Guns Illustrated 2011. Dan Shideler

      Dixie Gun Works Spanish Musket.

      This gun was made around 1850 for the British East India Co. by Wilkinson Sword. Although it had some rust pits on the outside of the barrel, it was in good condition compared to similar guns sold by Atlanta Cutlery. I re-proofed the gun before using it using proof charges from Dixie Gun Works’ catalogue.

      BRUNSWICK SMOOTHBORE

      This relic was in poor condition when received. I replaced a spring and restored it to shooting condition because I wanted to shoot a 69-caliber, or 14-gauge, gun. The 14 was popular as a muzzleloading gauge but dropped out of favor when cartridge guns came along. I first took it on a preserve hunt for pheasant, where it did well, and then killed a turkey with it. Having done these hunts, I disabled it and gave it to a friend as a wall hanger. My conclusion was that the muzzleloading 14-gauge killed well and was economical in its use of powder and shot.

      Wads for 14-gauge guns are available from Dixie Gun Works These wads can also be used in replica 69-caliber muskets to convert these into usable shotguns for hunting upland game. Should you already own a replica musket in this caliber, there is no reason why it cannot be used as a hunting gun.

      I do not recommend the “buck and ball” military loads for deer. If you hit with the 69-caliber ball you won’t need the three .30-caliber buckshot. If you hit with only the buckshot, that will likely only wound the deer.

      DAVIDE PEDERSOLI SLUG SHOTGUN

      I chose to purchase Davide Pedersoli’s slug-shotgun because the fl ip-up rear sight and cylinder-bored barrels offered the potential of using it as a shotgun and double-barreled round-ball gun.

      Experimenting with both patched round balls and balls contained in plastic Winchester 1-1/4-ounce Red Wads, I found that both did well. I chose the plastic-wadded load to take deer in the U.S. and a blue wildebeest in Africa. I used a load of 135 grains of GOEX FFg in the U.S. and a 155-gr. charge of WANO black powder in Africa. With the WANO load and shooting offhand at 35 yards, I put a left and right within two inches of the bull which is good shooting with any double gun, rifled or not.

      All stainless CVA Apex with easily remove breechplug.

      WHS Snipe and Davide Pedersoli muzzleloading shotgun.

      In Georgia, I often use this as a ball and shot gun with one barrel loaded with shot and the other with a round ball. This way I am ready for anything.

      THOMPSON/CENTER MOUNTAIN RIFLE SHOTGUN

      This contradictory-sounding title results because this gun was the shotgun version of the now-discontinued T/C Mountain Rifle. This gun was made in when the advantages of musket-cap ignition were re-appreciated, but before the use of 209 primers in muzzleload-ing guns. This gun was meant to be a lightweight muzzleloader for mountain use. As a shotgun, it was too light until I increased its weight with some lead shot and beeswax poured into the buttstock.

      Barrel shroud lock in Thompson Centers Impact

      This was also the first muzzleloader that I experimented with that had interchangeable chokes. I would have liked a longer barrel, but did fi ne with the gun using it for small game, ducks, geese, swan and turkey.

      AUSTIN & HALLECK 12-GAUGE BOLT ACTION

      I had three problems with this now-discontinued gun. The first one was that it weighted only 6 pounds. This was too light for a shotgun to take 1-1/4-ounce waterfowl loads. I loaded its butt with lead shot and beeswax and installed a solid steel ramrod. This helped make the gun much more shooter-friendly. Another problem occurred because the machined projection on the end of the firing pin was too small reliably fire the 209 primers. This was complicated by a coil spring that weakened over time and failed to fire on the gun’s first swan hunt. I ordered another firing pin and strengthened the spring by putting washers on the firing pin spindle.

      With these modifi cations, it worked fi ne on a Canadian snow goose hunt, Nebraska pheasant hunt and North Carolina brant hunt. The firing pin must be carefully adjusted to ensure that it will fire the 209 primer.

      KNIGHT TK-2000

      Without question, the best use of the Knight TK-2000 is to scope it and use it as a turkey gun. With its capability of shooting loads containing up to 2-1/2-ounces of shot and producing tight patterns, this muzzleloader is as capable a turkey slayer as any cartridge shotgun. This capability comes at the costs of considerable recoil which may be acceptable for one or two shots at a turkey, but not for waterfowling.

      The heavy shot charges pattern low, and I had to use the adjustable iron sights to compensate. I did some serious killing on wild-flushing pheasants in West Virginia with 1-1/2-ounce loads of lead #5s and 120 grains of GOEX FFg. I still had iron sights on the gun when I took it for its swan hunt. When a good swan fl ew nearby I had trouble finding its head in my sights. I had to stand with one leg on the seat and shoot over the back of the blind.

      Boutet Empire pistol 45 caliber smoothbore.

      The bird fell with the shot, and I also fell from my unstable perch. The gun knocked my glasses off, cut my nose and the recoil kicked me to the other side of the blind. The charge caught the swan in the head and there were over 20 hits in the bird’s head and neck at about 40 yards.

      Based on this experience, I removed the rear sight and reduced the load to 120 grains of FFg equivalent and 1¼-ounces of shot.

      HUNTING WITH A POOR MAN’S DOUBLE RIFLE

      Many double rifles in African calibers are priced at $10,000 and up. When I saw Traditions’ no-longer-made Rex over/ under .50 caliber rifle, I immediately thought of Africa. The gun’s 12-pound weight made it heavier than a deer rifle needed to be, but I reasoned that this weight could soak up the recoil from a black-powder load that was potent enough for Cape buffalo.

      This proved to be the correct. I worked up a load of 150 grains of Hodg-don’s White Hot pellets and PowerBelt’s 530-grain steel-tipped Dangerous Game Bullet that developed 1,316 fps and 2,038 ft./lbs. of muzzle energy. I used as few of the discontinued steel-pointed bullets as

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