Looking for 12 ga Black powder slug and Round ball loads

[warren5421]

I have 20 lbs of black stored in a fire department approved magazine. I have Swiss 1 1/2, and Goex FFg and FFFg. Not wanting to reinvent the wheel. I reloaded for both Trap and Skeet in the 1960's and 70's starting with felt wads then plastic wads. I have a lot of both felt and plastic wads still. I have shot SASS for almost 30 years using black and both type wads so plastic in my shotgun with black is fine. Most will be used in an old J.C.Higgens bolt 12ga Full. The barrel had the Curtis cut off in the long distant or never had one. I have a very large number of different hulls I have picked up over the years. I have a Charman box of AA hulls just by theirself that are once fired (new shooter discards).

[longbow]

Here is a link to reloading BP in shtshells which should have some good info for you:

http://www.tbullock.com/bpsg.html

By using equivalent weight slug to birdshot you should get good results and just add card, cork or felt wads to get correct crimp height.

Many years ago I loaded 0.690" RB's over up to 110 grs. of FFFg with good results as far as ignition and burn but...

I have not had good results with 0.690" RB's accuracy wise.

I used plastic wads which left nasty plastic build up in the bore. Whether melted or scraped off on hard, dry BP fouling I don't know but a pain to clean out!

BP in my experience is hard on plastic hulls... they get crispy mouths and brittle crimps after a reload or two.

The wad and hull issues may depend on wad and hull brands. I've read posts where others have not experienced this but I did.

My recommendation is to use nitro card wads over the powder and hard card, cork, fiber or felt filler wads if required and to use a lubed wad under round ball/slug (BP lube of course).

I'd also recommend 0.735" RB or possibly cloth patched 0.715" RB. I have had good results with a naked 0.735" RB on hard card wad column using smokeless powder but haven't tried it with BP.

I have read about but not tried patching 0.715" RB's into hulls and that the patch apparently stays on the ball through the bore. If it works this would be my preferred method because the patch could be lubed and a patched ball should help keep the bore clean.

I test patched both 0.690" and 0.715" RB's and find that for 0.690" RB old Jean's material make for nice fit in my gun's bore and some mic's 0.011" cotton makes for good fit with 0.715" RB.

I tried Fg and FFg powder in my 12 ga. muzzleloading shotgun but preferred FFFg. I only used FFFg in my cartridge shotgun. Coarser powder is supposed to be better but I found FFFg burned cleaner and worked well.

If you get a good fitting ball or slug and good wad column you should be able to match smoothbore musket accuracy with patched round ball.

Longbow

[longbow]

Here is another link tht may be useful:

https://www.ballisticproducts.com/bpi/articleindex/articles/blackpowder1_unlisted/BlackPowder.htm

[Nobade]

I shoot .715" patched balls loaded over 90 grains of powder in my Rem 870. They work just fine to 50 yards or so, but if you want to shoot solids through a full choke barrel you need to push them through by hand first to make sure you're not going to damage your barrels.

[longbow]

A good point!

You don't want to be shooting full bore balls or solid slugs through a choke. And as Nobade says, even a tightly patched ball could be a hazard if shot through a choke.

Longbow

[warren5421]

I checked my barrel with a choke gage and it looks like no choke, waiting for a snape gage to measuer the barrel. The cylinder gage was loose so barrel is just over my gage by about .001"-.002". When I bought the gun I was told it was choked Full. It shoots minute of raccoon and other animals that get in the hay for my old horse (34 years old).

[Nobade]

Just push one of whatever you are thinking about shooting through the barrel from the breech end and you'll know if there is any choke and if your projectile is going to work.