I don't have much to go on but here goes. The other night I was talking to my son, who lives in VA. One of his friends tells him she comes from a real hillbilly family and has a gun that goes back to her "granpappy". She brings him over what he thinks is a 12 gauge shot gun. He tells me it says 12Ga on the side. He also says they can't figure out how to load it because there's no place to put in a shell. I know less than nothing about black powder other than a lot of guys shoot muzzle loaders in my club. Is there such a thing as a BP shotgun? If so, then what typically is used for shot? Paper patched? If I can get some pic's I will post them here. Thanks guys.....
Need help identifying this gun
- Thread starter mugsie
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Chawbaccer
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Yes, there are BP shotguns. Old original and modern made. They were also called fowlers. Today you buy shot by the 25lb bag, historicly shot was made from a shot tower. To load yoiu would use felt wads and cardboard over-shot cards. But please don't load or encourage anybody to load that gun. Make sure it doesn't have a charge in it now, many were put away loaded, and hang it on the wall. People trying to load and shoot a gun that have no knowledge of what they have or how to properly use it are just an accident waiting ot happen.
arcticap
Member
I agree with Chawbaccer. The gun should be cleaned before it's loaded, for safety and maintenance reasons. A person would need a nipple wrench to remove it, and make sure that the flash channel is clear. The barrel should also be cleaned and checked for rust and obstructions first.
Whenever a BP gun is fired, there is a cleaning procedure that needs to be done to make sure any powder residue is removed because it's corrosive and can ruin it by causing rust.
BP shotguns can be loaded with lead shot, buckshot or round ball (depending on the choke constriction), and even other projectiles like salt or glass.
A muzzle loader is like an old fashioned cannon. The powder is loaded first, then there is a choice of using a wad or not under the shot charge. Wadded newspaper, a wool wad, a hard fiber wad, card wad, leather etc... possibly also in conjunction with a modern plastic shotgun wad. Then the shot charge or fitted ball (bare or patched), is firmly rammed down on top of the powder. An over shot wad or card is then placed over it all to keep the charge in place.
A cap is put on the nipple, then the shooter aims and fires when ready.
The powder must be measured out with a powder measure before loading, and generally an equal volume of shot and powder is used. Then the loads are adjusted to pattern better. 80 - 90 grains of powder and 100 -110 grains of shot (by volume) is a common type of 12 gauge load.
As mentioned, the gun must then be thoroughly cleaned and lubed to prevent rust afterward, including the nipple & flash channel.
Improperly cleaning, loading and shooting a muzzle loader can be very dangerous. Exercise extreme caution, especially if there is a hang fire.
Maybe muzzle loading is something that you'd like to try out someday. Talk to some of the BP shooters at your club, they are usually the friendliest shooters and will usually let anyone shoot their BP guns. You just might get hooked!
http://www.hunter-ed.com/sc/course/ch5_unloading_firing_muzzleloader.htm
http://www.hunter-ed.com/sc/course/ch5_loading_a_muzzleloader.htm
http://home.insightbb.com/~bspen/shotgun.html
Whenever a BP gun is fired, there is a cleaning procedure that needs to be done to make sure any powder residue is removed because it's corrosive and can ruin it by causing rust.
BP shotguns can be loaded with lead shot, buckshot or round ball (depending on the choke constriction), and even other projectiles like salt or glass.
A muzzle loader is like an old fashioned cannon. The powder is loaded first, then there is a choice of using a wad or not under the shot charge. Wadded newspaper, a wool wad, a hard fiber wad, card wad, leather etc... possibly also in conjunction with a modern plastic shotgun wad. Then the shot charge or fitted ball (bare or patched), is firmly rammed down on top of the powder. An over shot wad or card is then placed over it all to keep the charge in place.A cap is put on the nipple, then the shooter aims and fires when ready.
The powder must be measured out with a powder measure before loading, and generally an equal volume of shot and powder is used. Then the loads are adjusted to pattern better. 80 - 90 grains of powder and 100 -110 grains of shot (by volume) is a common type of 12 gauge load.
As mentioned, the gun must then be thoroughly cleaned and lubed to prevent rust afterward, including the nipple & flash channel.
Improperly cleaning, loading and shooting a muzzle loader can be very dangerous. Exercise extreme caution, especially if there is a hang fire.
Maybe muzzle loading is something that you'd like to try out someday. Talk to some of the BP shooters at your club, they are usually the friendliest shooters and will usually let anyone shoot their BP guns. You just might get hooked!
http://www.hunter-ed.com/sc/course/ch5_unloading_firing_muzzleloader.htm
http://www.hunter-ed.com/sc/course/ch5_loading_a_muzzleloader.htm
http://home.insightbb.com/~bspen/shotgun.html
Loaded?
One must ensure the gun is actually unloaded. It is known that old muzzle loading guns have been found loaded after sitting decades in a barn or such. Some have fired with the original load, unwittingly! Take a ramrod or long dowel and stick it in the barrel. Measure the rod where it exits the barrel. Lay the rod alongside the barrel with the mark even with the muzzle. Note the end of the rod in relation to the nipple. The rod should extend to the nipple or more to be sure it is indeed unloaded. If the end of the rod is noticeably short of the nipple consider it loaded and follow strict safety procedures in unloading. Be careful.
One must ensure the gun is actually unloaded. It is known that old muzzle loading guns have been found loaded after sitting decades in a barn or such. Some have fired with the original load, unwittingly! Take a ramrod or long dowel and stick it in the barrel. Measure the rod where it exits the barrel. Lay the rod alongside the barrel with the mark even with the muzzle. Note the end of the rod in relation to the nipple. The rod should extend to the nipple or more to be sure it is indeed unloaded. If the end of the rod is noticeably short of the nipple consider it loaded and follow strict safety procedures in unloading. Be careful.
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