shotgun itch

[x_wrench]

I have had an itch for a couple of years to shoot 12 gauge bp shotgun. but I am not sure I want to spend a bunch of money on a gun, just to find out a couple of months down the road, that I really just do not enjoy it. so I was thinking tonight, that i could just load up my rifle, make some over shot cards, and use sabots to fill with shot. that would work right? I don't see any reason it wouldn't. but because I have never heard of anyone doing that, so I wanted to ask here before I did something dangerously stupid. I am not expecting wonderful shot patterns because of the rifling. but safety wise, that is my primary concern. if it patterns half way decent, that would be a huge bonus.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I have had an itch for a couple of years to shoot 12 gauge bp shotgun. but I am not sure I want to spend a bunch of money on a gun, just to find out a couple of months down the road, that I really just do not enjoy it. so I was thinking tonight, that i could just load up my rifle, make some over shot cards, and use sabots to fill with shot. that would work right? I don't see any reason it wouldn't. but because I have never heard of anyone doing that, so I wanted to ask here before I did something dangerously stupid. I am not expecting wonderful shot patterns because of the rifling. but safety wise, that is my primary concern. if it patterns half way decent, that would be a huge bonus.

interesting idea!

 

[hawg]

You're not going to get much shot in a sabot. Might as well just load your rifle like a shotgun.

 

[woodnbow]

I have had an itch for a couple of years to shoot 12 gauge bp shotgun. but I am not sure I want to spend a bunch of money on a gun, just to find out a couple of months down the road, that I really just do not enjoy it. so I was thinking tonight, that i could just load up my rifle, make some over shot cards, and use sabots to fill with shot. that would work right? I don't see any reason it wouldn't. but because I have never heard of anyone doing that, so I wanted to ask here before I did something dangerously stupid. I am not expecting wonderful shot patterns because of the rifling. but safety wise, that is my primary concern. if it patterns half way decent, that would be a huge bonus.

It won’t pattern halfway decent. It should produce a donut shaped pattern with a hole in the middle.

 

[Frulk]

Don’t know what you consider a bunch of money but Mossberg used to sell a black powder barrel for their shotguns. That may be one option.

 

[Mark_Mark]

It won’t pattern halfway decent. It should produce a donut shaped pattern with a hole in the middle.

that rifling might beca issue

 

[hawg]

It won’t pattern halfway decent. It should produce a donut shaped pattern with a hole in the middle.

It will. The sabot will spin with the rifling and so will loose shot. Think .22 rat shot out of a rifle barrel.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Most likely won't pattern for doo doo. You won't know till you try it. Remember, same amount of powder as shot by volume.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Does not sound like much of an itch, if you are not willing to purchase a shotgun. Unless your rifle is a .72-75" caliber, I'm not seeing how you will simulate a 12gauge. ??? I'm missing something here. ??

 

[woodnbow]

Maybe reload shells with blackpowder and fool with that for a while

 

[Mark_Mark]

Maybe reload shells with blackpowder and fool with that for a while

was thinking the same thing, a SXS hammer gun with BP stuffed in! that sounds really FUN

 

[Armored farmer]

A barrel with rifling produces terrible patterns.
Unusable unless point-blank range.

 

[x_wrench]

Don’t know what you consider a bunch of money but Mossberg used to sell a black powder barrel for their shotguns. That may be one option.

well, that would require buying a mossberg shotgun prior to buying a barrel. so that's kind of a deal breaker.

 

[x_wrench]

Maybe reload shells with blackpowder and fool with that for a while

the only shotgun I own is on mostly permanent loan to my son. and it's a rather collectable Browning Auto 5 Sweet 16. neither of us would be in favor to try bp loads in it.

 

[J-Bar]

The fun obtained from a blackpowder shotshell is the big powder charge and huge smoke cloud. Not gonna get that with a few grains of powder in a rifle, unless it’s Sharps.

Shop for an old single shot 12 gauge. 50-60 grains of 2F under 1 1/4 ounce of shot will be satisfying.

 

[hawg]

The only way you're going to get a shotgun experience is with a shotgun. Just sayin.

 

[hawg]

The fun obtained from a blackpowder shotshell is the big powder charge and huge smoke cloud. Not gonna get that with a few grains of powder in a rifle, unless it’s Sharps.

Shop for an old single shot 12 gauge. 50-60 grains of 2F under 1 1/4 ounce of shot will be satisfying.

That's a pretty weak load for a 12 gauge. A 3 dram load is about 80 grains.

 

[J-Bar]

That's a pretty weak load for a 12 gauge. A 3 dram load is about 80 grains.

True, but I intended it as a minimum for the experience. A10-gauge would be even more fun, if one has the components.

 

[Black cloud]

Traditions makes a blunder bus kit that's cool.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Got a Remington Sportsman 20 gauge semi auto shotgun! VERY WELL BUILT. Bought it on Facebook book years ago. Don’t use that crap anymore

For BP shotshells load. I got a old Harrison Richidson from the 30’s or 40’s I can load BP with!

Anybody got a 10g I can use this to lee loader with. Bought a few weeks ago for $15

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

Consider that buying guns (especially those in high demand) is not REALLY spending money, it's loaning money. You can easily get it back by selling it.
BP shot guns priced fairly don't last long at all on the used market.
If you decided that you didn't like it, you could flip it fast pretty easy.
Might turn a profit, might lose a few bucks, but should be able to recover at least most of what you spent.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

That's a pretty weak load for a 12 gauge. A 3 dram load is about 80 grains.

For turks I load 100 grains under a boat load of #4's in my side-by-side hammer gun . My ball load is 110 grains.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I tried a buck-n-ball load with four .375" balls under .690" ball and 100 grains of black. The .69" ball seems to find the paper plate okay, but the .36's fly off into the ozone, or next county, or who knows where.

 

[hawg]

Do the four balls fit flat in the bore? The smaller balls go on top with an overshot card between.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Naw, they's a bit big and don't fit so good. I did use plastic buffering compound though. Figuring that a .69" ball doesn't need much help doing damage, I abandoned the experiment.