On the various other forums I visit, I often see the topic of air shotguns come up. The post usually asks if it can be done or if a given gun can be made better. There are a number of small bore commercial guns available either new or used but not a lot compared to just about any other niche in the airgun market.

I think the problem is that the manufacturers just don't see a market that would support a real air shotgun. So they make adaptations off small bore guns with small bore power. Seems to me that a shotgun load is less efficient than a slug and will thus require more power to be effective. You need some space for a decent number of pellets too so big bore is the way to go.

We made up some shot shells for the Woodsman .62 here the summer before last. After some experimentation we found the tools we needed and a process to come up with a fairly consistent shell in about a minute or two per shell. PJ got pretty good at making them.

Without a barrel choke we used adjustments to the shells to try to control the pattern some. The shell is made of card stock and the adjustment is some tape along the seam that delays or slows the opening of the shell.

We took a couple videos back then and a few pictures:

In this video we clearly shot low but we still got some pellets on target. You can see that we have a lot of birdshot flying out there!


This video is of a better shot. The center spinner is spun and most of the shot is through the box.


It's hard to see all the penetrations in raw cardboard so we painted this box before a shot. We probably could have used more tape inside this shell but it worked.


The backside of the box from the shot above. Those tiny little balls each had enough energy to penetrate and keep on going.

All of the above was done at somewhere close to 25 yards.

Yeah ... and a load of buckshot from the 62 or 87 Justice kicks butt.

Gary

Hey Jerry--I see the box you used is "Murray's Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal "cookies. You know that's Gary's favorite kind. He's got you hooked on them, doesn't he? So you have to buy them buy the case. I'm so sorry, I should have warned you just how addictive they can be. Next time you come up we'll do an intervention. You'll be fine. hehehe!!

The first one is always free.

-- Jim

Ha! Funny ... I missed that.

No wonder I can hardly ever find cookies .... Jerry is hording them .... by the CASE!!!

Gary

Boy, you dig through old files, format videos and pictures and compose a post about airguns on an airgun forum and what do you get? ...A bunch of comments on the darn cookie box! Look, I didn't eat any of those crappy cookies OK? I got the box from someone else. Does anyone have any interest in airguns here?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/2008 03:28AM by Jerry.

well I for one appreciate the post Jerry.

I've been entertaining a thought of putting something together like that for a while. looks like that combo would be capable of some taking light uplands on the wing at 25-30yds no problem.

What was the weight/shot size of the charge?


Thought about setting up one of my qb's, with a 3/8" or so smoothbore tube; seeing if i could get useful velocity with maybe 75grains weight of #9 for some "ritz skeet" in the back yard. just seems like it would be fun.

The cracker crumbs would just feed the local wildlife.

Ritz skeet sounds like fun. Pull!

My post above was meant to be sarcastic hurt feelings not admonishing in tone. Kelly, Gary and Jim are dear to me and I would not say that without a playful smile to any of them!

I think we used #6 or #7 birdshot for those shots above. I just looked for the bag but it must be hidden in the basement. We had to fiddle around with the load a bit. I think we settled on about 500gr of shot. It was close to the same weight as the slugs we use. I wish we had documented it like Jim documented the Delta shots but we were not expecting anything to ever get posted back then.

Maybe when the weather turns I'll ask PJ to assemble some shells and I'll photograph every step along the way and then get some high speed video of the shot. I think that might make a nice post!

For backyard "competition" I hope to persue (as time allows) a 1/2oz/220gr (same as a .410 shotgun) charge of #9s in an unchoked .500 bore for the back porch "ritz skeet'. I think/hope that patterns should be suitably dense for the size target. It'll be lots of fun if it works out well.

Small game out to 20yds better look out too.

Just to add to the info., and not to "one up". Our buddy Kent (who should be here posting for himself ... ), shoots his 87 Chief Justice with 2 - 2 1/2 oz. of shot (I think #8). That would be 875 - 1094 grains.

We've thrown clays with a regular ground thrower. I actually don't think I've ever seen him miss! I've been amazed at how far out he picks them off. Now ... I saw myself miss quite a few times!

Gary

Yes indeed, the Justice is the best air shotgun out there, ever. And I happen to know that there exists video proof of Kent blasting a regulation clay out of the sky. That is really remarkable when you think about it. How's that for piling on Kent?

We did some various loads of shot and BBs mixed but they were not as effective. We also made some loads using just .25 ball from Hornady. Those didn't work as well either but we really didn't spend the time on them to dismiss trying again. I think a load with mixed #6 (or7) shot and .25 ball might work well if the internal tape "choke" is calibrated just so.

I wish I had a video of the one shell we made that was about 975gr and had way too much choke applied! It looked like a big white air torpedo just cruising along as it sailed away perfectly intact. They can't all be pearls...

Jerry,

The Shark shotgun is a decent air-shotgun, I've seen them. Shark's design and engineering are unorthadox IMO but they work quite well; further validating the concept.

Hi Lon,
I've heard just a little about the Sharks. Usually just in passing on some site. How do they handle "shells?" We make ours out of stiff paper and muzzle load them and Kent just pours shot down the barrel over a wad and then adds another wad if I recall correctly. While these systems work for us they would be too fragile or cumbersome for a commercial mass market gun.

Jerry,

They use plastic hull ~.50 with cork wads. Sunshine airgun down here in Miami is the exclusive importer. They will shoot .495 roundball and they have an arrow with 2 1" plastic psuedo sabots that keep it centered in the barrel and provide for trapping the gas behind it for propulsion. Pretty interesting and modestly powerful as well as having interchangable barrels although it won't win any contests for looks or trigger pull.

It's functional and cheap relatively speaking.