Black powder 12 gauge loads

[jay29]

I have a black powder 12 gauge shotgun that I am dusting off after 21 years of rest! 

I am looking for info on black powder loads, specifically buckshot and round ball loads

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Jay

[necchi]

here's a link

http://www.circlefly.com/html/muzzleloaders.html

[Sir Charles deMoutonBlack]

I'd recommend the following load to start;

+- 80 gr 2F
over powder card
cushion wad
1 to 1 1/4 oz of suitable shot
over shot card

After you try that you can modify it to suit.  A traditional load is equal VOLUME of powder & shot.  To make it a true "square load" the shot column should be the same HEIGHT and DIAMETER.  Don't bother to work it out, it merely approximates a light load.  According to the English shotgun writer Gough Thomas, the best patterns come with an ounce and a 1/16th of shot. The weight of shot should approximate 1/96th of the gun weight.  That is one ounce for each 6 pounds of gun. Less powder, or more shot, can be used, especially if you want a tighter pattern. I have used LEE .31 cast roundballs as buckshot in my CVA ML shotgun.  It put all 12 in a one foot circle at 25 yards.  There were no tricks used in loading them.

Here's a link to an old thread about making paper cartridges.  For ball, get a .690 mould and load it like a patched ML rifle.  Same load to start, about 80 gr 2F.

http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,89944.msg554623.html#msg554623