Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska SHTF blackpowder and ball in single shot shotgun

I know you can buy a 209 adapter for using black powder in single shots, such as the H&R and others, and you can use shot, but can one use balls in such a barrel, or too thin? Looking for a multiple use firearm that allows inserts to shoot rimfire, regular shells, and blackpowder with the adapter. Thoughts?

David Canterbury of Wilderness Outfitters has a
video on yoofloob pouring round balls and loading
an H&R break open 12 ga as a muzzleloader and
several others along the same lines with procedures
etc. etc.

FWIW
I've fired 1 oz modern foster slugs from the
same single gun, so the bp loads shouldn't
be any more high pressured

Would guess there would be some definite do's and don'ts associated with that because most shotguns have a constriction (choke) at the end of the barrel that a muzzleloader rifle doesn't have. Loading appropriate slugs in shotgun shells with some type of wad/patch over blackpowder might be a better solution than using a shotgun as a muzzleloader, at least until your shotgun shells were no longer usable. If shotgun shells aren't available, you're probably talking massive nuclear war fallout scenario with most of the U.S. population gone. Obviously Alaska has different supply chain concerns than the Lower 48, though.

In the classic SHTF scenario..in my opinion, you aren't gaining anything because you are still relying on "store bought" ignition. So just cut to the chase and get yourself a decent quality flintlock, preferably a smoothbore, learn how to shoot and maintain it. In spite of the schidt Hollywood peddles, North America was tamed with smoothbore trade guns and fowling pieces.

I didn't see his vid on round balls. I saw others. I'll go back and look though, thanks.

I'm looking for a cached, do-it-all gun. By chance I have lots of 209s and blackpowder, so there is that. I have 2 other ML rifles, but the breakopen is far more versatile.

That's good to know! I don't believe my old gun is choked, but I was planning to use patched balls anyway.

The main video with him making and shooting the
round balls in the shotgun with the adapter is :
" Ammunition 21st Century Longhunter Mentality "

There are others by him using shot, and loading
modern shotshells with bp and related items
and related topics with break open singles

They're pretty tough guns and you'd about
have to try to tear one up

In my daddy's time, they sold what everyone called
" pumpkin balls " or " pumpkin rollers "
They were shotshells with round balls as a payload.
Foster slugs are a fairly recent thing ( late 30's- early 40's?)
I don't know if choke constriction was ever a consideration
back then to them. They were too busy trying to grow
and gather something to eat


Edit- I should also add that when my daddy was a
boy whitetail deer were all but non-existent in their
part of east Texas and the huge population of
deer we have today just wasn't there. I don't remember
his daddy/ my grandpa even owning a rifle. He might
have had a 22, but if he did, I don't ever remember
him having it out or firing it