pedersoli Brown Bess

[MCinIL]

Hi folks. New kid here, and I have a couple questions. I received a Brown Bess awhile back but want to see if I can get a turkey with it this spring. I have all the things I need, I think , powder, shot, shot cards, wads, and new flints. I am hoping someone here has a few tips on loads and stuff that could help. Any info would be great. I have taken several before with a shotgun but this should prove a little different.

Thanks for any help, MC.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Nope, it will prove alot different. The Bess is a cylinder bore, no choke. Your Tom will have to be right on top of you for you to get a killing shot if all you do is use the standard wad, shot, and overshot card. Not to mention that Pedersoli is notorious for low set touch-holes, so your Tom will have a split second to move when you touch it off. You'll have to concentrate on keeping the bayonet lug sighted on the bird.

You need to pattern the gun first. Remember that a heavy powder charge in a BP smooth bore is not necessarily better than an average load. It might actually harm the pattern. I'd suggest a 2.5 dram load, 70 grains of 2Fg.

I'd also suggest you try to find lead #2's, and if you can't in no way use anything smaller than #4's. You have to get more "work" out of each pellet as the pattern will be so large you'll have less pellets on the bird.

Plastic shot cups are NOT compatable with BP. They melt and leave crud in the bore, and are a b@#ch to get out of the barrel. They are also designed to work with choked barrels.

I have seen some good results from a paper cartridge. It acts like a shot cup, but holds the shot for a split second as it exits, giving some extra yards. You'll need to make a cartridge form from a wooden dowel. You'll have to sand it down so that a couple of wraps of good quality bond paper will still fit down the barrel, snug against the sides without tearing. (I use paper from old hardbacked novels I buy at the library for $1) You make the cartridge tube, but fill it with shot, and gently ram it down whole on top of the wad, instead of tearing it open and pouring the shot down the barrel. IT acts as its own overshot card. When fired, it ruptures just after it exits, and the delay in the spreading of the shot shorta acts like a choke. When it works it acts like an IC choke instead of a cylinder bore.

Here's a link to rolling a bess cartridge in case you don't already know, and also for anybody else interested. They use newsprint in the example. Bond paper is the key for shot for extended range. (I use bond paper for both powder blanks, and shot charges)

Cartridge

page 2

LD

 

[Duncaninfrance]

Very interesting links Dave, thanks.

 

[BigG]

If you haven't shot a flintlock before, you may want to learn how to operate it so that it goes off with good regularity. It is not as simple as typical cartridge firearm or even a caplock.

Can't you just use a .75 round ball in turkey season? I would think that would be a lot more effective than a handful of shot?

 

[Steve499]

Don't know the regs where he is, BigG, but where I am, turkeys can only be taken with a longbow or shot not larger than #2.

Steve

 

[MCinIL]

Thanks for the replies. I'm going this weekend to give the gun a test. I do appreciate the info. I read on another site to load a load like this. What do you think?
about 80 grains 2f
about 3-4 overshot cards
insert another shot card approx 3 inches down barrel
same volume of shot, about 1 1/2 oz
add same volume of corn muffin mix on top
shake barrel a little to mix the mix and shot
add another shot card and push it down
they say the muffin mix will help hold the shot together.

Just something I found. I'll let you know.
I am just starting this flintlock stuff so I hope it will be fun.

Here is a link to the article I found

http://www.caywoodguns.com/working_up_turkey_loads_for_opti.htm

Shoot straight,
MC.

 

[MCinIL]

Oh, no round balls, rifles, here or pistols. Just bows, and shotguns with 4-71/2 shot. Illinois.

MC.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

If the source wasn't Caywood Guns, who are world famous for their flintlock smoothies, I would've thought it bunk..., but if they say it works, I say try it.

The paper cartridges ALSO work for speed reloading. I have a bess, as well as a caplock 20, and I use the caplock for upland birds. I hunt with guys with modern guns, and they don't want to wait about while I measure powder, pour the powder, load the wad, measure shot, load the shot, load the overshot card, and cap the piece. (Double that if I fire both barrels). So..., I use blank cartridges for the powder made out of good bond paper (as I suggested for the shot in your case). They are premeasured loads that way. I tear, pour, and ram the tube down on top to form the wad. I have premeasured shot in a similar cartridge made from newspaper. I ram that down on the powder/wad, cap, and am ready to go. (The 20 caplock from Pedersoli has choked barrels, so no worries about shot cups or muffin mix)

Your 80 grains is close to a 3 dram load. If you don't get a good pattern drop it down to 70 grains, and also to 60, and see if either of those do better. Remember that you're still talkin' about brining Tom in close to 25 yards.

LD

 

[MCinIL]

Thanks Dave. 25 would definately be the furthest. I'll work the loads up from 60 grains and go from there. I'll have fun tomorrow.

Thanks, MC.

 

[MCinIL]

Hi again folks. I went to the range and had a good day with my musket. Patterns were ok and mostly everything went well. The flint came loose once but that was an easy fix. I will work on it more next weekend and try to get better at no flinching. The delay wasn't bad except when I didn't do my part and clean the pan out well. I'm really happy with it and hope it gets the old bird. I saw around 50 of them this weekend in the fields I hunt. Hope they are still around the end of April.

Take care and thanks for the inf and site to meet folks.
MC.

 

[Steve499]

You've got plenty of time to learn to load that Bess on the run.

Steve