Shot in a .58?

Gentlemen,
I watched Dave Canterbury use shot in a .50 t/c style rifle. It seemed to do ok to about 25 yards. I was wondering how y'all think that would be in a .58 carbine?
I look forward to hearing -especially if you have tried it!
David

I've got a .54 w/ a 1:48 twist and it is on my plan of things to do one day. Just gotta decide how/where I'm gonna get some bird shot and smaller buck shot to test. Remember, a 28ga is .50 cal and a 20ga is .62, we're at 24 and 26 gauge. At the very least I'd expect a larger pattern due to barrel twist with maybe some donut shape forming further out. Though with the slower twist rifling it may not be so bad...

I am interested to see if it will work- I don't think there would be any problem with harming the rifling if soft shot is used. I am hoping it could 'replace' a shotgun.
David

David Y. Snellen said:

I am interested to see if it will work- I don't think there would be any problem with harming the rifling if soft shot is used. I am hoping it could 'replace' a shotgun.
David

Click to expand...

Lead shot would be absolutely no problem in a modern production gun (unsure on antiques) - though it may deposit lead and need a really good cleaning before getting back pre-experiment accuracy. Probably not bismuth either, or even old fashioned "steel" from when it was first introduced/mandated (very soft iron alloy). May be worth experimenting with open paper tubes/cups, etc to keep shot from barrel but still let it spread so you don't send a clump of shot down range like a very bad slug.

new2bp said:

I've got a .54 w/ a 1:48 twist and it is on my plan of things to do one day. Just gotta decide how/where I'm gonna get some bird shot and smaller buck shot to test. Remember, a 28ga is .50 cal and a 20ga is .62, we're at 24 and 26 gauge. At the very least I'd expect a larger pattern due to barrel twist with maybe some donut shape forming further out. Though with the slower twist rifling it may not be so bad...

Click to expand...

A 28 gauge ball will measure 54 caliber (0.550").
A 36 gauge ball will measure 50 caliber (0.506").
A 24 gauge ball will measure 58 caliber (0.579").

The twist will spin the shot opening up the pattern thus reducing the effective range.

50 years ago with my .50 swivel rifle, I shot several loads of shot using an appropriate shot cup and light wad. Maybe I was doing something wrong, but the patterns were impossibly donut shaped.

David Y. Snellen said:

Gentlemen,
I watched Dave Canterbury use shot in a .50 t/c style rifle. It seemed to do ok to about 25 yards. I was wondering how y'all think that would be in a .58 carbine?
I look forward to hearing -especially if you have tried it!
David

Click to expand...

The the problem has always been, that the rifling causes the shot column to twist as it moves down the barrel, and thus it spreads very wide when it exits the muzzle.

IF one was to use a .58 with the rifling reamed out, then it would work for both round ball and for shot.

LD

Agree with Loyalist Dave, you tend to get a donut hole pattern the more distance it goes. So in other words, if you are shooting at something “smallish,” most of your shot is going to go in a circle around it.

Think of your column of shot spinning out of the barrel; it will immediately start to disperse in a circle as it hurtles through space, just like our universe. Think 'Big Bang Theory' in miniature.

new2bp said:

I've got a .54 w/ a 1:48 twist and it is on my plan of things to do one day. Just gotta decide how/where I'm gonna get some bird shot and smaller buck shot to test. Remember, a 28ga is .50 cal and a 20ga is .62, we're at 24 and 26 gauge. At the very least I'd expect a larger pattern due to barrel twist with maybe some donut shape forming further out. Though with the slower twist rifling it may not be so bad...

Click to expand...

Small correction: a .50 cal is around 36 gauge, and a 28 gauge is somewhere around/between a .54 cal and a .56 cal. Gauge is based on how many lead balls of the barrel diameter make up a pound of lead.

Not the same thing as a muzzleloader, but I have handloaded 44 and 45 caliber modern handgun ‘snake’ loads by using two pistol bullet gas checks to hold the shot, one over the powder the other at the mouth of the case. When shot out of a pistol’s rifled barrel the load of #9 shot posed a grave danger to clay pigeons out to at least 25 or 30 feet. I never did try the load on any snakes.

With a muzzleloader, shot cards would be used (instead of gas checks), and I wonder if the @Skychief loading would help with a rifled bore if a wad is being used?