caps
At 25 yards with a slight high hold,7 pellets in the kill zone. Still looks like a cluster off to the left and bottom quadrant of the target.
Shot 2:
Same load as above but trimmed shotcup.
At 25 yards, 7 pellets in the skull/spine and 27 in the whole kill zone.
Shot no 3. Same as above but I shot it at 10 yards. I wanted to see if the column of shot was shooting differently than the point of aim. Held the bead in the U notch of the tang.
One ragged hole at the bottom of the target. It was five to six inches below the head of the bird. I aimed it like a rifle at the center of the neck. Hmm. This gun shoots a tad high.
Shot n0 4: Same load
Again at ten yards holding the bead high on the head of the gobbler target. One ragged hole at the base of the wattles of the neck. It also seemed to center on th lower left quadrant. Hmm. I think I have to hold high and to the right a bit .
Shot no 5: Same load at 25 yards. Pointed the shotgun with the bead a tad high and to the right. Definitely would kill a bird. There were 6 pellets in the spine/skull and 22 in all of the head and neck area. the shot still seemed to cluster a bit low.
Shot no 6. Thirty yards offhand like I was in the woods. I want to say same load but something wasn't right. What an idiot. I am worried about all the big doings at work tommorrow and forgot to put the shot down the bore. In effect a nice big blank load. Target was clean.
Shot no 7. Same load off hand with the bead on the turkey head and pointing like a normal shotgun.
Best load/shot I have seen yet. A total of 27 pellets in the head and neck area. A definite gobbler killing load.
Sooo. It looks like this coming weekend will find me out in the woods of central Massachusetts with Dad in the truck( he broke a bone in his foot and cannot really hunt with me) hopefully taking a gobbler with a muzzleloading shotgun. That will be a big first for me, if it happens.