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Light 12ga loads


Guest Gunnin Gambler

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Guest Gunnin Gambler

Because of a shoulder problem, I was looking to find a 1/2 oz load for 12ga.

 

I was thinking of using a fiber filler wad in the shot cup and using the same powder as the 7/8oz load.

Will that work?

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What you suggested will not work, almost certainly. Although you would be filling all the volume of a 7/8 ounce load, you won't have the shot weight restricting the powder to the same amount, so you will not develop enough pressure with smokeless powder to have a safe and similar velocity load. (That is not to say that you might be able to figure out a BP load that could run fairly well, though.)

 

I've not seen ANY published loads with 1/2 ounce shot in 12 gauge.

 

I would call the Hodgdon's folks (vendors of Hodgdons, Winchester and IMR powders) and ask them if they have any data for that load. They are usually willing to look for something that they can make work and stand behind. They may have to drop down to a 2 1/2 inch shell and maybe a rolled crimp to get that low.

 

And, Ballistics Products carries some components and loading data for reduced length shotshells. A call to them or look them up on the web, and look over their listings.

 

Creating shotshell loads by experimenting with a published load and making drastic changes to it (in fact, any changes to it) is really pretty dangerous in shotguns due to the low pressures that they can tolerate. Stick with published loads or a load recommended by a factory technician.

 

Good luck, GJ

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Because of a shoulder problem, I was looking to find a 1/2 oz load for 12ga.

 

I was thinking of using a fiber filler wad in the shot cup and using the same powder as the 7/8oz load.

Will that work?

I would agree with GJ that a BP load might work better. I have little experience with loads but I can tell you that I feel that the recoil in my reasonably stout BP load (4.3cc of 2f and 1-1/8oz shot) is much less "sharp" than the Remington Light Target loads I got at WalMart. I'm guessing it has to do with BP building up pressure a bit slower than smokeless but whatever, it is more comfortable for me to shoot. More experienced folks than I can tell you how low you can go and still get good results with BP.
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Contrary to what Garrison Joe and Wagon Box Willy have stated, reducing the payload, (shot weight), in a shotshell and using a filler wad to compensate for the unoccupied space is NOT in the least dangerous, and in fact is done all the time by some reloaders.

 

Problems with pressure would only occur if you increased the powder charge significantly, or increased the shot weight of a load without adjusting the powder charge.

 

Simply taking a book load and reducing the payload, will not cause a rise in chamber pressure. Quite the contrary. Chamber pressures will drop. The only possibility is that the pressures would drop too much, and the load would simply be a blooper.

 

Claybuster has recently provided a wad specifically designed for 3/4 oz. loads. It is the CB0175-12 wad. That wad using the lowest listed powder charge and 3/4 oz. shot, (Data comes in the bag), should give you a load that anyone could shoot and survive the recoil. It would be entirely possible to add a card wad in the shot cup of that wad and further reduce the shot weight.

 

Just a suggestion that you can safely try, and use if it performs well enough for your purposes.

 

RBK

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reducing the payload, (shot weight), in a shotshell and using a filler wad to compensate for the unoccupied space is NOT in the least dangerous

 

 

It's not high pressure that will give the Original Poster fits. It's the low pressure he will surely get. Low pressure quickly results in loads that just go "poof." Incomplete combustion of the powder. Stuck wads in the barrels. Failure to get anything but a dribble of shot out the barrel. Happens very quickly as the pressure falls off because you experimented with loads that are not well tested. Smokeless powder operates under a progressive pressure curve. Drop the pressure a little, and combustion rate drops a lot. Look in any good shotshell loading manual, and smokeless loads never run under about 6000 units of pressure. What he is suggesting will very likely be under those minimum pressure ranges. And he will not know it because he will not have a pressure gauge setup.

 

A stuck wad in the barrel is about the worst problem that results from below-minimum pressure loads. Follow that with a shell with normal pressures, and he will likely blow the barrel. So, there is a lot more to worry about than "just a blooper". When we shoot guns fast, a blooper can go undetected. Second pair of shells get loaded and fired, and you can have a blown up gun and injured pards in less than a second. I've been within five yards of a shotgun when it blew (at a match at a well run shooting range) - let me tell you, it is no fun picking up a pard and hauling them to the hospital with their left hand in shreds.

 

Recommending that folks disregard the most important rule in shotshell loading, "No substitutions and No variations from the published loads", is unwise.

 

Good luck, GJ

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Guest Gunnin Gambler

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

I have been reloading with Win Lite powder and 7/8 oz of shot but they are still a little too strong for me. The spare parts in my shoulder complain after a day of shooting and two days are out of the question. I can handle a 410 1/2 oz load just fine. (I have inserts for my double), but that limits me to 2 shots and then a lot of trouble unloading and reloading. I would love to use a standard 12ga shell with 1/2 oz of shot.

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