Another quirky load for dense patterns

[George]

I hope more will try this card/wad arrangement and find success with it.

Skychief, I used your load to take a squirrel yesterday, but too close to tell any difference from my regular load. After the hunt I took a few shots using my 12 gauge version of your quirky load and my regular load of the Starr type. I used 70 gr. 2F and 1 1/4 oz. #5 shot for all shots, all shots at 25 yards. I made one shot with each barrel for each load, too few to really draw any conclusions, but maybe some hints. My Starr version is 2 OP cards of 1/8", 1 OS card, no cushion wad.

Starr right:


Skychief right:


Starr left:


Skychief left:


Your quirky load from my right barrel certainly has more pellets, but there are big holes. Your load from my left barrel is not as good as the right, but then, neither is the Starr load. The two Starr loads are thinner but seem more even and consistent.

One thing I did notice, the loads with the cushion wad definitely had more recoil, which you would expect.

Spence

 

[Britsmoothy]

That is very interesting, a fan of thin cards for a wad myself but the wad on top still in the running I think.
No dough nuts with either!

Thanks :thumbsup:

 

[Leatherbark]

I wonder if the heavy lubed fiber wad is so heavy that the shot slows down when it exits the muzzle allowing the heavy wad to outrun the shot until it falls away before affecting the pattern?

Bob

 

[Skychief]

Very interesting Spence!!! :hmm:

Did I read that your double may be choked, or possibly "belled" at the muzzle?

If my pellet count is close, I find about:
143 with the Starr load from the right barrel
185 with the Skychief load from the right barrel

82 with the Starr load from the left barrel
101 with the Skychief load from the left barrel

Did you happen to save the targets for a pellet count (how bored are you Spence)? :haha:

I must have been a sight with my glasses on my belly and nosed pressed against my little Kindle screen, going cross-eyed, trying to count those little holes! :slap: :youcrazy: :haha:

Would love to see a similar test from a long barreled, cylinder fowling piece sometime. Do you know of any such guns down your way? :haha:

Thanks for doing some shooting and posting the great pictures on here. I find this stuff fascinating!

What do you take away from this Spence? :idunno:

Is the jury still out?, Skychief. :hatsoff:

 

[George]

I can manage a pellet count, but tomorrow. You may be off a bit, but I imagine you are generally right.

Too early for me to draw any conclusions, but, signs are positive, I'd say.

I have plans to try this in my smoothbore, but it may be a while.

Yes, I said I'm not certain about the chokes of my Pietta double, but I believe they are either cylinder or IC.

G'Nite, Johnboy.

 

[George]

Oh, what the heck? :grin:

The Starr shot from the right barrel has 137 pellets.

The Skychief shot from the right barrel has 179 pellets.

You know what one shot is worth, and pellet count isn't the whole answer.”¦ but the trend is good.

Spence

 

[Skychief]

G'nite, Jim Bob! :thumbsup:

 

[George]

Doing a little figuring”¦

The paper I patterned on is 19" x 16.5".

By the charts, 1 oz. of #5 shot has 170 pellets.

My flask drops 1.2 ounces, weighed.

1.2 x 170 = 204 pellets in my load.

Starr's shot had 137 pellets, and that amounts to 67% of the total in the load.

Your quirky shot had 179 pellets, and that amounts to 88% of the total in the load.

So, judging just this one shot and considering the pellet count, only, that is a tight pattern at 25 yards.

Many more shots needed, but if these results hold up, I'd say you are on to something.

Spence

 

[Skychief]

Thank you Spence for crunching the numbers and trying this load. :hatsoff:

Looking forward to hearing more results as time allows!

I think I have mentioned it here already, but, I have found the heavier the cushion wad, the denser the patterns. I go heavier on the bees wax than the lard. I've found that wads thoroughly soaked in olive oil can give good results as well, but ever the hunter, wanted a wad that didn't dare compromise my powder charge.

Thanks again Spence.

Hopefully more will try the load. If nothing else, it's trial makes a great excuse to get a smoothbore dirty! :haha:

Best regards, Skychief

 

[Eric Krewson]

I had to try this oddball load; 12 ga English flowler, 38" barrel, jug choked full by Caywood. My gun was patttering low right for the first shot. I knocked the rear sight over for the second test shot.

First shot at 25 yards, 100 gr 1F, a few cereal box wads, 1 1/4oz copper plated #4 shot and a couple more cereal box wads on top of the shot, at 25 yards.



Next shot; 100 gr 1F, one cereal box wad, one felt wad, 1 1/4oz copper plated #4 shot, two well lubed circle fly 1/8" wads, 25 yards.



The odd ball combo really brought the pattern in with less fliers and holes in the pattern.

I tried the full cushion wad, it shot a better pattern than a standard load but not a good a two cards.

One card was about the same as the cushion wad.

 

[Skychief]

Oddball load Eric? :hmm: :idunno:

Oh, you mean the Skychief Special load!!! :haha: :thumbsup:

Thanks for trying it out and for the thoughtful post here!

I have no choked guns to try these loads with. Looks like you and Spence are getting some good (encouraging?) patterns with your guns. Great! :thumbsup:

Best regards, Skychief

 

[Britsmoothy]

Cool, but stop shooting towards the house :haha:

B.

 

[Skychief]

:shocked2: :haha:

 

[Skychief]

I went squirrel hunting today and killed five in a row with this load, save one difference.

In place of lard/beeswax, I heavily lubed the cushion wads with extra virgin olive oil. By heavily, I mean that I had the wads dunked in the oil and didn't bother patting them dry whatsoever.

They worked really well, Skychief

 

[Britsmoothy]

i put them in a bag and dribble it on as if it were a salad :thumbsup:

 

[hunts4deer]

I tested the Skychief Special on a 10x12 paper at 25 yards and saw a good pattern. I have a 12 gauge 56" barrel. Used 90 grains FFG, two Durofelt wool wads, 1 1/4 ounce shot, then over the shot, a full 1/2 inch fiber wad soaked in olive oil/beewax lube, fairly dripping with lube.

So I took it out squirrel hunting to see how it would do. Got three squirrels for three shots, one at 20 yards. When I cleaned the squirrels, I recovered about 10 #6 shot pellets. Interestingly, all of them were still perfectly round with zero deformation. Maybe that is part of the reason this is a successful method.

My theory is that the pellets all draft behind the wad like bicyclists drafting an 18 wheeler, and by the time the wad tumbles and disturbs the pattern, the shot cluster is already halfway to the target, and so has little effect on the overall pattern. Anyway, the Skychief Special is a great method. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Rifleman1776]

56" barrel

:shocked2:
Four inches short of a five foot barrel.
Why bother shooting those squirrleys? Just knock em out of the tree with it. :wink:
Pic needed. hotoSmile:

 

[Hermit]

I've found what makes the best pattern for me is to have the barrel well lubed ahead of the shot, I would say that's why that lubed wad load you use works so well?
Hermit

 

[Skychief]

Another "Skychief Special" convert! :thumbsup:

Thanks for sharing your results with us hunts4deer.

Best of luck, Skychief :hatsoff:

 

[BrownBear]

I've found what makes the best pattern for me is to have the barrel well lubed ahead of the shot, I would say that's why that lubed wad load you use works so well?
Hermit

That's a real interesting point! I lube my bore after the fact when duck hunting, and I've certainly been happy with patterns, even with the fiber wad on the bottom.