Self contained shot load......

[Sidney Smith]

What are you using between the powder and the shot cup?

I am using the wadded up paper from the powder rammed down over the powder, then lightly tamped to flatten before inserting the shot tube. What I don't understand is, why did the shot I simply poured down the barrel, then covered with another wadded ball of paper, give better results than the paper tube of shot? I'm going to try the grocery bag paper next time I have time to get to the club. The loads I've tested thus far will get me at least a 20 yard shot on birds. As i said I was averaging between 15-22 pellets in the turkey head target at 25 yards. So if I restrict myself to less than 20 I know I can drop one. When I have more time I will try some other loads. Our turkey season starts in 4 days and I have to work each day up until that time so no chance to hit the range again before then.

 

[Brokennock]

The 1st rule of load development with smoothbores is (or should be) through out all logic and reason. There be witchery, voodoo, and magic involved here. No one can figure out why the Skychief load works but it does, for most people, I certainly can't explain why one 20 gauge smoothbore I have likes a patched round ball of average to tight fit, and the other likes a loose patch/ball combo and likes no patch even better.
I would try at least a thin card over the powder to seal the glasses, and maybe help scrape fouling down on top of the powder as it doesn't sound like you have anything carrying lube up and down the bore. The better seal should increase your velocity a bit as well. I'd be curious to the velocity and penetration of your original crumpled paper load, and curious to know how consistent it was. Patterns may have been good, but did it pack enough punch in those well distributed pellets to do the job.

 

[Rat]

Oh, and brown paper bag looks old fashioned.

 

[spudnut]

I used a wad of lubed tow over powder,tore open the shot cartridge, poured it in then wadded the paper on the shot,worked great on clays

 

[Sidney Smith]

I made up a couple of these cartridges last night to use on turkeys. I used more paper to make a thicker tube for the shot, and ran the balled up wad paper through some lube for the over powder wads. I used two balls of lubed paper over the powder and one unlubed wad over the shot. I know I should have tested this first at the range but I didn't have time. I'm just going to keep any shots at 20 yards or less until I can get some time to test them some more on paper targets.