.62 caliber smoothbore

[pab]

I recently came up with a .62 caliber smoothbore and since I don't know much about these, I have a few questions. Does anybody have a source for balls and patches? RBs seem to be hard to find. Does anybody have a good roundball load and/or a good shot load? I figured for deer hunting with the rb,  50 yds or less, anybody out there with experience? I may use for a little rabbit hunting if I don't have to pack it too far. How about a buck and ball load? Thanks in advance

[roundball]

Best source for cast balls I've ever found is:

Eddie May Round Balls
159 Ridley Rd.
Chatsworth, GA. 30705
706-581-8225
He sells at Friendship, and to Dixie...excellent quality & consistency and prices...I use his .600's in my .62cal...about $8/100.

My Deer Hunting load is:
80grns Goex 3F
Oxyoke .018" precut/prelubed pillow ticking patches
Eddie May .600 cast balls
Shoots like a rifle at the 50yds I sighted it in for...cloverleafs

My long range Turkey load (compliments of Bob Spencer at http://members.aye.net/~bspen/SmoothboreLoads.html
80grns Goex 3F
One Oxyoke prelubed wonderwad
1+5/8oz #6 shot
Circle Fly over shot card
For other game / closer shots, drop back to 60grs 3F & 1+1/8oz or 70grns 3f & 1+1/4oz

[Will Bison]

I cast my own ammo at .595 with a .015 patch. The ball drops at about 330 grains. I use 60 grains 2f and it will stay inside 8-9 inches at 100 yards.

This gun is a French Fusil and a friend bagged a Buffalo with it about 12 years ago. He used 120 grains of 3f at about 40 yards.

For shot I use 70 grains 2f and an equal measure of shot. I make up my wads in advance by gluing an over powder and two felts together. So the drill is powder, wads, shot and the over shot card.

Bill

[beerbelly]

I just got A .62 smoothbore. I have only fired it a few times. I have a supply of # 4 and 71/2 shot on hand. So will be trying these. It seemed to be throwing a pretty good pattern with the # 4 shot, although way low. It has a rifle type front sight, no rear. The sight will have to be filed way down. I have to get busy, it is turkey season here NOW.
                                           Old Charlie

[roundball]

Old Charlie, do you have any worry that 7.5s might be too light for turkey...they'll certainly make a pattern look better on paper...but I worried they would not have the weight for penetration if any distance was involved...using the "highly scientific heavy tuna can penetration test" (l.o.l.) I wasn't satisfied with the 7.5s penetration beyond 25-30yds...went to #6s instead...just my .02 cents.

[beerbelly]

Roundball I plan to use the # 4 shot for turkey. I'll keep the 7.5s until next dove season. Them turkeys are tough old birds. You might kill one with 7.5 shot, but I think it would be luck.
                               Old Charlie

[captchee]

RB
#7 and 71/2 is all i use for turkey in my 62  at 20 yards she flat rolls the bird .
if your not taking head shots , you should be .

 if you doubt  your load , regardless of what you use , you need to do a penetration test .
For this I use a piece of ¼ inch ply or just a sheet of paneling . Either of these are much tougher to get through then a turkey neck or skull


 Once you find your load  for pattern , place  a new target on the ¼ inch sheet . Mover to your distance and take a shot . Then go look at your target as well as the back of the board . This will give you a good idea of how well your shot will penetrate.

 The reason I say head shot  is that the feathers  work really well to slow down the shot .  . Next big bird you get , look it over for shot .
 I have found #3 and 4 sitting just under the skin of the tail on a couple birds  as well as healed  shot in the breast

[Anduril]

beerbelly
not too many smoothbore trade guns come with hind sights
try pointing it like a shotgun instead of aiming like you would a rifle
it takes lots of practice to cheek the stock the same every shot, but out to 50 yards or so its almost as good as having that rear sight.
keep your head up, you might not have to file that front sight after all

trackofthewolf dot com sells round balls of almost any size, but postage will eat you up
they also sell wads for shot use
as suggested, in a 20 bore (.62 cal) try .60 or .595
should be able to thumb load a patched rb without using a short starter
for starters 60 gr of ffg will do good for both rb & shot. increase 5 gr at a time until you're happy

boy howdy, I'll bet that fusee loaded with 120 gr of poudre was a rip snorter!
..

[captchee]

rear sights were common on smooth bore rifles .
 how we came to the idea that smooth bores dont have rear sights  i have never been able to grasp . frankly there is as much documentation  of them with rear sights as without .

[pab]

Still looking for load info, sources, and general info for this musket, especially a buck and ball load.