Well, I have been asked several times over the last few years and more than a few lately about BP shotguns and hunting.
To that end, I will start this thread.
Many others , mind you , hunt steady with them as well, my good friend Hornhead, on occasion, uses a double flint shotgun to hunt pheasants and geese, and I know Petew also hunts with a muzzle loading shotgun .
I have also watched DaJimmer -after only a quick few minutes of instruction take a fast flying chukar with his single barrel muzzle loader as well.
So, for those who are interested, i will get this on the go, and will start from the bare basics, so if anyone wants to chime in please be aware that I am not going to get too complex about things so the new guys can get some sort of info on just how easy and enjoyable shooting with the old guns can be!
Also be aware that I will not be talking about the new stuff like inline muzzle loading shotguns because I know nothing about them.
First off, I will start with the muzzle loaders because they are a bit easier to decipher than cartridge guns.
You have several ignition systems, but flint and percussion cap are the two most common and I will only be talking about the cap guns because they are by far the most prevalent.
The percussion cap is just that, a small cap that is put over the nipple of the gun.
When the hammer strikes , the primer in the cap sens a strong spark down the barrel and ignites the black powder charge
The charge itself is made up of (for a 12 bore gun)
A: Black powder - either FFG or FG Powder
B: a hard card wad of about .125thick to seal the gasses
C: a softer lubed cushion wad of about .50 thick that is used to keep the fouling soft and to cushion the shot charge . This is a very hot topic among BP guys - many say the cushion wad does nothing, but most of the guns I have shot over the years are far easier to load after shooting with cushion wads.
D:another very thin wad of about.035 keeps the shot from inbedding in the cushion wad
E: the shot charge itself is then poured down the barrel and
F: another .035 wad is rammed down on top of it.
The gun is then capped , the hammers in turn are lowered slowly onto the cap to make sure it is seated properly, and then the hammers brought back to half cock.
Some hunters refrain from capping until the game is sighted or the dog goes on point, preferring not to trust a half cock hammer- on older guns this is often a very wise thing if the half cock is worn.
TOOLS THAT ARE IMPORTANT!
Okay, that's is how the gun is loaded, now here is what you NEED to load it!
Be aware, that the range is not the same as the field, many shooters ( I am not innocent here either!) tend to spread stuff out all over the bench when they are shooting at the range , but the most important thing to remember when hunting is to have a good system to organize your possibles in !
There are numerous bags out there, and some have the shot bag built into the strap with a special measure to dispense the shot .
Most also have several pouches in them, and often times a smaller pouch with a separate flap .
A horn or flask is also needed for your powder, and a cap dispenser , although not mandatory, is very handy.
You will need a measure of some sort as well, and the easiest way to find that is to buy a brass adjustable one with a swing over funnel on it.
Many shooters use a bit more shot than powder, but if you run 90 grains of FFG and use the same measure for your shot you will not go wrong with a 12 bore.
You will also need a a ram rod of course, and with shotguns there are synthetic ones out there that do well and tend not to break in the field!
NOTES ON LOADING:
before we load the gun, it must be clean and not plugged in the ignition channel, many hunters snap a cap while holding the muzzle down near a blade of grass to see if it will be blown by the ignition when the cap is snapped, other simply blow down the muzzle to see if the channel is clear - I MUCH prefer the snap a cap method!
hen you laod the gun the hammer(s) are on half cock, this way no air can get trapped with the powder.
The powder is poured from its container into the measure and in turn it is poured into the barrel.
Many fellas keep a thumb over the other barrel when they are pouring the powder in, then put the card wad jsutt started, then do the other barrel the same .
After the card wads are put down, they then repeat with the other wads , and in turn the shot.
This insures that they do not get a double charge or no charge in one barrel !!
I will stop this here for know and get some pics up.
Cat
shooting the black powder shotguns for hunting
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Hybrid Mode
