I had no luck waterfowl hunting with blackpowder cartridge shotgun. But I can tell you bismuth patterns very uniform in my 10 gauage, choked modified and full. I have a gun marked W. Richards but examination has found the locks are hand made but the metal bearing surfaces are'nt polished. Not a mark of quality or craftmanship. The gun has 1887 to 1904 Birmingham Proofs stamped on barrel and watertable. The barrel is marked London Laminated Steel, no address. It does however work. The barrels ring and have been manga-fluxed and passed.


I use the Republic Mettalic Cartridge load:
5 drams of bp
1 1/8 oz of #4 bismuth

Bismuth will not harm the barrel. I'd like to try tungsten matrix if it was available for reloading.