[00buck]

Howdy Pards,

This deer season I want to impress my hunting pards and use black powder 00Buck shot shells out of my coach gun ;D

I have all the components and my MEC press. Has anyone tried loading 00Buck black powder shotshells before?

Have a good recipe?

Ive done birdshot for CAS with good results.. its a hoot!

I guess I'll poke around online and reloading manuals and see what I can find.

00buck

 

[`57 Golden 39A Mountie]

I`m assuming that you are loading 12 Ga. 2 3/4" plastic hulls, but paper is as good and does a better roll crimp. 85 G (3+ dram) real FFg BP, Nine 00 Buck properly arranged, you can add a buffer in the shot if you wish but I never did that. If you experience a long roll crimp area, up the powder charge to 95 G to take up the additional case volume. It is equiv to 3.5 dram load. Just kicks a bit harder.
If you don`t want to up the powder charge, add one or two extra over powder cards, but not over shot cards as they will tend to scatter the shot pattern.

As a side note here, you may want to start with the 95 G load in that short barrel scatter gun.

It is suggested that loading buck shot over Black Powder that you use the old style over powder cards and old style wads and overshot cards and a roll crimp. Best results have been had with that loading for me.
The new plastic cushion wads seem to be too soft with black powder and tend to not have the same velocity of the old style wad system. I haven`t run them over a chronograph but I`ve tested over water the same powder and shot load and they fall short of range of the old style wads. That old style loading is as original as you can get and they killed many deer and bear in their day. You may experience barrel leading though. Clean thoroughly with a lead remover solvent after a water bath to get the BP residue out.
Good luck, have fun. Kill your deer.
`57

 

[00buck]

Thanks for the info Pard You have given me a good place to start.. I'll do some more research and experimenting.

One thing I was thinkin about.. if the woods are dry I dont want to start a fire. I'll try some shots over a dried out hay bail or a pile of leaves and see if I have to worry about sparks and flames. Any thoughts on that?

YEEHAW!!! ;D

00buck

 

[Pat/Rick]

Thanks for the question and the answer! Good stuff here.

 

[`57 Golden 39A Mountie]

Thanks for the info Pard You have given me a good place to start.. I'll do some more research and experimenting.

One thing I was thinkin about.. if the woods are dry I dont want to start a fire. I'll try some shots over a dried out hay bail or a pile of leaves and see if I have to worry about sparks and flames. Any thoughts on that?

YEEHAW!!! ;D

00buck

************************
There is always the chance of starting a fire in very dry conditions with BP loads.
Your idea of testing them is good. Set the very dry and loose straw out at different distances in front of the shooting position starting at about ten yards and progressing further to about 30 yds. That much BP will surely string out a long flame and a lot of sparks. To get an idea of the distance they throw fire, shoot some at night in a safe place. Have someone watch from a safe distance off to the side of the firing area. Better yet, have them take some video of it and let us see it. ;D
`57