Shot Loads for TC Smoothbore

[widow]

Roundball,

Last year about this time you posted directions for using shot loads in your TC smoothbore. You talked about using post-it cards to make shot cups.

Can you please post this again?

Thanks

Greg

[roundball]

Taking some ideas from other posters and articles, I experimented around and settled on the following for paper shot cups for long rangte tight pattern shot loads in my .62cal/.20ga smoothbore:

1. Post-it note papers with their particular thickness and self-adhering edge worked best for me;

2. I used a 6" long piece of 1/2" dowel with about 7 wraps of thick clear scotch packing tape around it to produce a paper cup diameter that is CLOSE BUT NOT TOUCHING the sides of a .62cal bore;

3. I roll / wrap the entire post-it note around the dowel on a hard flat surface starting with the dry edge so the tacky edge comes last and is used to stick it to the rolled paper, holding it together;

4. The size of the dowel needs to be built up enough so a post-it note stops short enough of going completely around twice so there is still a narrow (1/8"-1/4" wide) strip of single thickness paper which aids in bursting at set-back time;

5. Then I slide the tube off the dowel about 1/2" and fold in the end of the tube as you would a coin wrapper;

6. While still on the dowel, press the folds hard down onto a hard surface to crease the folds good and tight;

7. I pull the paper tube the rest of the way off the dowel...at this point it will be too long to use;

8. Measure the amount of shot you plan to use and pour it into the shot cup;

9. Mark the paper NO TALLER than the height of the shot you just poured in;

10. Pour out the shot and use scissors to cut off the excess paper at the mark;

11. Pour the shot back into the cup to test it...the paper should not extend above the shot;

12. The resultant cup diameter is a close to friction fit in the bore, with about .020" clearance around the tube;

13. The shot cup protects & holds the shot charge together until the instant it leaves the bore;

14. Upon exiting the bore, the paper opens and disintegrates, fluttering to the ground 5-10 feet from the muzzle;

Excellent Flintlock load results - 06/01/03:

70grns Goex FFFg
(or 80grns FFg)
(or 20grns FFFg + 60grns Pyrodex RS)
Two (or three) .62cal/.20ga OxYoke prelubed wonder wads over the powder
Paper shot cup
1 & 5/8 oz #6's
One .030" thick .62cal/.20ga overshot card

Seat the first wonderwad down on the powder and compress the charge as you normally would;
Set the second (and/or 3rd) wonder wad down the bore a couple inches;
Slide the shot cup down on it and pour in the shot;
Install the OS card and GENTLY seat the whole thing, being careful not to crush and burst the cup prematurely by applying too much pressure **.

(** This is just my opinion not to prematurely burst the cup, it's not based on any science...BUT, so far, mine have worked perfectly so: if it ain't broke I ain't gonna fix it, etc)

30 yards = the whole pattern was contained in 22";
30 yards = 29 #6 pellets in a 4" x 5" target
30 yards = 11 pellets into a coke can which has only a relatively small 2.5" X 5" target face to the shooter;
40 yards = 8 pellets through a coke can (2.5" X 5")

This load is very hard hitting and produces extremely tight patterns at long ranges...the paper shot cups are the key, getting the shot out of the barrel without a lot of deformation, and serving as a choke constriction tighter than cylinder bore.

NOTE: For less damage on smaller game like squirrels & rabbits, try 1 - 1.25 ozs shot instead of 1 & 5/8, and drop the powder charge back by 10-20grns...or...just don't use the paper shot cup and the pattern will open wider / thinner.