Make a .56 cal thompson a shotgun?
- Thread starter dbc3
- Start date
Can do but ???
Be Safe !!!
Yes and basically it's Powder, Powder Wad, shot and Shot wad. Sounds simple but you will have to work out the wad material and diameter. Now, this is a general idea and they do make wads for shotguns but you will have to make your own fit for the .56. I have shot 12Ga as well as shot, out of my cannons. I'll bet someone in here has done exactly as you are trying to do. ....
Be Safe !!!
56 is kinda an odd bird some where around 26 gage . IE its alittle bigger then a 28 but not a large as a 24 . But I would bet that the actual bore size is closer to a 28 gage . If so then Track of the wolf sells wads and cards for the 28 and 24
frankly you dont have to use wads and cards . you can use just wadding and do quite well with patterns if you work a load .
wadding also can be just about anything from old wool, to hemp , tow even green leaves will work in a pinch . Killed many a grouse with my 28 gage , loaded with nothing but shot and leaves for wads .
just push the wadding down over the powder , then add your shot . then wadding over the shot so as to hold it in place .
if you want to make wads and card , make your cutter .010 over bore .
a cheep deck of playing cards will yield a near endless supply of over the shot cards . for wads you can use just about anything IE old wool blankets , worn out felt hats even fiber carpet pad . myself i have a roll of old horse hair carpet pad that i punch wads from and for thicker wads i have a couple old horse hair saddle blankets that I picked up at a yard sale cheep .
Later if you really want to get down to the nuts of working a load then you may want to try an over the powder card .
That makes you load , powder , over the powder card , wad , shot and then over the shot card .
The over the powder card is a real heavy thick card that helps protect the wad , which acts more as a buffer .
frankly you dont have to use wads and cards . you can use just wadding and do quite well with patterns if you work a load .
wadding also can be just about anything from old wool, to hemp , tow even green leaves will work in a pinch . Killed many a grouse with my 28 gage , loaded with nothing but shot and leaves for wads .
just push the wadding down over the powder , then add your shot . then wadding over the shot so as to hold it in place .
if you want to make wads and card , make your cutter .010 over bore .
a cheep deck of playing cards will yield a near endless supply of over the shot cards . for wads you can use just about anything IE old wool blankets , worn out felt hats even fiber carpet pad . myself i have a roll of old horse hair carpet pad that i punch wads from and for thicker wads i have a couple old horse hair saddle blankets that I picked up at a yard sale cheep .
Later if you really want to get down to the nuts of working a load then you may want to try an over the powder card .
That makes you load , powder , over the powder card , wad , shot and then over the shot card .
The over the powder card is a real heavy thick card that helps protect the wad , which acts more as a buffer .
I've shot the 56 Tc in an old manner using wasp nests. I've used them in smoothbore trade guns as well and they work. Granted, you won't be getting the patterns you would with a modern plastic wad, but it works for stuff like squirrel or rabbit hunting or just plain playing. Just pinch off a chunk and pack it over the powder and another chuck to pack over the shot. It sort of gets a paper consistency and packs in well. I've read about people using it in days of old.
Cards are optional; Wadding is not.
Be safe !!!
Sounds like a contradiction but reading between the lines, I understand. when I took the NMLRA instructor's course, They taught "cut" cards and "wads". Later, I dropped the use of the cards and cut my own wads, out of old weather seals, for windows and doors. Most were cloth but these was also a plant fiber wads. Both are pretty stiff kind like wonder wads or bore-buttons, only thicker and cheaper. ....
This is true but the early "Frontiersmen" used Paper Wasp's nest in addition to a patch and fiber as a "Firewall" .....
Be safe !!!
bedbugbilly
New member
When I was a kid, 50 + years ago, we didn't have wads. We substituted newspaper. We shot a lot of clay pigeons that way and actually, the patterns weren't too bad.
Later, we progressed to using wads cut with a punch out of Homosote Insulation Board - i.e. "insulated sheathing". My folks had a lumberyard and there was always a broken piece laying around. Another possibility is to cut them out of ceiling tile that are pretty much the same material. These wads would be for over the powder and under the shot. Over the shot cards can be punched out of a lot of different material that you might have on hand - cereal boxes, cardboard boxes, etc.
You might google "Circle Fly" and see if they would have any wads that would work for what you have. They are good folks to deal with.
Later, we progressed to using wads cut with a punch out of Homosote Insulation Board - i.e. "insulated sheathing". My folks had a lumberyard and there was always a broken piece laying around. Another possibility is to cut them out of ceiling tile that are pretty much the same material. These wads would be for over the powder and under the shot. Over the shot cards can be punched out of a lot of different material that you might have on hand - cereal boxes, cardboard boxes, etc.
You might google "Circle Fly" and see if they would have any wads that would work for what you have. They are good folks to deal with.
You can convert caliber into gauge by dividing your caliber into 1.67 inches, the size of a hypothetical 1 gauge or one pounder, and then cubing the result.
Example 1.67/.56=2.98214
2.98214 cubed = 26.52
So, a 26 gauge wad will be 1/2 gauge too big and a 27 gauge wad will be 1/2 gauge too small. Actually, either one will probably work, I would err to the large size for a better gas seal myself. I have loaded twelve gauge muzzleloaders using 11 gauge wads and it can be done.
Circle Fly makes wads in nearly every gauge imaginable including some rifle calibers.
Example 1.67/.56=2.98214
2.98214 cubed = 26.52
So, a 26 gauge wad will be 1/2 gauge too big and a 27 gauge wad will be 1/2 gauge too small. Actually, either one will probably work, I would err to the large size for a better gas seal myself. I have loaded twelve gauge muzzleloaders using 11 gauge wads and it can be done.
Circle Fly makes wads in nearly every gauge imaginable including some rifle calibers.
bedbugbilly
New member
+1 ^
yeas ago, I picked up a round barrel that was about a 1/2" bore with the intent on making a light single barrel shotgun out of it - still have it but haven't gotten to making the shotgun yet.
Anyway, I took it over to Circle Fly's booth in the sheep sheds to see if they had any wads that would fit. They didn't have any with them but took my name and sent me a small packet of them to try a couple of weeks later. I think if the OP would call him and give them the two sizes he is thinking of, they'd probably mail him some samples to see which fit better. They are good folks to deal with and once he got the wad size figured out - I've always found their prices very reasonable and he could buy a bag of over the powder and over the shot that would probably last him for many years. Just a thought . . . .
yeas ago, I picked up a round barrel that was about a 1/2" bore with the intent on making a light single barrel shotgun out of it - still have it but haven't gotten to making the shotgun yet.
Anyway, I took it over to Circle Fly's booth in the sheep sheds to see if they had any wads that would fit. They didn't have any with them but took my name and sent me a small packet of them to try a couple of weeks later. I think if the OP would call him and give them the two sizes he is thinking of, they'd probably mail him some samples to see which fit better. They are good folks to deal with and once he got the wad size figured out - I've always found their prices very reasonable and he could buy a bag of over the powder and over the shot that would probably last him for many years. Just a thought . . . .
sorry i didnt get back to this .
Pahoo
Wad = actual cut was . could be fiber , could be cork , could be about any solid material cut to fit the bore .
Wading = lose material that’s just wadded up and shoved down the bore IE leaves , paper , wasp nests, hornet nests, cloth , tow, what ever you have on hand .
I would say the best place to go for the best chance of having your size would be circle fly .
At one time o bout a lot from them , good folks . But then I got into cutting and making my own wads and cards
Pahoo
Wad = actual cut was . could be fiber , could be cork , could be about any solid material cut to fit the bore .
Wading = lose material that’s just wadded up and shoved down the bore IE leaves , paper , wasp nests, hornet nests, cloth , tow, what ever you have on hand .
I would say the best place to go for the best chance of having your size would be circle fly .
At one time o bout a lot from them , good folks . But then I got into cutting and making my own wads and cards