There are few things more fun than the first shot, one half hour before sunrise, at a dove with a muzzle loading shotgun. The blast and flame really turn some heads and the report is completely different than a cartridge gun. I DO use a 12ga Beretta semi-auto between reloads if lots of birds are really flying but get just about as many with the muzzle loader as with cartridges. The gun is a 10ga Pedersoli, fixed chokes (mod and cyl)and I use the "V.M. Starr" loading method. The dove load is 90g Swiss 1 1/2fg, two 1/8" cardboard wads over the powder, and one of the same wads over 1 1/8oz of #7 1/2 shot.

Except for the slower reloads the muzzle loading shotgun is just as effective as a modern gun. Try a muzzle loading shotgun and have some fun!

P.S. Sure would be nice to see more posts on this forum.

I hunt doves with a muzzle loader too!

I have a Purdey 1868, 11 Bore and a Moore & Harris 11 bore ca. 1850.

I shoot a standar load of 3 1/4 dram x 1 1/4 ounce of #7.5

Really is a ton of fun!

Highly recommend it!

JW

That does sound pretty cool. I've never hunted birds with a ML shotgun. I have shot a bunch of blackpowder shotshells from my hammer double coach gun. I shot sporting clays and trap with it once too. That was pretty fun. I actually did pretty well (for me) with it.

You're right about the "boom". I did get a lot of attention when I fired off the first shells...

I've got a Thompson Center New Englander in 12 ga. I've used it to take pheasants, quail, doves, blue grouse, ducks, geese, rabbits and squirrels. It's a fun way to hunt. Nothing like seeing feathers floating in the air after the white smoke clears.