I am new to muzzleloading and recently bought a used 12ga Pedersoli side-by-side shotgun. I have been trying to learn as much as possible from this forum and found the answer to most of my questions. I have not been able to find what kind of percussion caps I should buy for this shotgun. I bought the gun online and the description stated that it has mod/full choked barrels. Would it be safe to fire lead patch and ball with these barrels? Sorry for what must seem like elementary questions but I was not able to find the answers anywhere else.
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Pedersoli shotgun questions
- Thread starter randyhi
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The gun should take #11 caps. Patched ball will depend entirely on ball & patch size. Usually the cylinder bores handle balls better because of the lack of constriction without a choke built in. All by ball shooting out of a double was with cylinder bores so I'll rely on others to answer that one.
I have a Pedersoli 12 gauge double and they use #11 caps. Mine fires a lot more reliably with real blackpowder, preferably 2F. In regard to shooting lead balls, I purchased some awhile back but have not tried shooting them. From my research, it would seem as long as you can start the ball/patch combo down the bore, it should come back out no problem.
Glad to have you with us and enjoy that shotgun. I have had a lot of fun with mine.
Jeff
Glad to have you with us and enjoy that shotgun. I have had a lot of fun with mine.
Jeff
The problem with the choking is that the patching will be moot. IF the patched ball is snug at the muzzle it will be loose a few inches past the choked point, and the patch will strip off when fired. If the patch was snug past the choke, it would probably be too tight to load the ball into the bore at the muzzle. So..., omit the patch.
The gun wasn't intended by Pedersoli to shoot round ball, with that choke pattern it was meant as a duck gun. BTW don't take anybody's word for it, have it checked, for it might be an upland bird gun, and in that case it's probably choked improved cylinder/modified.
This doesn't mean you can't successfully use round ball however.
You will need to get wads that will expand to fit the interior bore, while at the same time compressing enough to get past the chokes. You probably have them already for shooting shot. If you want to shoot a round ball, load a bare ball that just fits getting past the muzzles. Over the balls load a wad of paper. Then test the gun for accuracy. You may find out to 50 yards the barrels are well regulated (both hit close to the bullseye), or you may find only one barrel works well with a round ball. That's fine as it wasn't uncommon for folks to have shotguns loaded with birdshot in one barrel and a deer load in the other.
OH and if it is mod/full, then the left barrel will probably work well on turkeys. :grin:
LD
The gun wasn't intended by Pedersoli to shoot round ball, with that choke pattern it was meant as a duck gun. BTW don't take anybody's word for it, have it checked, for it might be an upland bird gun, and in that case it's probably choked improved cylinder/modified.
This doesn't mean you can't successfully use round ball however.
You will need to get wads that will expand to fit the interior bore, while at the same time compressing enough to get past the chokes. You probably have them already for shooting shot. If you want to shoot a round ball, load a bare ball that just fits getting past the muzzles. Over the balls load a wad of paper. Then test the gun for accuracy. You may find out to 50 yards the barrels are well regulated (both hit close to the bullseye), or you may find only one barrel works well with a round ball. That's fine as it wasn't uncommon for folks to have shotguns loaded with birdshot in one barrel and a deer load in the other.
OH and if it is mod/full, then the left barrel will probably work well on turkeys. :grin:
LD
Lonegun1894
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Another option for wads that will load easy through the chokes is to just use Jute twine. It is cheap and easily available, and frays easily to make a ball with that fits down the bore, that you can put in by hand about an inch below the muzzle, drop your ball on top, and the a card or just more jute on top, then ram the whole thing down. I would also try a patched ball just to see if it will fit and if so, how it shoots. My smoothbores are cylinder-bore, but I have done this with a modern modified choke gun that I loaded a shell into that had a primer only, and then loaded powder, wads/jute, ball, along with other types of loads using both bird and buck shot, through the muzzle to get an idea if I wanted a choked ML. Patterns were better, but the loading was awkward at times so I will stay with cylinder, but don't let that discourage you. I really think I would have been happy with a choked gun if I hadn't gotten spoiled by my unchoked guns.
Thanks for all of the replies. It is no big deal if it won't shoot balls. It just gives me an excuse to by a muzzleloading rifle. I will try it out this weekend on some rabbits and some pheasant and ducks later this fall. I appreciate all the information from you all and this forum. I have been hunting with a longbow with wood arrows for many years and a friend got me to give the smoothbore BP stuff a try and I'm excited. Not much but trad archery excites me until now.
My 12 Pedersoli is actualy bored closer to a 13 ga. and is Cyl x Cyl. Loading with 12 ga wads was near inpossible, but 13's are easy to start with your thumb and have the same light force needed all the way down the bore from the muzzle to the breech. I tried it with round balls, .690's and the best accuracy was with 70 gr Goex 2F , a wad of wasp nest, the ball and a second wad of nest over the ball.
Acuracy was not as good with any combination of patch, or wads as it is with wasp nests.
The wasp nests also do great with #6 shot.
Acuracy was not as good with any combination of patch, or wads as it is with wasp nests.
The wasp nests also do great with #6 shot.
