Pedersoli 12ga vs 10ga duck range

[Blackpowderart]

I currently have a pedersoli 10ga SxS With the fixed chokes cyl/improved cylinder

I am considering a 12ga SxS With screw in chokes. What killing range do you think I could achieve shooting bismuth with the 12ga vs the 10ga? Is it that different? Could the 12 be better considering it has the ability to have a tighter choke? Thanks for the opinions guys.

The 10ga is the only blackpowder long gun I have owned up to this point.

 

[HSmithTX]

The chokes will make a difference. Other than that if all else is equal a 10 will net you a killing pattern density a bit farther than the 12 because it starts out with more pellets. If it were a centerfire and smokeless shotgun with a backbored barrel and screw in chokes bismuth #4 will kill ducks very well out to 55-60 yards as long as the pattern is there and #2 will kill quite a bit further than that, getting that kind of pattern repeatable with the muzzleloader will be the primary challenge I think. I think you will do a lot of shooting on the pattern board to find out what choke and load combo works, in doing that you will find out where your pattern density drops below 3-4 pellets certain to hit on a duck and that's what I have always used as a hard limit for range. Don't be afraid to choke really tight, it's common to lose a good percentage of the pellets out of the main pattern at pretty short distance when the choke is really tight but that main core of the pattern is what kills at long distance and if you keep 40+% of the pellets in the pattern really tight you can reach way out there. It will require you to be very accurate but it will kill ducks.

 

[Iceman]

Take this for what it is worth as I have no personal experience with a 10 gauge waterfowl hunting or water fowl hunting with a muzzleloading shotgun. My only experience is with a different type of shotgunut I'll give it a shot.

HSmithTX is right on with what he is saying. The choke will make a big difference. I think the 10 gauge throwing more shot would pattern denser and have a slightly extended range over a 12 gauge of the same choke.
Full choke in a 12 will probably have a significant range advantage over a cylinder or improved cylinder 10.
Search the forum for shotgun loading as there are options people have tested to extend the range of loosely choked guns you could try. There is the skychief load, wrapping shot in paper, jug choking, and others. Personally before I spent the money on an additional gun I would spend some time at the pattern board to see how the 10 can pattern at the range I would be shooting at. It might be serviceable for what you want it to do.
In my experience is you are better to be over choked than under choked.

If you do pattern testing please post, the more data here the better!

 

[R Ellis]

If you are willing to use plastic shotshell wads you can tighten your pattern or open it by using the correct wad for the purpose also you can use a wrap around your shot and tighten the shot column and make the 10 gauge shoot tighter .So the 10 gauge is my choice

 

[Blackpowderart]

If you are willing to use plastic shotshell wads you can tighten your pattern or open it by using the correct wad for the purpose also you can use a wrap around your shot and tighten the shot column and make the 10 gauge shoot tighter .So the 10 gauge is my choice

I have the plastic wads, pre slit and un slit , lubed felt wads, fiber wads, mini nitro cards .070, over shot/powder cards .030, corn meal, old ensyford FFg and FFFG, Swiss FFg and FFFG, Schuetzen Fg....I have almost everything one could want to make a load....after 3 weekends this is what I came up with for this turkey season at 25yds using the sky chief load out of the cylinder bore...I'm not saying there isn't a better pattern to be had, but with the time crunch of trying to get something for turkey season, here it is. I never patternd a modern gun so I don't have anything to compare it to, so....

The round part of the turkeys head in photo is 2.5in across and the neck is 6in long

Skychief,cylinder bore 10ga, 25yds, 1 5/8 schuetzen Fg, 1 1/2 #6 copper plated lead shot

 

[R Ellis]

Looks like a dead turkey. What was the extreme spread of the pattern .Seems it is nice and even from what I can see

 

[HSmithTX]

That pattern will carry a good bit further, I'd switch to #4 or 5 shot though, 6's are a bit light for big birds in my mind. I like a heavy marker line to indicate the spine in the neck and a dime size circle to indicate the brain, and then see 5-6 pellets on spine and/or brain minimum. They can go further than you would think before they bleed out from a shot that didn't break the spine or penetrate the brain.

 

[Blackpowderart]

I have some #4 .... admittedly I didn't try them with this load combination because with other loads the #6 seemed to be doing better at that time. And I was becoming frustrated with the results... I got some tighter patterns in some spots, but the one was even and close to POA as it is a SxS. The others seemed inconsistent. In the future I will try more but I do need to purchase some more shot. Turkey season is only 4 weeks and 5 weekends here in NC and I work mon -Fri. One weekend gone and didn't hear or see a bird. I'm happy with this pattern for this season.

When I tried plastic shot cups 3 years ago I shoy a turkey at 7 yards and hit him with a slug. Shot hadn't released yet. Dropped immediately. It was my first turkey ever. Photo included

 

[HSmithTX]

I would hunt with your current pattern, no issue. I might shoot a couple more patterns at 30-35-40 and see what they look like so I know how far is too far but as far as black powder patterns go I think yours is pretty good.

 

[Sparkitoff]

While a little different than the OP, I use a 20 that is cyl/mod and a 12 with choke tubes that I have at mod/im in a 12 for ducks. I use 1 1/8oz in the 20 but 1 1/4 oz in the 12. Same scoop for the powder respectively. Interestingly, I have killed ducks at the same ranges with each, I have to admit that the ducks shot with the 20, in particular the cyl barrel are hit with less shot. I like to shoot when they are facing me can cupped towards the decoys. Either gun, whatever barrel and load have been effective to 40-yards. If I were hunting bigger birds, field set-ups or a heavily hunted area, I would stick to the 12 for the added shot in the pattern.

I think your 10 is just as effective as a 12 regardless of the choking.

 

[R Ellis]

You can load one barrel for the close shots and the other for the longer shots with you slug type wad you used on the Turkey

 

[Blackpowderart]

The slug wasn't intentional....just closer than I expected and it didn't release yet. It just seems as though when it does release one time the pattern is mor right, then left, up or down....not consistent with the plastic wads in my experience so far anyway

 

[Eterry]

The 10 gauge will give you a shorter shot string. Why several serious black powder trap shooters use an 8 bore, but a 10 bore load.

 

[Eterry]

I'll say this about Waterfowl. My dad hunted with a market hunter in the early 60s into mid 70s. He used #8s, knew exactly where to hold and aimed for their necks. He said a Goose could fly away with a full charge of body shot #4s, but one #8 in the neck would bring it down.

I read where a hunter was hunting small game and a pair of greater Canadians flew over. He dropped them both with a 20ga with #8s, choked skeet 1 & skeet 2. He aimed at their heads.

I've thought about getting some bismuth #7 or 8 and giving it a try, but never have.