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20 gauge shooters...


Three Foot Johnson

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There doesn't seem to be a lot of info on light 20 gauge loads - most "light" loads are in the 1200 fps range. Winchester used to print their AA12FL8 load right on the AA Lite label, did they ever disclose the recipe for the AA20FL8 shells (also spec'd @ 980 fps)?

 

I've got a bunch of "light" 20g shells I loaded up several years ago, and thought it would be a good reason to buy another gun ;) so I found a single trigger Baikal/Spartan coach gun for a decent price, and spent a few hours over the past couple days getting it ready - polishing the cylinders, breaking the sharp chamber edges, timing the cocking levers, springs, etc. So far, about 80 rounds through it, and nary a hiccup from the single trigger setup, but my old 20g load of 12.6 grains Unique and 7/8 oz shot has notably more kick to it than my light 12 gauge, 7/8 oz Red Dot loads.

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To compare, 12ga to 20ga.

Both having a velocity of say, 980'sec.

The 20 gag will have more recoil than the 12ga.

Reason is the smaller diameter builds more pressure, (recoil), to move the same 7/8 oz shot weight at the same velocity.

 

There are far more loading data for 12ga than 20ga to get lower velocities.

AA12FL8 are much easier to find than the AA20FL8 rounds.

Unless your local gun shop is willing to order full cases for you.

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I use a 20 gauge quite often, and I really like shooting it. I use Unique powder also. For me I use 15.1 grains and 7/8 oz shot. For my wife, who is a lot more sensitive to the recoil, I use 13.7 grains and 3/4 oz shot. She doesn't mind that load at all.

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I use a square load of Pyrodex RS and shot in my 1900's 20 gauge sxs for muzzle loading trap and skeet, use crumpled up newspaper for wadding and cutoff re-primed high brass shells for breach plug... it makes a pretty fair pattern, but it doesn't reload very fast :D

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22 minutes ago, Cliff Hanger #3720LR said:

To compare, 12ga to 20ga.

Both having a velocity of say, 980'sec.

The 20 gag will have more recoil than the 12ga.

Reason is the smaller diameter builds more pressure, (recoil), to move the same 7/8 oz shot weight at the same velocity.

 

There are far more loading data for 12ga than 20ga to get lower velocities.

AA12FL8 are much easier to find than the AA20FL8 rounds.

Unless your local gun shop is willing to order full cases for you.

Correct - basic principle of pressure and hydraulics. I've no intention of using factory loads, and have never actually seen AA20FL8's for sale anywhere, just very curious about the Winchester 980 fps load, as there's no load data out there that even comes close to that. If I saw some locally, I'd buy some just to try them out. My justification for buying the shotgun was to dispose of a couple 5 gal buckets of 20g reloads, and after shooting a few now, I got to wondering if there were any lighter loads published or being used.

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The factory FF12FL8 has a shot weight of .91 oz.

 

My 12ga reloads where:

I reloaded commercially and settled on 7/8 oz with 14.8gr Promo powder.

Gray wad, either Winchester of Clay Busters.

 

There is a lighter load using a white wad and Promo but I can not think of the charge.

Not something I reloaded enough to keep that info in my head. (Usually for Austrailian shooters that came over to EOT)

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5 minutes ago, Cliff Hanger #3720LR said:

The factory FF12FL8 has a shot weight of .91 oz.

 

I reloaded commercially and settled on 7/8 oz with 14.8gr Promo powder.

Gray wad, either Winchester of Clay Busters.

 

There is a lighter load using a white wad and Promo but I can not think of the charge.

Not something I reloaded enough to keep that info in my head. (Usually for Austrailian shooters that came over to EOT)

That must be for 12 gauge...?

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A few years ago, I wanted to load up some 20 Gauge ammo to run in my grandfather's Montgomery Ward pump shotgun, a Stevens actually, that he bought at the start of WWII.  I was originally planning to use Red Dot, as that is what I use for Twelve Gauge, but everything I read said that this was not a powder you should use in a 20.  So, I looked for alternative powders, and this is the load I came up with.

 

Hulls:  Magtech all brass.

Winchester Large Pistol Primers for Standard or Magnum loads.  [That's what is says on the box]

Powder:  Hodgdon HS6, 24 Grains.

One of these:  https://www.buffaloarms.com/circle-fly-1-2-fiber-shotgun-wad-bag-of-500-cffiber

Three of these:  https://www.buffaloarms.com/circle-fly-135-nitro-shotgun-wad-bag-of-500-cfnitro

Size 7-1/2 shot, filled to just below the mouth of the hull.

One of these:  https://www.buffaloarms.com/circle-fly-025-over-shot-shotgun-wad-bag-of-500-cfos

Very slight crimp made with CHD4 dies to hold it all in place.

 

I found this load to be be a very comfortable one to shoot.

 

I used this load, and shotgun at the annual Zoot Shoot championship in Colorado in uhm...  The year I went to it.   It gave me no trouble, cycled through my gun just find, and did not leave me with any kind of a sore shoulder.

 

Yes, you can load smokeless in the hall brass shotshells, and it works just fine.

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If you don't reload, what 20 gauge ammo can be purchased that is acceptable for match use? The internet says there is AA20FL8 in stock at my local Cabelas but I couldn't find any there. 

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1 hour ago, Waymore Loco said:

If you don't reload, what 20 gauge ammo can be purchased that is acceptable for match use? 

Lead shot, #4 or smaller, and, per the manual, "Magnum and high velocity loads are not allowed".

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I guess I don't understand the question - any 2 3/4" standard velocity 20 gauge shell with #4 or smaller lead shot would be acceptable. Velocity would probably be around 1200 fps, but since 1400 is acceptable for rifle ammo, I assume it would also be OK for shot shells too, although they would be ridiculously heavy loads for either gun in this game.

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I understand the rules and what I can use.  The question should have been has anyone found any other bruise free 20 gauge ammo?

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8 minutes ago, Waymore Loco said:

I understand the rules and what I can use.  The question should have been has anyone found any other bruise free 20 gauge ammo?

 

Not really. Several years ago my son used some Fiocchi Trainer in his 20ga Stoeger. He did like the Fiocchi slightly better than the Win AA 20, but we wound up loading some BP for a couple of matches and then switching to a 12ga. 

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13 minutes ago, Waymore Loco said:

I understand the rules and what I can use.  The question should have been has anyone found any other bruise free 20 gauge ammo?

I shoot trap and skeet with my 1900's double.   I don't know what you classify as bruise free, but I've found that I can go for about 4 games with any kind of 20 gauge trap and skeet load fairly comfortably, that's about 100 rounds of 20 gauge, and I will have slight discoloration on my shoulder for the next week.  anytime I try 12 gauge trap and skeet loads I'm uncomfortable after one game.  

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16 hours ago, Waymore Loco said:

I understand the rules and what I can use.  The question should have been has anyone found any other bruise free 20 gauge ammo?

 

I have found all of the Federal 20's to be high brass, and very hard to shuck out.

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I can tell you this. I reload 20 & 12's. A few months back my stepson bought some cheap Winchester made 20 ga. shells by mistake at Walmart to shoot some clay birds with his friends. Problem was he has a 12 ga. shotgun. I traded him some 1 1/8 trap reloads I had for his 20's figuring I would just use them up at cowboy shoots. What a mistake! I took them to a shoot and the first two stages were a shotgun disaster. I kept "missing" the knockdowns over and over. After stage 2 I went back to my reloads and not a problem thereafter. I'll save these store bought shells for the grandsons to blow away.

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