Navy Arms 12 Gauge Questions

I just won the auction in the classifieds of a Navy Arms 12 gauge sxs. It looks like these have a barrel that can be easily removed like a halfstock rifle. How should I clean it? Is the pumping water through the barrels with the nipples removed ok? What size of nipple do these use? It says on one barrel Pedersoli so I assume Navy Arms imported from them. On large bore blackpowder shotguns, do you use a regular button cleaning jag in 12 gauge or is there something else I need to use? I have a 25 lb. bag of #6 shot which will work for anything from turkey to quail. Now about the cards and wads. Track of the Wolf has the same gun as what I bought and they said it should use 13 gauge wads based on what they measured that model at. I'm going to be hunting turkeys with it on Easter weekend in April so I have a decent amount of time for patterning. I was wanting to use Brownbear's technique of lubed pillow ticking shot cups. I'm going to try to make a tool to use the shot cups like BB and Swampy made but mine won't look as good :haha:. Should I just buy overshot cards or should I buy those 0.125 wads that track of the wolf has also to try? I'll probably have a few more questions as I think of them. Thanks guys :thumbsup:.

I have one and there is little information to be found on the web. I can't remember what nipples I ordered, but if you call Track of the Wolf they can get you the right ones.

Mine is a 10 year Anniversary Model for the National Wild Turkey Federation and I believe it has full and modified chokes. It patterns tight at 25 yards with 90 grains of powder and shot with an over powder card and a .125 wads.

It is a great shooter and you can break it down and pull the barrel for cleaning. I bought a shoutgun cleaning kit from Dixie Gun Works. The first rod broke straight away. Otherwise it has all the attachments that you need.

Enjoy!

Congratulations! Let the fun begin! :thumbsup:

I just pop the nipples off and clean the barrels in a bucket like I do any muzzleloader. I tried just using the button on the ramrod for holding cleaning patches, but lost them too often for my taste. I went ahead and got a cleaning button from TOW.

Truth be known, I haven't had to replace the nipples on the one I just bought and I don't recall what I used before. I'm with you in waiting for an answer.

As for wads, heck, I'd stay as simple as you can get by with. I'd try the over-shot card/s under your patch first, and if that wasn't making you happy, then I'd try the thicker ones. I like the thicker ones after I lube them, but come to think of it I've never tried them dry.

I haven't miked my bores, but have had no problems using 12 gauge. I'm starting to wonder if there is a fair bit of variation in specs in spite of the label "Navy Arms." I know they put out the same model made by Pieta and by Pedersoli. Mine is a Pieta.

As for making a perty doohicky.... That's for guys like me who have time on their hands. If it came down to spending time building or spending time in the hills, the hills win hands down! If you can get by with a flared chunk of copper pipe, take the 10 minutes to make one and get back out there shooting! :grin:

Pumping water through the barrels with the nipples removed is pretty standard.

Most Pedersolis use 1/4 28 nipples, but check the thread by trying it in nuts at the bulk fasteners section of your hardware store.

I'd measure the bore size of the barrels with a caliper.

The Navy Arms gun at TOW weighed just over 6 lbs, and handles much like a nice Brit double. Nice to carry and for quail with light loads. Kind of punishing with goose or turkey loads.

luie b said:

I just won the auction in the classifieds of a Navy Arms 12 gauge sxs. It looks like these have a barrel that can be easily removed like a halfstock rifle. How should I clean it? Is the pumping water through the barrels with the nipples removed ok? What size of nipple do these use? It says on one barrel Pedersoli so I assume Navy Arms imported from them. On large bore blackpowder shotguns, do you use a regular button cleaning jag in 12 gauge or is there something else I need to use? I have a 25 lb. bag of #6 shot which will work for anything from turkey to quail. Now about the cards and wads. Track of the Wolf has the same gun as what I bought and they said it should use 13 gauge wads based on what they measured that model at. I'm going to be hunting turkeys with it on Easter weekend in April so I have a decent amount of time for patterning. I was wanting to use Brownbear's technique of lubed pillow ticking shot cups. I'm going to try to make a tool to use the shot cups like BB and Swampy made but mine won't look as good :haha:. Should I just buy overshot cards or should I buy those 0.125 wads that track of the wolf has also to try? I'll probably have a few more questions as I think of them. Thanks guys :thumbsup:.

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Congrats on you new toy. I was admiring it myself..

Lets get you started on the nipples. For one, they do not have to be removed for general cleaning . I do however do remove them when I put the gun is storage at the years end. The nipples should # 11..
You need to get a range ram rod with a Jag fitted to your bore . I’d get a 13 ga cleaning jag. Do not ever use you’re the ram rod that came with your gun as a cleaning tube, Chances are you will get it stuck down the barrel and you wont get enough leverage out of it to pull it with out breaking .
Powder, safe bet is to get something equivalent to Goex ff .. .

Wads.. My opinion is to be a bit over tight rather than loose. I suggest you get the 12 ga Nitro card. Or 125 card.
Next you will need a cushion wad in 12 ga.
Then you will need a gain in 12 ga an over shot card.
Best place I found to buy them is through “Circle Fly wads “
Out of Airville, Pa. P# 717-862-3600 or www.circlefly.com

Taking the barrels off , a must before cleaning. Place the hammers at half cock .push the cross key in wards till it stops. Then lift the barrels muzzle up words until they unhook from the false breech .

Place a tooth pick in each nipple ,fill the barrels with cold soapy water and let them sit for five minutes to ten.. Remove the tooth pick and let the dirty water drain in a five gallon plastic bucker. Replace the water with clean cold soapy water in the bucker with a gallon or two. Place the barrels in the bucket nipples down and pre wet your cleaning patch. Center it of the barrel and start pumping ,vigorously . Pump and change cleaning patches until they appear white l;ike they were before you began cleaning with them.Then do the next barrel like the one before.

Now you can have some more fun by pumping a dry patch till your barrels are dry. Don’t worry so much about the nipples . They too will dry with the drying pumping action .Te pumped air going trough them will dry the,
Run an oiled patch down each barrel and you will be good to go until the next time .

When that next time comes. Snap couple of caps through each barrel. Point the gun over a leaf or a piece of paper to make sure the nipples are free. You the should be to go.
I hope this helps get you started on a good path ..
Twice.

GreenMt said:

Pumping water through the barrels with the nipples removed is pretty standard.

Most Pedersolis use 1/4 28 nipples, but check the thread by trying it in nuts at the bulk fasteners section of your hardware store.

I'd measure the bore size of the barrels with a caliper.

The Navy Arms gun at TOW weighed just over 6 lbs, and handles much like a nice Brit double. Nice to carry and for quail with light loads. Kind of punishing with goose or turkey loads.

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Thanks for the detail on the nipples, and you can bet when I drive to town tomorrow I'll be packing a nipple.

The comparison with a Brit double is good, and I agree about heavy loads. :shocked2: I have to climb 1300 feet in elevation to reach my first ptarmigan, so the light weight is a pure bonus. Hitting doubles on a covey break is sure a lot easier with such a lively gun, too. I'm about as quick with it as I am with one of my modern 28 gauge doubles, and that's quick! :thumbsup:

Any turkey load is going to kick bad is the way I think about it. The only time the kick is going to hurt is while you're patterning it. Any time you're shooting at a turkey or other game I never feel it because my adrenaline level is up and I'm focusing on the animal.

Congratulations Luie B!!!

I had a Navy Arms double a few years back, but mine was made by Pietta, so will likely be a bit different.

I will say that I currently own a Pedersoli SXS, and I like it much better than the Pietta I had. The Pietta was fine, it was just a little more persnickety than the Pedersoli.

Either way, You're gonna LOVE this gun. Good on ya.

:hatsoff:
Spot

Luie,

Congrats on geting your self a SXS. I have a pedersoli and really enjoy it. I guess I have hunted with it more than any other Muzzleloader I have.
You have already got some really good advice from the folks here. The only thing I would add is go to the Black Powder Notebook ( Spences web site ) and read his articals on smooth bores and read Mr VM Star's artical on shotguns.
That info along with advice you get here will give you plenty ideas on how to work up the loads you will need to hunt with.

Good Luck and enjoy .

Wayne/Al

Congratulations on the muzzle loader. You are getting some good advice here. In addition, you should consider going to a m/l shotgun shoot. You would learn an enormous amount from the other shooters.

The Missouri Black Powder Society Trap and Skeet Shoot is going to be held in Springfield, MO on March 25-27, 2011. It looks like that event would not be too far from your location. I am sure that you would have a good time with the Missouri shooters.

Springfield, MO is about 4-5 hours from me so I doubt I'll go to that one. There is an NMLRA Trap shoot in October that one of our club members hosts.

Is it like this one?



Four over shot cards is all you need friend and one on the shot of course :thumbsup:

I remove the nipple and throw it in the bucket to soak.
I was fortunate to be able to make my own cleaning rod but bought a good brass long jag in 12g. With good thick old cotton sheet patches everthing is good.

I can't wait for the photo's :thumbsup:

Brits.

luie b said:

Any turkey load is going to kick bad is the way I think about it. The only time the kick is going to hurt is while you're patterning it. Any time you're shooting at a turkey or other game I never feel it because my adrenaline level is up and I'm focusing on the animal.

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I wouldn't go so far as to disagree, but there's a significant difference between a 6 lb gun and a 7.25 lb gun. Enough to develop a hefty flinch.

When your patterning it Lui stuff a newspaper down your coat for the butt to push on :thumbsup:

B.

It's the same gun Track of the Wolf has for sale right now and they say it's 7 1/4 lb. and that it will comfortably handle heavy loads.

In my .56 smoothbore I use 4 cards over the powder and 1 over the shot. It works pretty good at 25 yards. However I didn't come up with this load entirely, it was Jethro224 who made that pattern. I did change it a little bit by adding more 5 "grains" more shot to the load for what I think patterns it tighter.

The gun will certainly handle heavy loads. You may too. The obvious answer is to weigh it, and then you will know what it weighs.

I had that TOW Pedersoli Navy Arms gun on approval. It was quite close to six lbs (sweet), and it's a nice gun, really nice gun. Most Pedersolis fit me quite well (1 3/8, 2 1/4), but Navy Arms apparently had the stocks made up lower (1.5, 2.5) and it was too low for me to point well.

Something I just realized is that the nipple size may not be 1/4X28 like other pedersolis. The gun is a Navy Arms but on the other barrel it says Pedersoli on it. It is one of the older models. So I'm not completely sure if it will be 1/4X28 or not.

The safest thing to to would be to take a nipple to the hardware store and try it with either a thread gauge or nuts of known size to i.d. the thread. Second best in my book would be to call TOW or check the Pedersoli sites for recommendations.

Next time you go to town take the niple out of your gun to take with you to match up.

But why do you think you'll need niples..
Twice.