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Patterned the fowler for a bit today

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Mr. Crawford- I am somewhat questioning of using the Skychief load for flying targets, although others may know more about this than I do. I think this load puts a lot of shot into the pattern but it may do so at the expense of making a longer and slower shot string (excellent for turkeys & squirrels which are not moving fast). More traditional loads may possibly give a pattern which arrives at the target all at the same time, which is what you want for flying birds.
 
Golfswithwolves said:
Mr. Crawford- I am somewhat questioning of using the Skychief load for flying targets, although others may know more about this than I do. I think this load puts a lot of shot into the pattern but it may do so at the expense of making a longer and slower shot string (excellent for turkeys & squirrels which are not moving fast). More traditional loads may possibly give a pattern which arrives at the target all at the same time, which is what you want for flying birds.
Click to expand...
Valid point.
When watching slowmo film of shot breaking clays it can be observed that often it is the edge of a pattern that connects!
 
Think I'll try cutting my cushion wads in half, using the 80 grain charge and 1 and 1/8 oz of 5 shot, loading powder, OP card, half of a cushion wad, shot, and OS card. We'll see how that goes.
 
Another thing to try is using a stack of the thin overshot cards in between powder and shot. They will have less mass and fall away from the shot column individually. Sisal twine or rope cut into a 3 inch, or so, length then shredded up and lubed, I kinda work it into a small ball shape while living it, can make a decent substitute for tow. Placed between the over powder card, or a couple over shot cards on top of the powder, and the shot load, it acts as a cushion to the shot column and carries lube.
 
Use the Skychief load duck hunting. It puts the hurt on fat mallards.
 
In trap at 10 yards from the trap house I have used this load for a 12 ga. cylinder bored double - 2 1/2 drams of Triple 7, tight-thin over powder wad, half of a lubed cushion wad, one ounce of shot, and an over shot wad. The load of number seven shot breaks clays well. I have used this at Friendship and at our club trap events.
 
I never understand the cushion part of a cushion wad! Just what exactly is it cushioning?

I propose it is a requirement for the crimping of cartridges. In order for a successful cartridge crimp one of the cartridge components needs to compress some and thus the "cushion" wad is defunct in a muzzleloader other than a means of carrying lubricant for fouling control and now a means of improving pattern via our 'skychief' loading method.
 
I remember reading about how different grades of powder produced different amounts of pressure. When I couldn't get decent patterns with my 2f and 3f powders I purchased a can of 1f.I was chided about using "cannon" powder, well my patterns tightened up considerably. Using this powder my 25 yd. patterns are fairly even and penetrate the "tuna can". Your mileage may differ, but it works for me.
 
Well, I tried to load a picture but I'm failing at it. It is a picture of my smoothbore, my shooting bag, and my first pheasant!
I missed a male, shooting behind it, but the dogs pointed out another just after I reloaded and I connected on a hen.
I used my .62 fowler, loaded with: 80 gr 2F powder, over powder card, one and an eighth oz of 5 shot, and an olive oil soaked fiber wad on top (this is my understanding of the Skychief method). Peasant was only 7 meters away when she broke, shot at about 30 feet (10 meters) and the dog made a perfect retrieve.
I'm hooked! Going to keep working on powder/shot combination for turkey and patched round ball load as well.
 
Daryl Crawford said:
Well, I tried to load a picture but I'm failing at it. It is a picture of my smoothbore, my shooting bag, and my first pheasant!
I missed a male, shooting behind it, but the dogs pointed out another just after I reloaded and I connected on a hen.
I used my .62 fowler, loaded with: 80 gr 2F powder, over powder card, one and an eighth oz of 5 shot, and an olive oil soaked fiber wad on top (this is my understanding of the Skychief method). Peasant was only 7 meters away when she broke, shot at about 30 feet (10 meters) and the dog made a perfect retrieve.
I'm hooked! Going to keep working on powder/shot combination for turkey and patched round ball load as well.
Click to expand...
Peasant shooting is outlawed over here.
Lol.
 
I think the cushion wad is/was used to reduce shot deformation thereby reducing flyers in the pattern. Most of the early shotshells used a roll crimp thus very little compression as opposed to the modern star crimp. I am pretty sure that the cushion wad purpose is to reduce shot deformation thus better patterns.
 
Daryl Crawford said:
Well, I tried to load a picture but I'm failing at it. It is a picture of my smoothbore, my shooting bag, and my first pheasant!
I missed a male, shooting behind it, but the dogs pointed out another just after I reloaded and I connected on a hen.
I used my .62 fowler, loaded with: 80 gr 2F powder, over powder card, one and an eighth oz of 5 shot, and an olive oil soaked fiber wad on top (this is my understanding of the Skychief method). Peasant was only 7 meters away when she broke, shot at about 30 feet (10 meters) and the dog made a perfect retrieve.
I'm hooked! Going to keep working on powder/shot combination for turkey and patched round ball load as well.
Click to expand...

Good for you. Congratulations.
Maybe try 2 overshot cards between powder and shot, and another between shot and lubed cushion wad. And attempt to keep the heavily lubed cushion wad from contaminating the powder by leaking through the shot and into the powder.
 
photo.php
Pics still not working. Nevermind.
 
I see the picture you want to show is something that is on Facebook.

I looked up the method of posting a facebook picture on a web site and this is what it said

To get the Facebook embed code from a post, simply:
  1. Choose the post you want to show.
  2. Click on the top right-hand corner options menu and choose “embed post”
  3. Copy and paste the code into your blog or website.
If this is what you did and the picture doesn't show up on the forum, try going to the picture where ever it is, select it and "Copy" it (not its address. Copy the image.)
Come back to the forum and just "Paste" it into your post.
The forums software is set up to show copied images if you paste them here providing the picture file size isn't too large.
 

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