Well, it went bang!

[Hunterbug]

I got out today to fire the 12ga for the first time. I was firing 1oz of 7 1/2 over 70gr of Pyrodex FFg. This was my first time firing a black powder on my own and my first time with a BP smoothbore at all and I learned alot. One thing I learned was to not kock both hammers at the same time. When I did the recoil from the first barrel knocked the cap off and I had to replace it before firing the second barrel.
 
Here's a short clip of me firing the left barrel.
 

 
Here's a target of a rabbit that I shot at. There are 7 pellets in the "rabbit".
 

 
Here's the right barrel at 20 yards. There are 16 pellets in the paper. In interest of full disclosure, Kash shot it 5 times with his 9mm while I was loading.
 

 
Here is the left barrel at the same distance. There are 34 pellets in the paper.
 

 
My loading time is a tad slow to say the least but I'm sure that with practice it'll get better. The recoil was not bad at all and overall it was fun. I can't wait  to do it again.

[gitano]

Cool!

I'm guessing you could up the charge a bit, maybe 10 grains to 80 gr, and it MIGHT tighten the group up. Might "loosen" it up too, I suppose. What I don't know about ML shotguns would fill volumes.

The 10ga came in the mail today. I checked the muzzles - both 0.768" - so I don't think 0.760" round ball is gonna be a good choice, but I don't particularly like the 0.735" from the Lyman mold either. I don't really want to have to order from "JT" in Great Britain, but it looks like I may have to to get what I want - 0.748". I'd settle for 0.750" if I could find it.

Hunterbug sent along the 'stuff' he made and purchased for the 10ga. I'll post a picture of everything when I get the time to actually 'fondle' the stuff.

Paul

[Alboy]

Before getting into more or less powder let us know what you load stack was exactly. Did you you use volume to volume or just pick a few components and go bang? going bang is fine for getting started.
 
With only the two patterns it looks like you are blowing your over powder cards or wadding through the pattern but hard to know with the current data.
 
It is possible you will eventually have to create essentially a "modern" shell load to get this old girl to make nice. Smokepole had to do that with his O/U 12. Wait till you get there before complaing about speed of reloading. He had to hand start a plastic wad cup and then drive it home with a hammer it was so tight and took the air so long to pass through the powder charge and exit out the nipple. One thing for sure there was no gas blow by in the barrel.

[gitano]

My comment about more powder was more regarding "punch" than pattern.  I was thinking about my .620 flintlock and the .58. Both do well with 80 grains of ffG.

Paul

[Hunterbug]

Al, my scale doesn't go up to one ounce so I cut open 2, 1oz 7 1/2 shells and measured the volume of shot and that came to right about 70gr. I then measeured out 70gr of powder. I loaded the powder, then a double thickness card, followed by the lubed wadding, the shot and then the over shot card. Yea, I just kinda took a guess at it but I figured that I had to start somewhere.

[Alboy]

Yepper and a reasonable starting point.
 
If I understood correctly what I just read I see a problem most modern reloaders make instinctively.
 
INCLUDING MOI
 
You are measuring by weight not volume.
 
Since you have a starting place for shot. Put that much shot into one of your recently emptied shot shells (I have found the ones with spent primers are safer) and cut off the rest of the shot shell above where the shot comes to. Should be about 2/3's of the shell.
 
That makes a VOLUME measure. Now use this like a scoop from an old LEE powder measure scoop set and put in equal volumes of powder and shot. All from the same cut off shot shell.
 
1. Powder, by volume.
 
2. Use a single over powder card (a double thickness card) will do fine. No lubed wadding but don't throw it away just yet.
 
3. Shot, by volume from the same shot shell; home made-handmade ugly little volume measure.
 
4. Over shot card. Go bang again and see what yopur pattern does at 20 yards since that is where you started.
 
I will try and make a little pictorial this afternoon as I have to go in to work this morning.
 
In the picture is the same moder CVA (Conneticut Valley Arms) as your Dixie, they must have come to terms some where during the years. That pattern I think is 30-35 yards with #6's but that is from memory right now and it could be #7 1/2's.
 
Plus a picture of a not so nearly pristine lock plate of mine. It is about 30 years old and been throgh the war in goose fields and pig hnts and what not.
 
Also it is the weapon in my Avatar with a double load of powder and no shot for a nice effect.

[Hunterbug]

Thanx, Al. With any luck I'll get to try it on Monday and we'll see how that works.