Has anyone done this

[nealglen37]

Not sure where to post this question but here goes.

   I was thinking of buying and old inline, or tradtition muzzleoader (the inline would be chaper).................as long as the breech plug will come out. The question is this, has anyone used an old muzzloader rifle.................and used it as a shotgun. Will this work...............I wonder how much lead shot could you put down the Barrel................would it be equivilant to a 28 guage. I'm not sure how you would get it to stay in the barrel as they don't make 50 cal shot wads. If it works I would just use it on squirrls and rabbits.....

Thanks

PS. does this thing have a spell check

[captchee]

Yes I have done it  with a CVA hawken . The problem is the rifling .  Even though you load with shot the rifling imparts a spin of the shot column . So what you pattern ends up looking like a donut . . You get a big hole in the center of you pattern  as the shot column spins outward from the muzzle .
 If you watch around  for a Thompson center renegade you can get a 12 gage smooth bore   drop in barrel for it.

 OR if you have the tools or know someone that can  either bore out the rifling  your idea will work fine   

[Biff Mayhem]

If he keeps putting bird/buckshot in there, he will eventually turn that rifled barrel into a smoothbore.

[longcaribiner]

TC once sold 56 cal smoothie barrels for the Hawken.  It shouldn't take much for a machine shop or guns smith to pull the breech and ream the bore smooth.  Wads are available is nearly any size. or at least a punch to make them.   Don't forget, in the very early days od muzzleloading, they didn't have fancy punched wads for muzzleloaders.  They used old paper wasp nests for wadding. 

One or two buddies had old barrels reamed smooth for shot.    Other than the barrel may be a bit short, the concept worked fine.  Normally you'd like 26 inches of barrel for the shot to pass through before being "on it's own"  In a 28 inch barrel, the powder takes up a couple inches and the wad and shot some more.  And you'll have cylinder choke any way, So it will scatter.

[simonkenton]

I have a TC Hawken that I lent to a buddy. He didn't clean it, and didn't return it for 2 years. Now he is no longer a buddy.
I know a guy who runs a machine shop. I bought a drill bit from the hardware store, it is about a .530. The guy at the machine shop welded this bit onto a steel rod, about 3/8 inch dia. He had an aligning machine, so that the bit is perfectly aligned with the rod. We took the barrel from the stock. We did not unscrew the breech plug. My friend put the barrel into this giant machine and drilled it out. This machine automatically squirts machine oil onto the drill bit as it is working. It took about 20 minutes to drill it out.
I am not a shotgun guy so I can't talk about chokes, birdshot patterns etc. But, I can tell you it is hell on carpenter bees with #12 shot. I just use newspaper for wadding.
If you decide to do this, contact a company that makes wads. Find the exact diameter of the wads they make, and buy a drill bit to suit. I used to have a link to a shotgun wad company, they make about 40 different diameters of wads. You could Google them.
You know, you could go to Cabelas and just buy a muzzleloading shotgun.

[Slamfire]

I bought a T/C Renegade .56 smoothie. It was a mistake, with the double triggers it don't come up well, with my finger on the right trigger. Pull all you want on that rear trigger, the gun won't shoot. I've got to admit, I haven't tried it with prbs, even though I got a mold with it.  Nevertheless, I'd prefer a single trigger.

[lostid]

I bought a T/C Renegade .56 smoothie.(?) It was a mistake, with the double triggers it don't come up well, with my finger on the right(?) trigger. Pull all you want on that rear trigger, the gun won't shoot.

 uhm, ya?,,that's the way a double trigger works,,the rear trigger "sets"!? The front trigger shoots

 Wanna know how ya "get ready" for a quick shot with double pull double throw trigger?? First, ya gotta know that you have a DPDT trigger.(there are other two trigger guns that are not DPDT)

 Alright,,practice! That's the most important, learn your gun. Learn how to use the screw between the triggers to adjust the "set" allowed by the DPDT style trigger for your gun.
"PRACTICE THIS WITH DRY LOADS"
Thompen style DPDT? use the half cock safety,,(are you ready to shoot?) pull the hammer back and pull the front trigger. simple as that.
 Do ya have practice with the set screw?(did ya get??) well pull the hammer back to half cock saftey.pull the rear trigger.now wait. When you are ready to shoot, pull the front trigger with the same adjustment weight as you have made.
"DISCLAIMER"
 this is a public forum,,all information is or has been found on this site or others like it. I in no way endorse or encourage the misuse of Black powder firearms or saftey procedures allowed buy their manufacturer

[Slamfire]

The only "set" trigger that ever made sense was on the Buffalo Newton. It was in front of the other and curved in the opposite direction. You put your finger between 'em and pushed then pulled. Otherwise they ain't worth the trouble on a gun used for huntin'. Why anybody'd need one on a smoothbore passes all understanding. 

[captchee]

Cant say that I have seen many double sets on smooth bores . However if a person was to make a smooth bore out of an extra rifled barrel so as it would fit  a rifle that al ready had a double set trigger then   unless you also wished to switch out the triggers  you would then have to deal with a double set .

 The only problem I find with double sets for hunting is that my gloves don’t fit  and  the trigger pull is so light  I can feel the back trigger .
 Past that , for warm weather hunting , I love my double set triggers.

  I would agree that on a smooth bore application there really wouldn’t be a need . However if one was hunting over say pointing dogs , from blinds  or birds in the open , say with  blue grouse or turkey .
 There is plenty of time to set the trigger . It would take some getting used to , kinda like  cocking both hammers on the old SXS . But in no time one would become accustomed to it im sure