Thanks sky chief

[mailmanmike40]

Bought my first muzzleloader flintlock shotgun recently. I've been trying to work up a load that was consistent. Your load formula had the best results for my gun by a wide margin.
I'm still hitting consistently to the right of my aming point.
I know I'm not flinching that bad, after 18 shots today
I'm going to have the barrel jug choked and a rear sight put on the gun. Again, thank you so much for sharing your info

 

[Grenadier1758]

@mailmanmike40, remember that one points a smoothbore when shooting shot. I align the slot in the tang bolt to the barrel. Where is the slot as it relates to the bead? Point the barrel so the left side of the slot is under the bead by adjusting your cheek position on the stock. Your eye becomes the rear sight and moving your eye left will move the pattern to the left. Use the cheek position as the rear sight.

 

[mailmanmike40]

I'll have to check the alignment. Something is definitely off, probably me

 

[Robin101]

I just tried the skychief load at just over 25 yards in my English style fowler with a 46" 16 ga. barrel.

The hole in the top edge is the cushion wad, haard to see but 4 holes in the bull.' this would be a dead bird.

I don't understand it, but it works. I'm going to try the same exact load with one of my home made paper shot cups, be right back.
Robin

 

[Robin101]

I'm back!

Same exact load as above, except I used a home made paper shot cup. one hole in the bull, the pattern seems more spread out as well. It would be a dead bird for sure but I'm not happy with it. First year with this gun and I want things right.
I will be tweeking this around as weather permits, cuz its fun!!!!
Thank you skychief!
Brokennock, these are my patterns fresh off the range.
Robin

 

[mailmanmike40]

I'm back!
View attachment 307534
Same exact load as above, except I used a home made paper shot cup. one hole in the bull, the pattern seems more spread out as well. It would be a dead bird for sure but I'm not happy with it. First year with this gun and I want things right.
I will be tweeking this around as weather permits, cuz its fun!!!!
Thank you skychief!
Brokennock, these are my patterns fresh off the range.
Robin

 

[mailmanmike40]

I just tried the skychief load at just over 25 yards in my English style fowler with a 46" 16 ga. barrel.
View attachment 307520
The hole in the top edge is the cushion wad, haard to see but 4 holes in the bull.' this would be a dead bird.
View attachment 307521
I don't understand it, but it works. I'm going to try the same exact load with one of my home made paper shot cups, be right back.
Robin

I don't understand why it works so well either,but I'm glad it does. I also like being able to shoot 15 shots without swabbing out the bore

 

[Brokennock]

I'm back!
View attachment 307534
Same exact load as above, except I used a home made paper shot cup. one hole in the bull, the pattern seems more spread out as well. It would be a dead bird for sure but I'm not happy with it. First year with this gun and I want things right.
I will be tweeking this around as weather permits, cuz its fun!!!!
Thank you skychief!
Brokennock, these are my patterns fresh off the range.
Robin

I too have found that it doesn't work as well with my shot cups.
As I've posted before, any little change seems to negatively effect the outcome of this loading method.

Can we see a pic of your wads and cards please?

 

[Brokennock]

I don't understand why it works so well either,but I'm glad it does. I also like being able to shoot 15 shots without swabbing out the bore

Part of me is tired of thinking about why it works, and all the debate and theorizing about it.
It works,,,, when loaded as originally described.

However, if we coukd find out why it works, maybe modifications could be made based on circumstances.
Even if it could just be determined if it is the weight/mass of the lubed cushion wad, or is it all the lube being spread down the bore ahead of the shot?
Circumstances. A friend can't get cushion wads. If it is the weight, he's kinda screwed for this to work, if it is the lube, a couple heavily lubed felt wads in place of the cushion wad should suffice.

I personally think it is neither and both at the same time. Neither and both.
I think the results come from more than just the lubed cushion wad.
When I tried it with my usual, powder,thin overshot card, lubed felt wad, shot, thin card, then added thr lubed cushion wad,,, results were not as advertised. When I accidentally tried it without the thin card between shot and lubed cushion wad,, results were not as advertised,,, however I did see and improvement in how even the pattern was,,, it just wasn't as dense.

 

[Robin101]

Here you go Brokennock.

The cups are made from 3" x 5" index cards. I have another 16Ga. that I have taken turkey's with using these cups.
I use avocado oil, cuz that's what my wife had handy.
Robin

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

On a scale of 1/10 with 10 being the highest, Skychief is a solid 10/10 for sure!!!

 

[Skychief]

Bought my first muzzleloader flintlock shotgun recently. I've been trying to work up a load that was consistent. Your load formula had the best results for my gun by a wide margin.
I'm still hitting consistently to the right of my aming point.
I know I'm not flinching that bad, after 18 shots today
I'm going to have the barrel jug choked and a rear sight put on the gun. Again, thank you so much for sharing your info

Looks great Mike!!! Thanks for your kind post and good luck!

 

[mailmanmike40]

Looks great Mike!!! Thanks for your kind post and good luck!

Thank you , sir

 

[Brokennock]

Here you go Brokennock.
View attachment 307684
The cups are made from 3" x 5" index cards. I have another 16Ga. that I have taken turkey's with using these cups.
I use avocado oil, cuz that's what my wife had handy.
Robin

Thanks. I was asking because I was unsure about the "well lubed cushion wad 1/8 thick" in the picture I was responding to. Seems too thin for a cushion wad. But now, looking at this picture from when I did the loading tutorial,

1/8" is the thickness of the nitro cards, it seemed to thin for a cushion wad. Thinking you just had a typo on the target in the picture.


Avocado oil is so good I can't imagine using it in something I'm going to blast downrange

 

[Robin101]

Yeah, its 1/2" thick cushion Brokennock, looking back it, it does look like1/8", my horrible printing is all.
Robin

 

[Yewbender]

Nice pattern Mailman! I like to see it at 25 and even 30 yards. Now remember Skychief developed this load for non choked barrels and it’s been a game changer. I see you said about getting it jug choked, the load may no preform as well or not at all. I have a .62 fowler cyl bore and because of the Skychief load i will not get it jug ckoked. I also have another load that works good too. I’ll use that for quicker follow up load if needed. Also remember these guns have limitations and so do the shooter, they are not modern ones. Enjoy them for what they are and enjoy making smoke!

 

[Robin101]

This is the Skychief load at thirty yards, another winner. His configuration also shows the most consistancy. I am now confident out to thirty, my new self imposed limit.

Last one.
Robin

 

[mailmanmike40]

Nice pattern Mailman! I like to see it at 25 and even 30 yards. Now remember Skychief developed this load for non choked barrels and it’s been a game changer. I see you said about getting it jug choked, the load may no preform as well or not at all. I have a .62 fowler cyl bore and because of the Skychief load i will not get it jug ckoked. I also have another load that works good too. I’ll use that for quicker follow up load if needed. Also remember these guns have limitations and so do the shooter, they are not modern ones. Enjoy them for what they are and enjoy making smoke!

Yewbender, thanks for the advice. You kinda read my mind. I've been wandering what the jug choking would do to the current pattern. I think if I'm happy at 25 yards then I'll probably just keep things as they are. That'll be my limit

 

[azmntman]

Bought my first muzzleloader flintlock shotgun recently. I've been trying to work up a load that was consistent. Your load formula had the best results for my gun by a wide margin.
I'm still hitting consistently to the right of my aming point.
I know I'm not flinching that bad, after 18 shots today
I'm going to have the barrel jug choked and a rear sight put on the gun. Again, thank you so much for sharing your info

Thats a dang fine pattern and I would not jug choke it. Send a PM to our British buddie britsmoothie. He will tell ya how to correct that in a single range setting with a file. He (IMHO) is the go to guy for smoothbore patterns etc. Just dont let him talk ya into using 4F! HA I use 1F myself for best patterns.

 

[mailmanmike40]

Thats a dang fine pattern and I would not jug choke it. Send a PM to our British buddie britsmoothie. He will tell ya how to correct that in a single range setting with a file. He (IMHO) is the go to guy for smoothbore patterns etc. Just dont let him talk ya into using 4F! HA I use 1F myself for best patterns.

I will reach out to him. Again, thanks for the help