Underhammer 20ga Shotgun

[Lostinidaho]

I bought a H&A underhammer from Pecatonica River. The original barrel I bought was a .36 cal. Sweet small game target rife. I have been fitting a 20ga barrel.

Today was the first no-rainy day that I got home earlier enough from work. Went with a friend to try it out. It was fun to shoot to say the least. Working on a forearm. But I like it with out the forearm too.

The target is a 14X18 at 30yards. The load was 55gr 777 3/4oz of #6 shot. The shot was from some old shotgun shells. I want to try a heavy shot load with maybe #4 shot. Spring turkey hunt is possible.
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[bedbugbilly]

LOL - with the length of that barrel, you really don't even have to shoot it . . . you can just reach out here and "what" the game you're after! :-)

I love the under hammers and to me, a 20 gauge is the ideal bore . . . or it was when I used to hunt small critters like squirrels, rabbits, pheasants, etc. It looks like you've got a great "project" - enjoy and have fun!

Just curious - just how long is the 20 bore barrel? Maker?

The nice thing about the H & R style under hammer is the ability to change out barrels easily once you get them set up to do so. Very nice and thanks for the post!

[Lostinidaho]

34" I have shot a couple of fowlers (20ga) and muskets (.62) owned by friends and acquaintances. That's what they had. So that's what I went for.

[Lostinidaho]

Been working on the forearm. It has been slow due to other things getting in the way but It is almost done. Its walnut with a buffalo horn nose piece. Getting closer. I need to get some Tru-oil, but I hate to go to Wallys on Saturday. Its fun to shoot. I have had good luck getting #6, #4 and .62 RB to shoot and pattern.

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[richhodg66]

I have recently gotten the itch to give a muzzle loading shotgun a try. I'd love to have something like that little 20 gauge. Please keep us posted on how this is going.

[Harleysboss]

Nice underhammer. I had a very similar gun built for me. Mine happens to be a 12ga, 30" barrel cylinder bore. Member John Taylor built it for me. Took a turkey last week with mine. I used a loading method described on a different forum. It goes like this, Powder (80grns vol. Goex FFG) 1 1/8" hard card, 1 5/8 oz #5 shot, 1 thin over shot card and finally 1 really sloppy wet lubed 1/2" cushion wad. Dont ask me why it works it just does. The wads were soaked for 24hrs in cheap olive oil. I got much tighter patterns with this method over others that I tried. Either way 30 yards is stretching it for tight turkey patterns with a non choked bore. I'm considering sending my barrel to Caywood flintlocks for a jug choke. Good luck with your new piece, underhammers are pretty ugly...I mean pretty cool.LOL :)

[richhodg66]

Can a guy use standard shot wads in a muzzle loader? Does it hurt or help things?

[KCSO]

Plastic wads are a no no with black powder unless you really like scrubbing. I put my loads up in paper ctgs and just trim off the top for the turkey loads and let the wrap work as a plastic wad does. Don't even try plastic wads in a flinter as the compression area of the wad will take the oomph out of the load. For a flinter I use 2 hard card wads and a thin over shot done up in a paper ctg. I use hand cut wads just small enough to do two wraps with news paper. I dip the shot area in melted lube bees wax and bear oil.

[Lostinidaho]

John Taylor build some pretty sweet underhammers. I have seen some picture. I like the brass frame or action.

I have good patterns at 30yrds with 70g 777, 1/2 fiber wad lubricated with neatsfoot oil, 1 1/8 oz shot (#4 or #6), thin overshot wad.

[2152hq]

Any plastic wad I've tried to use w/BP has melted during it's travel down the bore and the melted plastic sticks to the walls in long streaks. That;s the scrubbing effort KCSO refers to.
I've been told that plastic reloading wads used for reloading Steel Shot won't melt,,but I've never tried it. I'm thinking it may just be someones idea rather than tested fact. But I can certainly be shown wrong.

Loading BP in plastic shotshell cartridges can also result in those plastic hulls melting and doing the same.
The only plastic hulls I've ever been able to load and not have them melt and make a mess of the bore are the Remington black plastic (Game Club?) hulls. They for some reason don't melt, but do get toasted after a couple reloads and are through.
Cardboard & fiber wads for either application.
In my youth I used to use a cut out cardboard wad or two (cereal box) over the powder and a simple piece of wadded up newspaper very tightly rammed home over that for the filler wad. Another one of the cardboard wads over the shot.
It worked just fine..