# Muzzle loading shotguns and rifles



## berlin (Jul 23, 2008)

Would it be possible to load a rifle like a shotgun


----------



## duckmander (Aug 25, 2008)

I guess it would be.

But your pattern is going to look like a big doughnut.

A great big holw in the middle.

Probably not recommended.

Would be better off with a shotgun.


----------



## mike landrich (Jul 5, 2008)

duckmander said:


> But your pattern is going to look like a big doughnut.
> 
> A great big holw in the middle.
> .


Why is that?

The TC 410/45 barrels have rifling and I'v never heard they pattern poorly (of course I've never shot one myself, so I could be wrong)


----------



## darkgael (Feb 10, 2006)

> Why is that?


The rifling will spin the shot charge just like it spins a bullet. When the shot emerges from the barrel the spinning rapidly forces the shot charge into a torus (donut) shape. This renders the charge pretty ineffective in very short order.
Pete


----------



## mike landrich (Jul 5, 2008)

darkgael said:


> > Why is that?
> 
> 
> The rifling will spin the shot charge just like it spins a bullet. When the shot emerges from the barrel the spinning rapidly forces the shot charge into a torus (donut) shape. This renders the charge pretty ineffective in very short order.
> Pete


I would've thought the slow 1 in 28 or so twist of a muzzleloader wouldn't affect the pattern. Live and learn


----------



## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

mike landrich said:


> darkgael said:
> 
> 
> > > Why is that?
> ...


1:28 is a pretty fast twist for a MLer.

Now 1:60 is slow.


----------



## bluesman (May 25, 2009)

It will work but like was stated, the pattern will spiral. I shot some shotshells with my .22 rimfire pistol. What I observed with that is that the rifling cuts some of the pellets into scrapnel. Some lead will be left on the rifling which is hard to remove. it will work fine in a smoothbore barrel but shot is not intended for rifled barrels. It would work in an emergency situation I suppose but the barrel will lead up.


----------



## darkgael (Feb 10, 2006)

Just got back to this thread. Kinda forgot about it. 


> I would've thought the slow 1 in 28 or so twist of a muzzleloader wouldn't affect the pattern. Live and learn


That twist 1-28 will impart quite a spin. Assuming that I load my shot charge so that it has a "normal" SG velocity - let me use round numbers for clarity - at about 1000 fps. You shoot that from a 24" barrel with a 1-28 (or 1-24") twist. Rounding it up, that means that the charge spins once by by the time it leaves the barrel. At 1000 fps, it only takes 1/500th of a second to do that. That means that it will spin 500 times in one full second and (X60) thirty thousand in a minute (30,000 rpm). 
Pete


----------

