Muzzle loading for geese

[59f100292]

Ive got a pedersoli 10 ga. that i want to use for geese.  Ive got two problems.  1.  I can't find steel shot online expect from midway who wants $11shipping for an $18 bag of shot.  2.  Ive read mixed accounts of the success of geese/muzzleloaders.  Any one know of where I can buy steel shot and have any experience with this?

[LEO]

I haven't muzzleloaded for geese but what I am writing is based on my experience with steel and modern shotguns.  I know millions of geese have been killed with muzzleloaders but they did have to use steel shot.  If I were going to muzzleload for geese, I would go with one of the heavier than lead alternatives, I know some of them are available for reloading, I think you will be happier in the long run and the cost is not as bad as a component as loaded shells and it will probably greatly reduce your frustration and increase the fun factor, it really isn't much fun for me to have a shower of feathers and watch the bird fly off.  I prefer to see the bird crumble and hit the water/field dead right there.  Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[mcwoodduck]

Go to wall mart / K mart or your local  gun store and buy BB's.
They are steel, larger than the #2 shot.  Can be copper plated (Crossman Copper heads)
I think the BB's are under $5 for a milk carton.
and you can use the extras in your red rider for back yard fun.
#2 is .15 of an inch or 3.81mm
BB is .18 of an inch or 4.57mm
With steel the larger heavier pellet would be better for geese.
Good luck in your hunt.

[LEO]

If you are going to shoot more than a couple of shots, I wouldn't use BB's designed for air rifles in that they are a much harder steel than steel shot designed for shotguns and would probably in short order score your barrel.  You can see this for yourself by taking a air rifle BB and squeezing it in a pair of pliers and then take a piece of BB steel shot and do the same and see how much softer the steel in the shotgun shot is (I know, not very scientific but it does show the difference)  It probably wouldn't happen in one or two shots or maybe even in 50 but eventually it will damage your barrel.  But for a short term experiment WCWOODDUCK might be onto something.

[mcwoodduck]

I assumed he would be using one of the muzzel loading plactic shot cups for steel that protect the gun..
But I should have remembered the old attage about ASSUME.

[59f100292]

Well don't Assume - I don't possess any of those and neither does the Bass Pro at Arundle Mills Mall.  Its lookin like the ML for geese isnt gonna happen this year.  Can't get my hands on the supplies.

[mcwoodduck]

Cabela's on the web has 10ga starter sets.  that have the shot cups and over shot cards.
Check the head lines when you open the page the other day they had a $20 cabela's bucks if you ordered over $100 and all you had to do was click and print and later type in the two pass words.  Yes I ordered stuff.  Had a $50 gift card from Christmas.
Dad and Uncle Ralph just shot two geese each in Pamlico County last week.

[Rock Home Isle]

Ive got a pedersoli 10 ga. that i want to use for geese.  Ive got two problems.  1.  I can't find steel shot online expect from midway who wants $11shipping for an $18 bag of shot.  2.  Ive read mixed accounts of the success of geese/muzzleloaders.  Any one know of where I can buy steel shot and have any experience with this?

I bought a 10 gauge online years ago from a guy that confirmed that it was a browned Pedersoli...well my Pedersoli looks a lot like a blued Pietta. But at least it was a 10 gauge. I have hunted with that gun for many many years. Great Water Fowl gun, not much fun to lug around on a pheasant hunt or dove hunt.

As for Steel Shot, I bought a nice supply of “T” shot and #4 from a local supplier before the industry took that big hit during the last election cycle. I hope things start to settle soon and components are available once again.

I have used that gun to harvest more geese than I care to count. What an awesome goose gun. The guys didn't much care for it...I had to take the down-wind position in the blind or they couldn't see jack after I shot.

Here's my loads:

Goose Hunting: 1st shot of the day, clean barrels: 100 grains ffg, over powder card, fibre wad (Soaked in Moose Milk), 96 steel "T" shot inside a 10 gauge wad, over shot card. For following shots I back off to 90 grains of 2 ffg and still get about 1580 fps. After years of goose hunting I have come to the conclusion that with steel shot...1500 fps is the magic number. Faster is even better. But once you see that landing gear...its time to bang away.

Duck Hunting: 80 grains ffg, over powder card, same measure loaded with #4 steel shot, over shot card. Nice load...you can shoot it all day and I don't have any fowling problems if I run patch about every 10 shots or so...The first shot should be taken at ducks that are no farther than 30 yards or so. After the first shot fouling provides a nice jump in velocity with successive shots and it has a better punch when it connects with ducks that are laying up at 40 to 45 yards.

Small Game, Dove, Squirrel etc: 60 grains ffg, over powder card, same measure loaded with 8 shot or 7 1/2 or 6 shot, over shot card. Nice easy load. I don't shoot it with this load  much anymore...I have a beatiful Pedersoli 12 gauge upland that is just made for light carry and light loads.


Cheers


Rock Home Isle