Jump to content

Percussion fowling.


bishop
 Share

Recommended Posts

As a percussion shooter just one word of warning. Big guns and black powder can have a very negative effect on a good flight. I have observed geese being severely shocked when such a gun has been discharged at even a significant distance. This can vary from absolute silence on an otherwise noisy roost to skeins completely changing direction even though a few hundred yards off. So whilst I advocate what Bishop is doing I know it is pretty unpopular in some wildfowling circles. I suppose it depends how sensitive you are to the feelings of others and your popularity.

Other than that well done and do you aspire to the British equivalent of the pedersoli?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ill pick up another percussion gun at some point absolutely.Big bore perhaps.On the subject of upsetting other fowlers.I walked that shore nightshooting from dusk till dawn as a boy with my old man.that was 45 years ago now.Without being flippant.If some young lad feels his semi auto is not getting enough work or his trigger fingers rusting up and wanted to blame me well,i think my sensitivity would stretch to  pointing  the way back to his 4x4 black monster truck that seems to be the "cool" car of choice these days.My father used a black powder Tolley 10 hammergun for decades, fowling with no effect on the wildfowl other than to those that ended up with BB in their chest.Interesting though,what in your mind is the factor that would cause such a reaction?Popularity? dave if they dun like it then they can go on home.We read posts constantly of big bags and cowboys skybusting all over the place yet these fellas seem to be almost hero worshipped in some strange sort of way.If a bloke cant take out a traditional fowling gun for  a bit of true sport  then its a sad day indeed.Someone fancies a shot,come over to me and ill gladly pass my gun over to them for a go.But a bloke  complaining?Ive saved up some colourful metaphors over the years.id share one or two with him 

Edited by bishop
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice pics well done! Is the gun a repro? It looks to have blued steel barrels? 45+ years ago I used to decoy pigeon with an antique, single barrelled 16 bore percussion gun....very successfully I may add!.........used To go home with black face and hands and smelling like the devils toilet! Lol! 💣

Link to comment
Share on other sites

aye its a pedersoli 12 bore(13 bore) from the 70's i reckon.Handles remarkably well.Ive had  some  wildfowl with the gun this year,hopefully more to come.Id love a double 8 but finding one thats  as safe as you could hope for is difficult indeed on a budget.You need to be willing to shell out  a fair amount and hope the mrs does not smother you in your sleep.My other half howled up the stairs the other morning "what is that aweful smell?".I told her it was the powder but i still think she feels i had a bad guts and was not being truthful.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, bishop said:

aye its a pedersoli 12 bore(13 bore) from the 70's i reckon.Handles remarkably well.Ive had  some  wildfowl with the gun this year,hopefully more to come.Id love a double 8 but finding one thats  as safe as you could hope for is difficult indeed on a budget.You need to be willing to shell out  a fair amount and hope the mrs does not smother you in your sleep.My other half howled up the stairs the other morning "what is that aweful smell?".I told her it was the powder but i still think she feels i had a bad guts and was not being truthful.

 

Yep foul smell when cleaning. One good way that all our team follow is to plunge in a bowl of windscreen washer fluid mixed 50/50 water and concentrate. Wet a mop and suck up and down the barrel through the nipples. Then you dry with hot water in the usual way. Gets the worst out and doesn’t smell as bad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With the ban on lead shot my original fowling guns were pensioned off   original fowling guns in bores of 4 to 10 are 150 and more years old  with Damascus barrels to shoot steel from is not recommended  and  would soon ruin them and bismuth is too expensive . I have been shooting black powder for the last 71 years  be it flint ,percussion or hammer gun one, duck or goose shot with black powder is worth 10 with a modern nitro gun 

Feltwad

Astand of large bore fowlers

P1010008.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the half light of the dawn when the noise of the day seems to be reaching out to even the more secluded spots along the shoreline I tend to sit and check,then recheck the nipples have their percussion caps still in place as they can slip off or be nudged off by vegetation when navigating your way through the reed beds ,quite easily i might add .Its difficult to see your loading gear ,but not impossible,This is where planning and practice comes in for sure.Plenty pockets in your coat is a good thing and nothing carried that's not essential.No clutter.I have wads in the left lower pocket with phials of small shot in the left upper side pocket.My right side lower pocket has the BB shot,also  in phials ,ready to be used as individual loads when required .The upper right side pocket has phials of black powder.each one done before leaving home.In my gamebag there is a smaller  waterproof velcro sealed water proof carrybag(used to have yacht flares in it).This has the shot flask with small shot inside.A powder flask with black powder inside ready to decant into phials as and when i have need to replenish my pockets.Various items from plastic funnel to powder measures lie underneath the fold up base inside the bag so i have everything i could possibly need. Sat with both hammers at half cock you sit with your thumb on the right hammer waiting till you have need to bring it to full cock.Its so tempting to lift the gun on the skeins that whiffle over to the fields in search of their goose breakfasts but you ignore them ,instead concentrating on the ones elsewhere over the horizon ,the low skein,the one that will surely come over if you have patience to sit like a stone.Thats what you wait for.As time passes and you finally see a skein lower than the rest you know its time to get those hammer right back,both of them not just one ,in case you forget the hammers not cocked and pull on a dead trigger.As the geese pass over you note they are a good height  but not too high.30 yards or maybe 35 is a good range.You Line up a goose to the side with both hammers now fully cocked  from their half cocked position, you  give the bird some lead and of course swing through and let go your first shot.The subsequent whoomph and massive discharge of smoke leaves you blinded for a second ,its mesmerising ,and of course you are left debating the need for that second barrel but after a few shots with black powder you know the time frame and follow the bird subconsciously through the smoke so that when its visible (or not if and its dropped ) again you can offer up a second barrel.Ive found fowling with the muzzle loader to be a severe test of my fieldcraft and i enjoy it immensely.The reload that takes place after both barrels are fired can be one of two things.either fast and focused  ready for another go,everything in its correct location and practiced like in an army drill over and over till its as seamless and efficient as possible ignoring absolutely everything around you till the reload is done safely --Or,alternatively, if the birds down,and like myself its quality not quantity you seek ,you retrieve the prize lay the bird by your gamebag  ,open up the coffee flask and drink.The reload can be done in a minute --or two or maybe 5 --who cares i have my dinner sorted

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Feltwad said:

With the ban on lead shot my original fowling guns were pensioned off   original fowling guns in bores of 4 to 10 are 150 and more years old  with Damascus barrels to shoot steel from is not recommended  and  would soon ruin them and bismuth is too expensive . I have been shooting black powder for the last 71 years  be it flint ,percussion or hammer gun one, duck or goose shot with black powder is worth 10 with a modern nitro gun 

Feltwad

Astand of large bore fowlers

P1010008.JPG

agreed 100% .Its a learning curve but one i embrace whole heartedly.Tests me  all over again this black powder muzzle loading just as wildfowling  did when i was a boy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, bishop said:

Ill pick up another percussion gun at some point absolutely.Big bore perhaps.On the subject of upsetting other fowlers.I walked that shore nightshooting from dusk till dawn as a boy with my old man.that was 45 years ago now.Without being flippant.If some young lad feels his semi auto is not getting enough work or his trigger fingers rusting up and wanted to blame me well,i think my sensitivity would stretch to  pointing  the way back to his 4x4 black monster truck that seems to be the "cool" car of choice these days.My father used a black powder Tolley 10 hammergun for decades, fowling with no effect on the wildfowl other than to those that ended up with BB in their chest.Interesting though,what in your mind is the factor that would cause such a reaction?Popularity? dave if they dun like it then they can go on home.We read posts constantly of big bags and cowboys skybusting all over the place yet these fellas seem to be almost hero worshipped in some strange sort of way.If a bloke cant take out a traditional fowling gun for  a bit of true sport  then its a sad day indeed.Someone fancies a shot,come over to me and ill gladly pass my gun over to them for a go.But a bloke  complaining?Ive saved up some colourful metaphors over the years.id share one or two with him 

I like your style!

Class photos also👌

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...