8 Bore Load

[JPmbogo]

I just took delivery of an 8 bore rifle by Hollie Wessel through The Gun Works of Springfield, Oregon. The rifle is built in the style of such rifles as used by the early to mid-nineteenth century African hunters and explorers. It features a 30" tapered octagon barrel and balances beautifully at 11 pounds, which, of course, is a tad on the light side if one would be serious about taking to Africa for buff or ele and loading it up with 300gr of FFG. That said, it is not going anywhere other than my local range. I am thinking of a starting load of 100gr FFG behind an patched, round ball. Any further thoughts?

 

[flatwater bill]

Wow..........that is quite an acquisition! What caps does it take? What is the twist rate? Sure like to see a foto..............100 2F sounds like a fun starting place for the gun. The 8 bore mzzldr that I have experience with used 300 grain hunting loads, as you have correctly noted. Of course, every muzzleloader was a hand loader, so you have a lot of lattitude on the charge...Please post a few fotos of a range visit as well.....thanks..................FWB

 

[JPmbogo]

Wow..........that is quite an acquisition! What caps does it take? What is the twist rate? Sure like to see a foto..............100 2F sounds like a fun starting place for the gun. The 8 bore mzzldr that I have experience with used 300 grain hunting loads, as you have correctly noted. Of course, every muzzleloader was a hand loader, so you have a lot of lattitude on the charge...Please post a few fotos of a range visit as well.....thanks..................FWB

 

[JPmbogo]

The twist rate is 1/90 - uses No. 11 caps.

 

[bruce moulds]

i have used 240 gns 2f in 58 cal under about a 500 gn minie.
this load was hard to shoot due to recoil.
it also drove the pure lead bullets too fast, causing them to rivet on pigs fighting pads.
i believe the old gauge rifles had similar problems on bigger game, requiring hardened bullets.
bruce.

 

[AZDAVE]

That is a good twist rate fro round balls. You might want to also switch to musket caps vs #11's. I have found that in my 12 bore underhammer I get better and more assured ignition. My load in the 12 bore is 210gr of 1 1/2 swiss. I have a 8 bore build on my project list. My plan is to start with 200gr and work up from there. MY target weight for the rifle is 13-14 Lbs but will see where it balances properly etc. I will be using a Oregon Gun works barrel also. I will be watching this thread with interest on your load development. Thank you for sharing.

 

[JPmbogo]

Any particular reason for choosing 1 1/2 Swiss over other powders?

 

[AZDAVE]

@JPmbogo 1 1/2 and 2fg Swiss have given me the best performance (Speed and accuracy) in .62 Cal and bigger. The reason I use the 1 1/2 the most is because I got a large amount in a group buy at about 1/2 the normal price with a couple other BP enthusiasts.

 

[flatwater bill]

JpM.........your rifle is beautiful. Great wood, and a fine fit as per the fotos. Do the sights fit you well? Groove diameter can vary quite a bit from one manufacturer to another in large bores....what diameter ball are you using? Are you going to cast or buy? Although I have owned many muzzleloaders in the past, I am currently down to 9 of them. I have only ordered one custom gun, and considered carefully what bore to order. I toyed with the idea of the 8 bore, but hunting a lot on foot made me choose lighter. I believe a 14 bore would be about right for RB hunting of any North American game (but would choose the 8 on coastal bears). Anyway, hunted deer, elk and antelope only so chose the 20 bore (.62) and at times would have liked a bit more power. That will not be a problem with your gun. 1 in 90 is a faster twist than the 8 bore I used, but it should work well for you. Vicariously living thru your purchase, so can't wait to see some results of your shooting. Thanks for posting......FWB

 

[JPmbogo]

JpM.........your rifle is beautiful. Great wood, and a fine fit as per the fotos. Do the sights fit you well? Groove diameter can vary quite a bit from one manufacturer to another in large bores....what diameter ball are you using? Are you going to cast or buy? Although I have owned many muzzleloaders in the past, I am currently down to 9 of them. I have only ordered one custom gun, and considered carefully what bore to order. I toyed with the idea of the 8 bore, but hunting a lot on foot made me choose lighter. I believe a 14 bore would be about right for RB hunting of any North American game (but would choose the 8 on coastal bears). Anyway, hunted deer, elk and antelope only so chose the 20 bore (.62) and at times would have liked a bit more power. That will not be a problem with your gun. 1 in 90 is a faster twist than the 8 bore I used, but it should work well for you. Vicariously living thru your purchase, so can't wait to see some results of your shooting. Thanks for posting......FWB

Finally made it out to the range with the new "cannon." This was just an informal test run, although I doubt I will get too carried away with trying to find the most accurate loads, chronographing, and all that. I simply loaded 120g of 2f Goex behind an 820gr cast round ball patched with a pre-lubed .015 patch from Track of the Wolf. The round balls have a nominal diameter of .820 but mic at about .815. The bore is .835. The recoil is moderate and I was able to keep most shots in an 8" circle or so shooting off-hand at about 30 paces. As previously described, I had this rifle built to approximate the type of rifle used by many of the mid-19th century African hunters and explorers. It certainly accomplishes that goal and is a "blast" to shoot - pun intended!