I'm a young new collector just getting going who is bound and determined to take his 1912 and 1915 Ithaca 12ga Grades 1 and 1 1/2 out hunting this fall. To be cautious for both me and the guns, I plan on using a very low pressure 2 1/2" shell, from what I can see the two most popular suppliers being RST and Polywad.

Do any of you have experience with both and have found one to perform better or more reliably than the other? What is your favorite load that still kills but will keep the girls safe? Thank you!

On another note, what a sad thing to see photo sharing sites changing and 80% of the photo links no longer working. That's a lot of work lost. One of my favorite items were photos from Researcher's collection of old sales catalogues, all gone!

Welcome aboard on your first post. Both are outstanding vendors. I have bought loads from each. I plan on buying a flat of 16 gauge Vintagers from Polywad next week.
RST has a larger selection of loads in each gauge, but Polywad has exactly what I need. In 16, I like the 2.5" 7/8 oz. #7.5 from Polywad for quail, dove and woodcock. I haven't bought 12 from Polywad, but have from RST. I wanted to see how the felt wads rather than plastic wads worked out in one gun and RST had them. Polywad didn't. In keeping the old "girls" safe, it's not just chamber pressure of the load that is a consideration. Recoil, a product of mass and velocity, can be the enemy of a 100 year old gun stock. While the guns may have been originally designed to handle heavier loads and velocities, sometimes it is best not shoot them. Gil

I have the same guns as you.
You can't go wrong shooting the 1 oz 12's from RST. Great selection, great products.

FWIW, in 12ga, the 1 oz and 7/8 oz Comp One from B&P is also a great choice.

I shoot polywad and rst and really like both. 20, 16, 12 and 10. Polywad is a little cheaper if you are out of state. For GA residents we have to pay taxes which makes them the same price. I support both companies to help keep them going for our sport. Polywad has spreader shells too if you have a really tightly choked gun and want to hunt closer game like quail and wood ducks with it

Maybe not wood ducks....

I shot some of the RST Select loads back when they were loaded in NH or ME. The Polywad slugs were pretty good too. Those are fine ammo companies that offer products where there are few alternatives available. We all know what can happen when we try to cheat by buying light target loads from big manufacturers......and shoot them in antique guns a possible KA-BOOOM.

Hopefully woodcock, instead of wood ducks!

How would Winchester low noise be any different than a 2 3/4 lite load from either company? Holland and Holland makes the same load with felt wads as well.

yeeeeah don't use lead but they do get close. Another good point rst carries nontoxic shells

Yeah, Woodcock, not Wood ducks.
I could have shot a limit of "Summa ducks" today. They love beaver ponds.

People shouldn't be so cheap.

We have a hobby that consumes THOUSANDS, and yet, people are reluctant to spend $8.00/bx/25 vs $4.98 at Walmart.

Feed your guns the proper ammunition.

You aren't going to shoot thousands of shells through an old Flues without problems anyway.

Amen!

I plan to try these to start after your feedback, which I appreciate very much. I am in GA, didn't realize Polywad was so close. Will see how these perform and then maybe make the jump from Ultra Lite to the slightly livelier Lite ammo.

http://www.rstshells.com/store/p/106-12-Ga-2-1/2-Falcon-Ultra-Lite-Vel-1125-3/4-oz-Load-Box.aspx

They also offer shells with different wad materials and crimps on their website, what might the reasons be to try those offerings?

Plastic wads shoot tighter than fiber wads in the same gun. Fiber wadded shells tend to leave lead in the bore as there is no shot cup. My preference is plastic as the bores are easier for me to clean. OMMV. Roll crimped vs. star or "pie" crimped: Some loads may be taller in the column and a star crimp might not completely close allowing shot to escape. The overshot card of a roll crimp solves the closure issue. Roll crimped loads have slightly lower pressure than the same recipe in a star crimped roll. RST or Polywad loads are low pressure when indicated regardless of crimping style. In the Polywad Spreader loads, what appears to be a roll crimped plastic overshot card is actually a "tee" which helps spread the load. Good luck. Gil

I have not shot polywad in years but I recall they have a stiffer Perceived recoil than RST so I would guess RST is easier on your wood.

I shot some of those this morning.
In a Flues 1 1/2 like yours.
You won't even feel them.

3/4 oz. in a 12 gauge is a fun load to shoot. Years ago I reloaded for a 12 year-old boy shooting 3/4 oz. out of a 12 gauge gas operated Beretta. To give him confidence and show him that it wasn't just a kid's load, I shot the same load out of my Remington 3200 at early season dove. It was more than adequate for the job and he had no problem limiting out. Gil

I've shot some available 7/8 trainer loads in the 12 ga. and they performed well at clays as well as the patterning board. I imagine the shot string would be relatively short. The 3/4 load that works so well in the 28 ga. is even better in the 12 ga.
Karl

In my old Bonehill SXS I use both Polywad and RST. The gun is a 12 ga. I use the Polywad English 2 1/2" 1 oz. Spread-Rs in #6 in the right tube and the RST 2 3/4" 1 1/8 OZ. #5 in the left. I am very happy with the combination and stick with it. I went to Polywad spreaders because RST did not load a spreader with #6. They only went up to #7 and after trying them I was not happy with the killing ability of the #7s. The larger #6 seems to do a much better job.

Jpari,
What game did you find the #7's inadequite for?
Karl

I hunt pheasants almost exclusively, and the #7s gave me more runners than the #6s.

Jpari,
Now I understand, as I use RST #5's on pheasants as well.
This year I started using RST #7's on grouse instead of #8's with better effect.
Karl

If you're thinking about spreaders . . . If you want more spread, go with the Polywads. Less spread, RST's.