10 GA, under hammer muzzle loader

[crossxsticks]

is anyone shooting a 10 GA  under hammer  muzzle loader shotgun,  I have one almost put together ,  bout ready to make sparks fly.   just wondering  what  10 GA  loads are being used on trap.   I do know  every barrel and choke is diff ,  and i will have to find my pattern .

[Bugflipper]

It really depends what brand it is and how old it is along with what shape the barrel is in. If it's old, rusty or from a country of known poorer grade steel I wouldn't want to go over 75-80 gr and 1 1/4 oz. if it looks excellent.
If it's the standard hopkins and allen or dixie in good shape 110-115 gr and 1 5/8 oz. would probably be closer to being max.

For smaller game and small gamebirds I like 75 gr and 1 oz.
For medium small game and upland and water birds I like 90 gr and 1 1/4 oz.
For turkey, fox, raccoon,opposum and so on 100 gr and 1 1/2 oz.
For coyote I like 13 00 buckshot or 1 5/8 oz behind 115 gr.
All loads have a thick cardboard box over powder card, on top of that a piece of carpet for wad cushion and a cereal box cardboard over shot card. The carpet is just that outdoor rubber backed stuff. It does best out of what I've tried as a cushion to keep patterns the tightest in a cylinder bore.

[crossxsticks]

It really depends what brand it is and how old it is along with what shape the barrel is in. If it's old, rusty or from a country of known poorer grade steel I wouldn't want to go over 75-80 gr and 1 1/4 oz. if it looks excellent.
If it's the standard hopkins and allen or dixie in good shape 110-115 gr and 1 5/8 oz. would probably be closer to being max.

For smaller game and small gamebirds I like 75 gr and 1 oz.
For medium small game and upland and water birds I like 90 gr and 1 1/4 oz.
For turkey, fox, raccoon,opposum and so on 100 gr and 1 1/2 oz.
For coyote I like 13 00 buckshot or 1 5/8 oz behind 115 gr.
All loads have a thick cardboard box over powder card, on top of that a piece of carpet for wad cushion and a cereal box cardboard over shot card. The carpet is just that outdoor rubber backed stuff. It does best out of what I've tried as a cushion to keep patterns the tightest in a cylinder bore.

hey thanks for the  rubber backed carpet  info  for a cushion wad  all i have shot in my ml shotguns is  circle fly wads   i will  give the carpet stuff a try  , it dont leave the barrel on fire do it  LOL  i dont want to fight fire ..      so mainly you shooting a 12 GA light load for most small game  would be good for trap then also.    i got good modern steel barrel  will take  steel shot in a plastic cup during duck season  ... and for the buck shot  do you use any buffer ? just curious.   thanks . 

[Bugflipper]

I've never used any buffer, sorry can't help you on that. Never had any gunk in my barrel from the astro turf. Assuming the cardboard seals the powder off. My punch is a little big at .81 ( I think that's 13/16 th) off the caliper. The bore reads .76.


On mine the pattern get's a little sparse at 45 yards, which is much further than it should go. But switching around your material for the cards and wad is the key to getting a pattern out of a cyl bore. At 35 on paper there isn't a big enough gap for a quail to get missed with bird shot. But you can also increase your shot and decrease your powder to tighten the holes at 40-45 if you're after smaller things out further. 2oz and 90 gr still has enough speed and density out that far. For up close I like to use a heavier over shot card. For real close like trap or quail I put a styrofoam egg carton between cardboard shoebox overshot cards.
I've never hunted a deer with it but a .74 ball double patched over 100 grains with an over powder card will flat put a whoopin' on stumps.


If you trim the base off an all plastic non reloadable 12ga shell like activ they make a good bore protecting wad from the steel shot.

[JonnyReb]

 Hey Crossx,  Just curious where you sourced your barrel, or what you converted it from, and how does your receiver hold it? Look forward to hearing a range report and if you can post a pic when your project is done.  J

[crossxsticks]

Hey Crossx,  Just curious where you sourced your barrel, or what you converted it from, and how does your receiver hold it? Look forward to hearing a range report and if you can post a pic when your project is done.  J

Reb,  I had a machinist  convert it from a 36" mod.10  GA  single shot  barrel  I bought 3 of them several years ago still got 2 of theoes babys left    , receiver is one of the deer creek  under hammer locks i had on classifieds   that no one jumped on so i thought  heck i would put together  a couple more under hammers  .  I shot it today,  shoots  3 dr -1 1/8 oz
nice// great pattern at  40 yds  hardly noticed  recoil,    shot   1 1/2 oz shot and equal ffg   now that recoiled  (no pad yet )      but  rolled a milk jug at  60 yds.   71/2 shot      I like shooting 12ga  loads in a 10 GA   nice,  not finished yes  needs  stock  finished,  barrel & lock  browned, and ramrod under barrel ,    next project is putting a 20 GA mod. choke barrel on  the other lock    for my grey squirrel gun.      

[JonnyReb]

 Hey thats pretty neat, and i'll assume their round barrels, bet it looks pretty darned good against that round receiver. I've got an old (palmetto arms?) 10 single shot that doesn't lock up well and a 12ga Crescent arms in similar shape. Guns not even worth selling really but the barrels are in fine shape. Glad i kept them around. Did your machinist build the breech or did you buy one and he installed it? I guess the nipple is a simple matter of just tapping threads in the right spot? Sorry for the questions but this seems like a do able project for a first time build.  Jeff

[crossxsticks]

Hey thats pretty neat, and i'll assume their round barrels, bet it looks pretty darned good against that round receiver. I've got an old (palmetto arms?) 10 single shot that doesn't lock up well and a 12ga Crescent arms in similar shape. Guns not even worth selling really but the barrels are in fine shape. Glad i kept them around. Did your machinist build the breech or did you buy one and he installed it? I guess the nipple is a simple matter of just tapping threads in the right spot? Sorry for the questions but this seems like a do able project for a first time build.  Jeff

Reb, the plug has to be turned and threaded  also.

[crossxsticks]

I've never used any buffer, sorry can't help you on that. Never had any gunk in my barrel from the astro turf. Assuming the cardboard seals the powder off. My punch is a little big at .81 ( I think that's 13/16 th) off the caliper. The bore reads .76.


On mine the pattern get's a little sparse at 45 yards, which is much further than it should go. But switching around your material for the cards and wad is the key to getting a pattern out of a cyl bore. At 35 on paper there isn't a big enough gap for a quail to get missed with bird shot. But you can also increase your shot and decrease your powder to tighten the holes at 40-45 if you're after smaller things out further. 2oz and 90 gr still has enough speed and density out that far. For up close I like to use a heavier over shot card. For real close like trap or quail I put a styrofoam egg carton between cardboard shoebox overshot cards.
I've never hunted a deer with it but a .74 ball double patched over 100 grains with an over powder card will flat put a whoopin' on stumps.


If you trim the base off an all plastic non reloadable 12ga shell like activ they make a good bore protecting wad from the steel shot.

  I can get  30 wads out of a egg carton lid, but you knew that huh    and got a sack full of  trimed of 12 ga  plastic wads   thank's my friend for the info I am going to try it out.