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My pick is relatively short trade gun & 24 ga..
With shot it is aprox equal of 28 ga. Breech loader.
24 ga. Ball is aprox same dia./wt. as used in .54 cal. rifle.(You won't hear anyone complain about lack of power in .54 rifle! ;-)
I load anywhere from 40 to 80 gr. of 3 FG & a patched ball in my...
I used to shoot a pair of Uberti .36 Rem.s 50 rds each(one box of a hundred .375 balls, one tin of caps)
Slightly reduced charge fouled cyl pin less & they were just starting to be sluggish around 40 rds.
About reloads: If you were on the Llano Estacado, or AZ, behind a dead horse that had...
In a very similar Starr .54 carbine I loaded loose .56 ball and loose powder(50 years ago)
As long as the ball can be pushed up against the rifling then pour chamber full of black powder seemed to work better than my attempts at nitrated paper cart. and roundball.
You could push some tallow or...
I ordered a length of seamless steel tubing from Aircraft Spruce.
Draw-filed it to get the correct taper, threaded the small end & silver-brazed a brass jag on the other end (& threaded that as well.
Browned it for looks, and can broil meat on it, use it to blow on stubborn baulky fire as well...
I've built sheathes with a rawhide liner and horse-hide on the outside.
(What a PAIN! The wet molded rawhide shrinks quite a bit making it hard to get a good "molded fit". )
Davo
I use 3 fg in my short 24 ga. (burns more completely & fouls less.)
Usual load for RB or shot is 60 gr..
I use the same measure for powder & shot and "cheat" it for a bit more volume of shot than powder.
Short guns are FINE, as long as they are not butt heavy which makes for a "whippy" barrel...
My short "canoe gun" is a bit awkward to load standing up.
I "poacher-stocked" it (see old illustrations or book THE PACKINGHAM GUN COLLECTION) to correct it being butt-heavy.
I use 3 fg in the short 24 ga./.58 barrel.
Coned the muzzle for easier loading with patched ball and added a low open...
If you have not already read about John Coffee Hays and the early Texas Rangers and are interested in the 1st Colt's used in combat and how mounted warfare of the plains differed from more heavily treed areas to the east, read p.167 thru179 in THE GREAT PLAINS, by Walter Prescott Webb.
The...
CaptDan,
I have a Southbend Replica 2/3 scale mtn howitzer, 2 1/4" bore on a naval carriage built by a pro wood boat builder.
Fired with lanyard and musket cap..
Also 50 lbs of coarse grain black powder.
WW1 era mg gunners quadrant.
(Worked well w/ 2" ball mill balls ;-)
I am located inland...
Short 24 ga. "Canoe gun" ( if such a thing ever existed "back when" ;-)
I think 28 ga. would still be practical for smallgame with shot & round ball for med. game(?)
3fg seems to be a better choice for small gauges & short barrels.
I used to shoot a Charleville & 20 fusil s.
Larger bore &...
Rear apertures were used on some crossbows....
I have a shortened original matchlock barrel used on a later Arabic gun "modernized" with a Brown Bess lock.
It has a rear Aperature integral with a raised potion of the tang.
I quit shooting Aperature-sighted rifle at matches & roundyvoos & went...
The single best advice to me about offhand, was to find a comfortable stance w/weapon shouldered, then close my eyes and swing right & left w/eyes kept closed, then let my body find natural point of aim.
Then open eyes and see if you have to shift your feet. (If so try again)
If you find your...
Practice with a similarly-sighted spring-piston pellet rifle like a WeihrauchbHW35E has nearly supplanted dry-firing for me.
Spring-piston rather than pneumatics because of the recoil & lag/slow lock-time require impeccable follow-thru, like a flintlock.
If you are not shooting in formal...
Lead pipe from a Nevada brothel at Steamboat Hot Springs....
They didn't pay for some renovation work so our contractor boss told us to take what we wanted....
One of the guys took a rotating hotdog cooker & beer keg tap.
I wanted the pure lead for roundballs, even 50-some years ago :-)
Dave
I use 3fg in my 26"/24 ga.
Patched ball loaded in funneled muzzle(wiped between shots most times) or 3/4 to 13/16 oz of #7 or #6 shot.
Most always 70 gr. 3fg, which seems to equal 75 gr. of 2fg & burn cleaner.
I often use 3fg to prime with as well.
Dave
Groundhog, marmot, mountain beaver(burrowing rodent exclusive to Olympic Penninsula, I "think"), all make strong lacing, good banjo heads.
I've only alum tanned, but results seemed strong.
I bet abig hide would make a good moccasin.(?)
Dave
There is historical precedent for this.
Ned Roberts mentions the practice for close-range moose hunting...
If you load patched balls you want to be sure air compressed between 1st & 2nd ball ones not force them apart, or at the very least you will ring-bulge your barrel if not blow it apart.
Dave