What would the pattern be like using a 50 cal rifle as a shotgun

[Mustangs Rule]

I have a Thompson 50 cal 1/48 twist muzzle loader . Any ideal what the pattern would be like to use it as a shotgun firing pellets

 

[Diablo]

Terrible. Try it and let us know.

 

[R.K.]

Crap. There’s no choke on it. And it could potentially damage the rifling.

 

[Blue Steel]

For fun one time I tried shooting 00 buckshot out of a 24' rifled shotgun barrel. At 15 yards was lucky to get even one pellet on target.

 

[OleRedbeard]

No choke and with the rifling you will basically have the best one shot grouse gun ever made for shots out to about 5 or ten yards... even with a shot cup the rifling is going to eat it up before it leaves the muzzle. Best bet is to get online and order a smoothbore barrel for it. If its the older TC Hawken style its nothing more than a hook in the back of the receiver and 1 or two pins holding the barrel onto the forearm, simply lifts out. If its a TC encore you have lots of relatively cheap options for a drop in. If its the Hawken style you can probably check green mountain or a couple others that make aftermarkets for them. Regardless... you will not have good results with a rifled barrel and using shot.

 

[std7mag]

I'll agree with the others that have answered so far.
Terrible!!

Without a shot cup, the rifling will grab the pellets and start them to rotating. But it's not spinning the whole shot column at the same speed.
And it not being a single projectile, it will fling them outwards once it clears the barrel.
Do NOT use TSS!! (Tungsten Steel Shot)

With a shot cup, results still suck!
The cup will engage the rifling imparting a spin. Possibly to the whole shot column this time.
Buy once it clears the barrel, the cup will try to immediately open up, and with the induced spin spray the shot outwards.

I've experienced this with my Taurus Judge with a 6" barrel.
Nasty within 5 yards.
Set up a blueprint paper at 25 yards and after 3 rounds of #8 shot, the paper is clean.
Zero hits by anything.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

I'll agree with the others that have answered so far.
Terrible!!

Without a shot cup, the rifling will grab the pellets and start them to rotating. But it's not spinning the whole shot column at the same speed.
And it not being a single projectile, it will fling them outwards once it clears the barrel.
Do NOT use TSS!! (Tungsten Steel Shot)

With a shot cup, results still suck!
The cup will engage the rifling imparting a spin. Possibly to the whole shot column this time.
Buy once it clears the barrel, the cup will try to immediately open up, and with the induced spin spray the shot outwards.

I've experienced this with my Taurus Judge with a 6" barrel.
Nasty within 5 yards.
Set up a blueprint paper at 25 yards and after 3 rounds of #8 shot, the paper is clean.
Zero hits by anything.

thank you