I had originally found 4 general methods to try.
I could not find any useful information on the Candle Load. I had read about it years ago, but no one seems to be using it now. The Shot Cup Method seemed a bit unnecessary; I’m using plastic vials at the moment for shot and powder. Yes, it is not period correct, but I’m still getting over the effects of Chemo. It is much easier to work with shot at home at the bench, measuring it into the vials than trying to pour it in the field. The Corn Muffin Load works, but to get shot and muffin mix down the bore in the right way and get it all packed tightly proved harder than I expected. That left the Sky Chief Method. That was the method I concentrated on the most, with some variations.
I loaded up 80 grains of 3F, a Nitro Card, 2 Ounces of #6 shot, an overshot card and the oil-soaked wad. I primed and then aimed at the target, a section of newspaper pinned to an old real-estate sign at 30 yards. YOWZA! Look, I’m no punce when it comes to recoil. My normal 3-inch 2-ounce turkey load has about the same recoil as a .416 Rigby. This was well north of that. A 20 lb bird is not worth that kind of punishment. After a couple of those, I went down to 70 grains of 3F, then 60 grains. I eventually retreated to a 1 1/2 oz load of lead. This, surprisingly gave me a nice even spread of shot across the target with enough shot in the center that I could see myself taking a turkey.
- Along the way, I moved the target into 25 yards. This was a more realistic working range.
- I tried an even mix of #4 and #6 shot together. This and straight #4 shot was a non-starter.
- I tried a dry wad instead of an oil-soaked one. That did not work all that well
- I also tried no wad at all. I hardly had any shot on the paper.
- Along the way, I moved the target into 25 yards. This was a more realistic working range.
I did not try tow in my shot loads. My reason was that folks have reported that tow wads reduce the velocity of the shot. I mean to put the gobbler down. There was enough force in the load to send the wad THROUGH the cardboard backer twice when the target was at 30 yards.
After a couple dozen shots, I was ready to end my date with ‘Bess. I think part of the problem with the recoil is that the ‘Bess was meant to be fired from the standing position. I was firing from the bench on bags. The top of the stock was particularly punishing. The next time I take ‘Bess out, I will be firing from a normal turkey hunting position, sitting against a tree or something. That will improve things immensely.
Two other things finally clicked with me on this trip:
- I was having trouble getting a patch down the barrel with a normal jag. I had brought tow down and decided to see how it would work, I had scene this method on a Duelist1954 Youtube. Wow! Tow with a bit of homemade bore butter (beeswax and lard) works great on the end of the tow worm. I could swab the bore between shots and did not have any problem with crud building up.
- I had struggled with cleaning ‘Bess after a range session. This time, I had a bottle of soap (Murphy’s Oil Soap and Simple Green) that I squirted down the barrel. Within a few patches, it was clean. Again, I used tow for scrubbing and finished with dry patches.
