Black Powder Shotshell specifics

[Come On Christmas]

I know this could vary all over the place. I use 12 gauge Winchester AAs, the Western orange AA clone wad, and a Fg Skirmish load which is way lame by many a pard's standards. PM me for specifics.

 

Anyway, I got questioned at my local skeet range as to how much farther the pellets fly or if they really don't. Did not know. The range official was polite, but as I didna know I quit shooting them. He just wanted to know if what I was doing was safe. Early 20 year old official doncha know?

 

Also how about velocity?

 

Thanks,

 

Crayfish

 

P.S. I was at Goody's favorite public range, Elm Fork. Hey it's handy.

 

Maybe I should go to Alpine towards Cowtown.

[Double Tap Taylor]

I would think it goes to dram equivalent. 2.5 drams = about 1000 fps

But depends on 1F 2F 3F powder and what type of powder.

So many variables hard to say.

[John Henry Quick]

The only way to tell is to use a chrono. At only ten feet away, there should not be enough spread to be a danger to the sensors and it should see the shot column as a single projectile.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Shot size makes the biggest contribution to "ultimate range" of shot fall. It is almost impossible to fire a shell, regardless of the muzzle velocity, that throws 7 1/2 shot farther than about 300 yards.

 

Black powder loads have LESS pressure and LESS velocity than most modern target loads (which are about 1200 to 1250 FPS). Your low powder weight black powder loads probably are making about 900 FPS, which could be check ed with a chronometer.

 

They just SOUND loud, and naive officials think that the velocity must be really high.

 

So, if you are using normal shot size for that range (size 6 to 9 shot), that range officer was VERY misinformed if he had any concern over your loads throwing shot too far!

 

The usual complaint is that "other shooters are complaining about the smell or the smoke," which is a little harder to play down. But as long as you are not shooting for big money in some registered event, that should make "no never mind."

 

A brief chat with the range manager might be in order, keeping it real polite and reminding him that the origin of trap and skeet shooting was with BP guns!

 

Good luck, GJ

[Beartrap SASS#57175]

The only way to tell is to use a chrono. At only ten feet away, there should not be enough spread to be a danger to the sensors and it should see the shot column as a single projectile.

 

YEP!

[Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life]

Rule of thumb is 300 yards maximum for 7-1/2 shot with BP. Get a chronograph and check your velocity. If it's 800, I'll eat my hat.

[Come On Christmas]

Duh, back to the basics. I remember reading this when I first started shooting.

 

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

 

1000 to 1300 fps Max. Normal distance.

[Fairshake]

You may need to take some printed material, like the BlackPowder Handbook for your young range official to look at. It's all because of the different manner in which BP burns as opposed to smokeless. You already know that the sound is very loud and sounds like a cannon but as we BP shooters already know, BP is much less efficient than smokeless.

Take 2 40" by 40" targets down range and have him shoot at one with the normal smokeless load and you shoot at the other with your BP loads at 40 to 50 yards. Seeing is believing.

Show him how the BP loads are just a push when compared to a 1300 FPS smokeless. The smokeless loads are much more dangerous than the BP loads.

He is just like many others who are told falsehoods by people who have never even fired a BP round but continue to pass on these untruths.

My load is 60 grains of an equal mix of 2F and 3F powder with a 1 1/8 oz of 7 1/2 shot. I usually just mix up a batch of one pound of each and label the cans shotgun loads.

Take Care and Keep that Darkside Going, Fairshake

[John Boy]

Crayfish - no PM's are needed

 

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

 

http://www.goexpowder.com/images/LoadCharts/Breechloading-SG-Shells.pdf

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

The sound of a BP shell is more of "boom" as opposed to the "crack" of smokeless. Add the smoke & flame and the uninitiated will often perceive a hot load. I'm guessing that's what got the range official's attention.

[Guest Cactus Cris SASS#2790]

I shoot real BP loads at Ben Avery trap-skeet range quite often. I get quite a few of the range workers that stop by and want to shoot them. Only thing they ask is that I let them know ahead so that they can tell the excited public that someone is NOT setting the range on fire or shooting a cannon. BTW a Stoeger O/U works real good with full chokes and 65 gr- 2f - 1 oz. - fiber wads.

[Come On Christmas]

I'm cheap and lowdown, 45 grains of Fg Skirmish swept from the floor Rocket Powder. It provides more of a whoosh than a bang rocket report that is easier on older weapons, albeit smoky and high smellin'. Shoot it in my cap guns 2.

 

I lucked upon a 30 inch turn of the century fluid steel J Stevens mule ear shotgun. I need to gauge it, but I swear it must be full choke twice barrel.

 

Thomas J "Crayfish" Craven, a bottom dweller

[Blackey Cole]

Check out capt baylors article on bp for dummies and frontier cartridge for dummies iirc both have been post in the sass cowboy chronicle or you can go to his website and read it plus the other fine articles there. Curt rich.com iirc is the home of his postings.

[Noz]

Duh, back to the basics. I remember reading this when I first started shooting.

 

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

 

1000 to 1300 fps Max. Normal distance.

That shows a light 12 ga load to be in excess of 65 grs of FFg. Very few CAS shooters shoot loads that heavy. My loads sound and look heavy but they are a lot closer to 50 than they are to 65. I shot loads in the 35 gr range for a while but stopped because I wasn't satisfied with the amount of boom.