shotshell reloading

[Scrappy]

Does anyone reload to get less recoil?

We (wife and I) are just starting into SASS and shot a 12 and a 20 last weekend to see which way we want to go, and she commented the 20 has more kick than she wants. 

Was wondering if i could reload light in a shotgun.

[Hoss]

I shoot a 12 guage with 7/8 Oz load with 13.something Red Dot. Chrono about 900fps. Very mild load. 
 

another important thing is have the shotgun fit her. If she needs a shorter stock cut it down. My wife is fairly short, she like the 97 more than SxS. I cut it down for her. 

[Go West]

I'd go 12 ga. and yes, most reload light.

[Scrappy]

3 minutes ago, Go West said:

I'd go 12 ga. and yes, most reload light.

would you share your 12 ga load?

[Sarge]

Go with the 12 ga.  Gun generally is heavier than a 20 and there are way more options out there.  Look for 7/8 oz loads, or in a pinch 1 oz loads.  My wife shoots Winchester AA low noise low recoil.  I'm sure if you are reloading, there are some recipes out there that folks can share with you to load an equivalent load.

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

Here is a thread from back in November on that very question (it is asked regularly).  Many CAS shooters load low recoil shotgun shells.  Since we only load 3/4 or 7/8 oz of shot the cost of reloaded shells is lower than AA low noise, low recoil shells.  Many fast-burning shotgun powders are suitable - some are also suitable for metallic cartridges.  Look for loads that use Cheddite primers.  These are currently the most readily available 209 primers.  I prefer loading in Remington hulls.  

[Go West]

Remington  hulls, Claybuster wad, 7/8 shot and 13.4 gr. of Clays. Perfect Pattern can be slightly less and American Select is a nice powder. Cheddite primers are available, don't know of others currently.

[Rattlesnake Slim]

Please have an experienced female shooter show her how to shoot the shotgun for minimum felt recoil. Women position and mount  the shotgun differently than men. It will make a huge difference.

[Still hand Bill]

Load light.  Look up data for 3/4 oz loads in a aahs or rem one pc hull using a claybuster wad.  
 

made sure the gun fits.  Women are built differently and may need a different fit.  Shoulder to cheek can be different.   My wife’s clay gun has a raised rib and comb to get it right.  Many shorter, well endowed ladies may need the angle and toe of the stock adjusted.  
 

women also tend to hold a shotgun wrong at first.  They put hips forward and shoulders back to balance the weight.  Opposite of how it should be done.  Shoulders forward, hips back.  Attack the target.  When they get it wrong the body can’t absorb the energy as easily.  Look at pictures of a trap shooter.  That’s how they should stand. 

[watab kid]

5 hours ago, Hoss said:

I shoot a 12 guage with 7/8 Oz load with 13.something Red Dot. Chrono about 900fps. Very mild load. 
 

another important thing is have the shotgun fit her. If she needs a shorter stock cut it down. My wife is fairly short, she like the 97 more than SxS. I cut it down for her. 

these two things - im shooting 3/4oz lead at about 900 with similar red dot , but have a woman help her with the setup , cant tell you how many females ive seen loose interest at the gunclub because they didnt work with an experienced woman shooter in any venue 

[High Spade Mikey Wilson]

Here is my light load data for 12 gauge.

 

[largo casey #19191]

You can also have a DEAD MULE installed in her SG stock.

                                                                                                    Largo

[Scrappy]

thanks for all the advise, i will get a dead mule once we buy a shotgun, so far we just shot a coach in 12 and 20. 

 

Will defiantly ask a female shooter for tips the next time we are at an event!!!!

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

23 hours ago, Scrappy said:

would you share your 12 ga load?

My 12ga load is 3/4oz reclaimed shot with 17.0gn of Unique.

Less recoil than Featherlites 

[Rance - SASS # 54090]

If you’re just trying out and she felt the 20 ga. had more kick.. it does..

She’s kinda saying 12 ga…  I think..  it will have less recoil than a 20 ga.

my wife is small and she shoots a 12ga.. We both shoot.. SxS’s..

with Winchester AA low noise low recoil..

there is also a lot more recipes for reloading light loads in a 12ga..

Cut the stock down to suit her.. you want to keep her a happy camper..

If ya need to buy another shotgun to suit you.. so be it..

just sayin’.. if the wife ain’t happy.. you ain’t happy 

 

[Sam Sackett]

Clays or Red Dot at 13 - 14 grains, Claybuster CB 0175 wad and 3/4 oz of #7 shot for 12 gauge. Light recoil. Knocks ‘em down. 
 

Sam Sackett 

[Scrappy]

3 hours ago, Rance - SASS # 54090 said:

 

just sayin’.. if the wife ain’t happy.. you ain’t happy 

 

so ture

[watab kid]

ive seen ladies shoot coach guns and 97s , let her decide what she likes , its all about hand manipulations [which ive never mastered for either] 

[Tulsey, SASS#11236]

You might want to look at some of the Hogdon 3/4 ounce 20 ga loads with the slower velocities.  1.200 is the standard 28 ga load so anything slower even kicks less

[Silver Creek Jack]

12 GR. 700 X, 1 oz shot, Remington STS hulls, very lite felt recoil, knocks em down!

[SHOOTIN FOX]

If you need shot, I make and sell #7.5.

I will be at EOT. PM me for more details.

 

Order Early.

 

Fox

[Bearfoot Tracker]

I bought my wife a Stoeger 20 gauge Uplander Youth shotgun to fit her better. The LOP is shorter than a standard 12 or 20 gauge. It fits her good.

Factory ammo for this gun had a little too much kick, so I bought a Lee Load All and started reloading her a lighter load.

Below was my testing on the range of different loads:

 

Alliant Green Dot (3/4 oz. load) (#8 Shot) (CB1075-20 Wad) (Winchester AA hulls) (Cheddite 209 Primer) ….. shot from Stoeger Uplander Youth SxS w/ 22” barrels & cylinder choke.

 

FPS (avg), Recoil (rated 1-4 lowest to highest), Fouling (rated 1-4 lowest to highest based on shell inspection)

 

                             14.0 Gr.           1200   FPS       (Factory Lowest Published Load Data for Win AA hulls)

                             12.7 Gr.              1117     FPS                      4   Recoil                         2   Fouling

                             11.6 Gr.              1051     FPS                      3   Recoil                         3   Fouling

                             10.5 Gr.              992     FPS                      2   Recoil                         2   Fouling

                             10.0 Gr.              967    FPS                       1   Recoil                         2   Fouling

 

NOTES: Recoil of all were lower than the Winchester AA Target 1200 FPS factory loads, and significantly lower with the 10.0 and 10.5 grain loads. The recoil with the lower grains were about the same or slightly less than our Stoeger 12 ga. coach gun shooting the Winchester AA featherlite loads. Fouling was about the same on all loads, and noticeable over the factory loads mentioned above. All loads were capable of knocking over steel targets at 12 yards. The 10.0 grain load should be fine for SASS, and is what we settled on.

 

I am now re-loading Remington STS hulls due to they shuck better from the gun.

She has now shot about 6 matches with this reload with no issues. She really likes the gun and the reloads.

 

Hope that helps.

[Tom Bullweed]

I load 20 and 12 ga.

My 12 ga CAS  loads have less recoil than my 20 ga loads.

I keep the 20 around for bp loads.

7/8 ounce over 13.9 grains of Reddot or 15 grains of Claydot works well for me.

[Captain Bill Burt]

On 12/8/2023 at 2:11 PM, SHOOTIN FOX said:

If you need shot, I make and sell #7.5.

I will be at EOT. PM me for more details.

 

Order Early.

 

Fox

Unique packaging (lol) and the best deal around. Just ordered some last week.

[Scrappy]

On 12/8/2023 at 1:50 PM, Bearfoot Tracker said:

I bought my wife a Stoeger 20 gauge Uplander Youth shotgun to fit her better. The LOP is shorter than a standard 12 or 20 gauge. It fits her good.

Factory ammo for this gun had a little too much kick, so I bought a Lee Load All and started reloading her a lighter load.

Below was my testing on the range of different loads:

 

Alliant Green Dot (3/4 oz. load) (#8 Shot) (CB1075-20 Wad) (Winchester AA hulls) (Cheddite 209 Primer) ….. shot from Stoeger Uplander Youth SxS w/ 22” barrels & cylinder choke.

 

FPS (avg), Recoil (rated 1-4 lowest to highest), Fouling (rated 1-4 lowest to highest based on shell inspection)

 

                             14.0 Gr.           1200   FPS       (Factory Lowest Published Load Data for Win AA hulls)

                             12.7 Gr.              1117     FPS                      4   Recoil                         2   Fouling

                             11.6 Gr.              1051     FPS                      3   Recoil                         3   Fouling

                             10.5 Gr.              992     FPS                      2   Recoil                         2   Fouling

                             10.0 Gr.              967    FPS                       1   Recoil                         2   Fouling

 

NOTES: Recoil of all were lower than the Winchester AA Target 1200 FPS factory loads, and significantly lower with the 10.0 and 10.5 grain loads. The recoil with the lower grains were about the same or slightly less than our Stoeger 12 ga. coach gun shooting the Winchester AA featherlite loads. Fouling was about the same on all loads, and noticeable over the factory loads mentioned above. All loads were capable of knocking over steel targets at 12 yards. The 10.0 grain load should be fine for SASS, and is what we settled on.

 

I am now re-loading Remington STS hulls due to they shuck better from the gun.

She has now shot about 6 matches with this reload with no issues. She really likes the gun and the reloads.

 

Hope that helps.

helps a lot thanks

[Griff]

Although my wife shot a 20 gauge, I loaded her shells relatively light, but it's been nearly 20 years so I don't recall the exact formula, but it had to be a 3/4 oz shot load, as that's the bushing in the 20 gauge MEC.  Just remember, that for just about any loading (shot weight), the 20 gauge will recoil harder than it's equivalent 12 gauge.  This is due mostly due to the fact that the vast majority of 20 gauge guns are built on smaller frames than the 12 gauge.  The advise to make sure the stock fits her is equally important to what gauge shotgun she chooses.  

[Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903]

I bought some of the new Hodgdon’s Perfect Pattern powder to try because the price was pretty good. I settled on 11gr. with a 7/8oz Claybuster wad and 1oz of 7 1/2 shot. It’s a very pleasant load. I gave a couple to a friend at the range that was shooting Winchester AA Featherlites, he mixed them with his on a stage and said he couldn’t tell the difference.

 

Randy

["Big Boston"]

On 12/5/2023 at 6:17 PM, Scrappy said:

...................

Will defiantly ask a female shooter for tips the next time we are at an event!!!!

 

We're a friendly bunch, no need to have a defiant attitude, but I agree. The female anatomy adds a wrinkle to the shotgun fit equation, and recoil, or how it affects your shooting needs to be right to mitigate the recoil. The load is important as well. I just began loading cowboy shotgun ammo and for me a load that is subsonic will "feel" milder than one that is supersonic. My WAG on why that is, probably every pellet breaks the sound barrier and the resultant sonic booms push back on the shotgun. My 12 ga load comes out at 1100 fps, is a 1 oz. load, and in my under 6 pound single shot, it is very manageable. Caveat: I'm 5'10 and 240# but have the tolerance for recoil of a 5' 0" 98# weakling. I don't see many single shot shotguns being used, but IMHO, I think it would be a good choice for the recoil sensitive shooter. 

 

First, it is easier to tune as far as LOP, drop at the comb and cast (on or off). The spent shells are ejected so no funky movements required to eject hulls. I left the barrel a bit long to get the balance right and to keep the pattern a bit better. I'd suggest starting at 24". 

 

 

I could have added a recoil pad, but in reality the stock barely touches my shoulder at the pull of the trigger. 

 

I'm a bit opinionated on the load criteria and the choice of wad. I tend to avoid the leggy 3/4 and 7/8 wads. I settled on a AA wad, and to control the crimp i just put cardboard spaces under the shot. I adjust the crimp so it's a bit deep and the mouth have a decent taper. I would avoid the LEE Load-All, I've used them, owned a few and with every additional one I own and use the distain factor increases. They are not a good tool. For cowboy my suggestion would be a MEC Sizemaster. It uses a collet to reform the base. It doesn't quite get it to SAAMI minimum, but it is close. It also comes with a primer tray feed, a must have IMHO. The AA wad is made for a tapered wall hull like the AA Winchester, and the Remington RXP/Blue Magic and newer SPS. 

 

One issue with low charge weights is that the wad has to seat a bit deeper than it was intended to be used. I use about 5# of wad pressure, just enough so i can see the gauge on the MEC move. To check wad fit I remove the hull with powder and wad from the loader, no shot, no crimp. I take a hemostat and pull the wad out. It should take a bit of force but not so much that the wad petal you have pulled on is all beat up. I also note the point at where the top of the wad sits. I then take an unprimed hull and push a wad down into the hull. It should not stop until it is lower than the position it has with powder. 

 

The goal is to have a combination that shoots very consistent and does not distort the odd hull and prevent it from ejecting smoothly. 

 

I tend to keep the pressure to about half of max, IOW about 6,000 psi. This is enough to seal the chamber, promote clean burning and keep the pattern decent. You wouldn't think that at the distances we shoot a stationary target that pattern would be a factor, but at low velocity and pressure, patterns go south awfully easy. My load will tumble a pigeon up to about 30 yards out. A 24" barrel, open choke with a one ounce load of 7 1/2 shot at 1100 fps (actual chronographed speed) can do that. I tested it twice, both birds tumbled. That load was with Clays, but I'm out of it now, so my next try will be 700X. My old Dupont book has several 1100 fps one ounce loads listed. I do try and use book loads, I've seen and experienced too many funky things  when the load data came out of the witches cauldron. 

 

BB