# thompson center new englander 12 gauge fixed choke?



## steelyguy (Jan 16, 2009)

Anyone know what the choke of this barrel is it is not marked also if anyone has shot this gun any load suggestions would be great I shot it yesterday with #4 shot at thirty yards and it was terrible I want to shoot a turkey with it any help is greatly appreciated:help:


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

I bought a New Englader in 54 cal years ago with the idea of picking up a 12 ga barrel for it down the road to shot turkeys. I think the barrrel is pretty much an open choke to make it possible to get a tight fitting wad and overshot wad down the barrel and still remain tight fitting.

Instead I picked up a Navy Arms double 12 at a gun show. I tried it out and had terrable patterns. I tried to find shot cups that were not split to no avail. When I tried taping standard split shot cups I ended up getting an oval pattern, better but not good.

One night I called Cabela's customer service. The gal that answered turned me over to a guy that went way above what could be expected. He found a muzzeloader shot gun kit that had cups wads-- every thing I needed. The cups were uncut. It said in the directions to split them but I left them solid and got a good pattern out to 25 yards. The cup would go through the cardboard my target was on at 25 yards.

Thsi is the info off the paperwork that came with the kit.



Cabelas black powder package 
BP12-tuff
#3228811
MANUF. BY www.ballisticproducts.com

I have been on BaIlistic products web site but could not find the shot cups listed. I have no idea if Cabelas still has the kit but it would be worth a try giving them a call.

I used an equal measure of powder and shot using the cup as the measure. The paper work says the cup should hold 1 1/4 oz of shot. If I remember right it held right around 100 gr of pyrodex.


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## Lindsey (Jan 22, 2000)

My New Englander patterned good at 25 yards with 80g by volume of unplated #6 shot over 80 grains of 2F Goex. The pattern was still good but a little denser if I kept the powder at 80 g and increased the shot volume to 90g in my powder measure.
I've had good luck with cork over-powder wads, or with two over-powder cards, on top of the powder and a thin card over the shot.
I didn't get good patterns with the plastic shot cups that I tried.

You might call Circle Fly Wads and discuss your problems with them. I've found them good to deal when working up muzzleloading shotgun loads. http://www.circlefly.com/html/welcome.html


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## Gpprs (Dec 3, 2009)

I have T. C. Arms catalogs # 17 & 18, from 1990 & 1991, that show the New Englander shotgun as cylinder bore. The catalogs after those years show it with screw in choke tubes. Mine has the screw in chokes. I have had good success using Remington or Winchester one piece wads; Have killed turkeys with #4 shot in excess of 30 yds. with no problem. Call T. C. customer [email protected] 603-330-5659, and see if they can send you an owners manual, or suggested loading data. Also their website is tcarms.com ; They have always been helpful to me, a good USA company! Probably a good gunsmith could rework your barrel to accept screw in tubes. Good luck.


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## Lindsey (Jan 22, 2000)

I had a jug choke cut into my T/C New Englander barrel. This is the traditional method for choking a muzzleloading shotgun barrel. The jug choke tightened my patterns up to roughly a modified choke. The fellow who cut the jug choke told me that he could have tightened the pattern more but warned that the barrel would be less useful for general hunting and clay shooting if he did.
The jug choked barrel is easier to load than a barrel with choke tubes. The jug choke doesn't constrict the barrel so there isn't a problem getting wads past the choke point. 
It's been 10 or 15 years. All I remember is that the fellow's name was Joe, I think that his last name began with E, and he built beautiful muzzleloading shotguns. He lived south east of Jackson. 
I've been looking for another cylinder bore 12 gauge T/C New Englander barrel for years. 

Steelyguy, there is a group that shoots muzzleloading skeet at Washtenaw Sportsman's Club in Ypsilanti once a month. They are shooting on 12/19/09 Other dates are on the club's web pages. If you are in the area, you might stop by the club during one of their shoots and talk to those guys about developing a turkey load for your gun. There is a lot of muzzleloading shotgun knowledge and experience within that group of shooters. They are my go-to guys for traditional style muzzleloading shotgun advice.


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## steelyguy (Jan 16, 2009)

Thanks everyone for the help I did find un split shot cups at ballistic products and there on there way can't wait to experiment with different size shot and different length splits. I also can't wait to find some bunnys lots of state land here in hastings area but not alot of rabbits . Any one ever bunny hunted with one of these?


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