So I bought a smoothie...

[tryinhard]

I bought a CVA Trapper 12 gauge with modified choke. I don't know anything about them. What should I start with load wise? Where can I find shot, over powder & over shot cards? Does anyone know the gun, good or bad? Planning to use it a lot so I hope I did good!

 

[Britsmoothy]

If you must buy wadding just get os cards, they will go past the choke easy and you only need four of them for a wad.
B.

 

[tryinhard]

So just buy the over shot cards & use them for both over powder & over shot? What about shot? Where's the best place to buy it?

 

[tenngun]

A fibery natural material such as wadded brown paper or cotton makeup pads work well. You can use hemp cord from hobby shop picked apart too. Felt works well too.
A good starting load is 70 grains and one ounce of shot with a fiber wad over that. To get an improved pattern you can run your shot loads up. More shot less powder is an old line about loading that many fine true. Since you have no choke 30 yards is a good max range.
Patched ball is a deer stopper.

 

[Dausener]

"Track of the Wolf" is a good place to look for most of your black powder supply needs. I would also suggest getting some 1/2" fiber wads for loading. You can buy shot at any gun store that sells reloading supplies. Getting real black powder is a bit of an issue. The last time I bought some was online from somewhere in Arkansas I think. Someone here may have the web address. Google can sometimes preform wonders. :wink:
Best regards. RH

 

[Britsmoothy]

So just buy the over shot cards & use them for both over powder & over shot? What about shot? Where's the best place to buy it?

Yes. :thumbsup:

In a pinch you could scrunch 2" squares of newspaper into balls for wads, over powder and shot but watch for smouldering paper and starting fires!!

 

[Rifleman1776]

cotton makeup pads

:hmm:
Hmmm...
Gave me an idea. Do you mean plain old cotton balls? If the cotton doesn't burn up instantly on ignition, they might be the ideal wadding for all uses. Again IF they work well I might not have hated my Navy Arms SXS 12 ga. (which was really a 14 ga.) choked double shotgun so much. Impossible to load with regular wads. Again.... :hmm: hmmmm. Will have to test to see how volatile they are.

 

[tenngun]

No not cotton balls. These make up pads are all cotton almost quilt like or felted. About two inches in diameter. I grease them with lard. Q tip makes them.
I grabbed a handful from my wife and shot them and they worked well. Took them hunting one timeand had squirrel gravy that night. But I use tow or hemp now.

 

[stubshaft]

I also use flax tow for OP and OS wads. I get it from flea-bay.

 

[Eterry]

What about shot? Where's the best place to buy it?

Any modern gunshop that sells reloading supplies should have shot, usually in 25lb bags, sometimes in smaller bags. Not exactly cheap anymore, but that's where to get it. Basspro, Cabellas,etc. or buy local like I do.


I saw a guy try cotton balls, we spent more time stomping out fires than shooting.

 

[nhmoose]

https://www.ballisticproducts.com/

Ballistic products will have what you need.

 

[Britsmoothy]

No not cotton balls. These make up pads are all cotton almost quilt like or felted. About two inches in diameter. I grease them with lard. Q tip makes them.
I grabbed a handful from my wife and shot them and they worked well. Took them hunting one timeand had squirrel gravy that night. But I use tow or hemp now.

Plus with a little compact case and small mirror one can powder ones nose between shots :haha:

 

[tenngun]

Opp I think their on to me.... honest to God it’s a tinder box an the looking glass is just for signaling... HBC sold one just like it.... honest :haha:

 

[jrmflintlock]

I like lubed felt wads for wing shooting. They are easy to load and work well. I think Midway USA has them as well as Possible shop. They are like $10 for 100. Sometimes you can find bags of 500.

If it’s percussion you do not need to shoot real black powder, pyroxene or one of the other black powder substitutes would work fine.

I believe you said it has an improved choke, if so, do not shoot round ball out of it!!!

Round ball can only be shot out of Cylinder bore guns!

Good luck!! And congrats on a smooth bore!!

 

[mark/wi]

I have a CVA taper and shoot round ball no problem. The book that comes with says you can. It has a barrel like Op. Mark

 

[bender20]

Yeah never understand the fear of shooting rb through a choke. If it goes down it will come back out.

 

[tenngun]

I’ve always heard that and never owned a chocked ml. Do you patch your ball or shoot it bare. I see a ball going out if it could be run down.
I can picture in my head good results based on decreasing wobble just before exit.
Would be interested in your results.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Yeah never understand the fear of shooting rb through a choke. If it goes down it will come back out.

Maybe no reason for fear. But efficiency could be very poor. The ball/patch needs to be smaller than the non-choked portion of the barrel. Meaning there would be considerable gas blow-by and loss of pressure/velocity.

 

[bender20]

That is certainly true but I was just responding to a previous poster who said you can’t shoot roundball out of anything but a cylinder bore gun.