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I have a new 20 Ga Flintlock Fowler with a 42" barrel. While I have shot Blackpowder rifles for over a decade, I have never owned a Fowler and I'm not even a "shotgun" guy.

My problem is the pattern I'm getting, even at close range (ie: 30 - 45 feet). With an ounce of #6's and around 80 grains of 2F black powder (I've shot from 60 to 90) I get about an 18" to 24"+ shot spread. I have a "squirrel-head sized" spot on the cardboard to aim at and many times only one or two, or even no shot hits the spot; rather all around it like a halo.

I'm loading with over-powder card, wad, and overshot card. I was told by the builder that it is a TVM barrel (its a machined barrel oct to rd).

Suggestions PLEASE? I'm not sure what adjustments I can try to make to powder or shot load or other components to try to tighten this pattern up a lot. Maybe this is normal with no choke, I don't know not having shotgunning experience.

Should also mention it shoots patched roundballs very nicely. Group well and on target (at least out to 50 yards which is as far as I've shot it).

Thanks.
 
Spike,
Try loading 1 1/8 ozs of shot,1 over powder card,80 grs 2F powder and 2 over shot cards. Eliminate the cushion wad. With your shot and powder you are probably blowing the wad right through the middle of your pattern. With the above loading I am getting 52% patterns and no donut holes.
Mark
 
18" to 24" at 45 feet is about right. A cylinder bore (yours) should cover a 26" circle at 15 yards, or a 38" circle at 25 yards, or about 60" at 40 yards.

The normal measure is how many pellets of the total in the load stay in a 30" circle at 40 yards. Cylinder is 35 to 40%, Improved Cylinder is 45 to 50% and Modified is 55 to 65%.

The "halo" you're getting is likely from too much powder.

More powder,
Less lead,
Up close,
Wide spread.

Less powder,
More lead.
Shoots far,
Kills dead.
 
Oh Killer of Stumps!
I had heard that many many years ago and had forgotten all about it.
Very nice, easy to repeat and recall.
love it !
Deutsch
 
With an ounce of #6's and around 80 grains of 2F black powder

I believe you are using too much powder for only one oz. of shot. Reduce the powder charge or increase shot charge. If you want a one ounce load I'd suggest trying 60-65 gr. of powder and go from there.
 
I agree with many of the others. Back of a little down on the powder on the 1oz. load of shot. I have have got great patterns for wing and clay shooting using one over powder card, a 1/2" thick fiber cushion that has been reduced to 1/4" thick and lubed with olive oil. Of course the standard and usual over shot card. When I use the thinner cushion, it still accomplishes what I want, that is a light weight "lube carrier" to keep the fouling soft and a that light weight cushion that falls out of the shot stream fast. For tighter patterns like for turkey and when I will not have many shots, because of the game pursued and tougher fouling that no lube will give you, I don't use a cushion.
 
I have found that a newspaper shot catridge improves patterns considerably. I make mine by rolling three thicknesses of newsprint around a wooden dowel rod, tying off one end with kite string, filling with shot,twisting and folding over and tying the last end. I do not use an overshot card. Just two 1/4 inch over powder wads and then the shot cartridge. Others use heavier paper for shot cartidges or "cups" but I have found that heavier stock prevents the shot from opening up properly.For a twenty gauge I would recomend 7/8 to 1 ounce of shot and 60 grain FF as a starting point. Like every thing else in this game what works well for one person may not be the best for another. :idunno: :idunno:
 
I agree that your powder charge is too large, and you will improve patterns if you lower the powder charge to 60 or 65 grains, and if you stop using those large cushion wads.

You can also increase the # of pellets that reach 25 yards, and beyond( depending on pellet size), by running a greased cleaning patch down the barrel after seating the OS cards on top of the shot. BTW, use a nail, or needle? or awl to poke off-center holes in those cards, so that air can escape out the holes, rather than break an edge.

It doesn't take much of a hole to let the air escape, and you can put the cards in so that the holes are at 90 degrees to the other one, to prevent either small shot pellets, or powder from escaping. But, that edge is what provides the seal, and consistent compression, so that you get more consistent velocity, and uniform patterns from your gun.

Understanding that FACT, you can better understand the benefit of the off-center holes in the cards, and the importance of preserving edges on those cards. The holes also make the cards unstable when they hit the air in front of the muzzle, making them tip and drop out of the way of the load of shot pushing them.

Greasing the bore after the load is seated allows the outer pellets in the column of shot to SLIDE over the barrel, rather than run against bare steel.

Rubbing produces flats on the pellets, which make them brake fast outside the muzzle, and fall away from your pattern within 20 yards.
Rubbing also leaves LEAD STREAKS in the barrel, which become progressively Larger, and destroy your patterns with each succeeding shot.

Greasing eliminates the lead streaks, so you don't have to use lead solvents and bore brushes to clean the barrel. By helping those outer pellets slide over the bore, rather than rub, the pellets stay round, and stay with the rest of the shot to become part of your pattern at 25 yards, and perhaps a bit further.

I also have found, that If I grease a Clean Fresh barrel( wipe out any oils from storing the gun, then flush with alcohol, and dry the barrel) with a thick mixture of wax and oil, such as Wonderlube, or any mix involving beeswax, oil or tallow, of at least 60:40 ratio(wax to oil), and 4:1 ratio even better, that the grease will prevent crud buildup back where the powder load sits, and burns, and cleaning the crud out between shots with a lightly dampened cleaning patch is all that is needed to keep the gun shooting a long time. ( provided I grease that bore after seating those os cards.)

A 1 oz. load of shot is considered to be a "HEAVY" load in a 20 gauge in the sources I have. I don't have any problem using that load in my Fowler, however, but that powder charge needs to be reduced to get the best patterns. Even I found that loading 70 grains of powder behind that 1 oz. load of shot did not produce good patterns from my gun.

By all means, READ Bob Spenser's Website, both his own article on loads, and the other one written by V.M. Starr.
 
Yes, cut the powder charge. Also, you may want to make four cuts in your over shot card. Cut in towards the center about 2/3 of the way. This will cause the card to spin off to the side or break up and not stay in place and blow a hole in the center of the pattern. It made all the difference for a friends ML double 12 ga.

BI
 
After a couple hours of testing several of the ideas, the best patterning for my gun was with 70 gr of 2F, overpowder card, 1 oz of shot, overshot card. At 50 gr of 2F the pattern was really bad. Not too bad at 60 gr, but best at 70. Dispensed with the wad entirely and still did not have any issue setting the load due to fouling.

Thanks again to all those that contributed ideas.
 
Check with my good friend Dan (aka makeumsmoke) on this forum. He makes and uses some great cloth shot cups that have a great effect on your shot pattern.
 
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