doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 1oz loads in 2 1/2" 20ga shells?

i have a 1923 LC Smith Trap grade with 2 1/2 chambers. I'll be hunting late season SD pheasants this coming December and was wondering if roll crimps will allow me to load 1 oz of #4's in a low pressure shell. I've used RST's with 7/8oz of #5's, but feel #4's are a much better choice for late season SD pheasants. Does anyone k is if I can make that work?

I would look at pre 1960 loading data where card and fiber wads were used. I load and shoot RMC brass hulls that were made for my chambers. No crimping, instead and over shot card is used to contain the shot. Rocky Mountain Cartridge is located in Worland WY.

I recommend using RMC hulls after using them for over 9 years. The advantage for you would be that most published 2 3/4 recipe for straight walled hulls would fit in a 2 1/2 RMC hull because the hull is the size of the chamber and does not need a crimp. That would include 1-piece plastic wads and/or card and fiber wads.

When Western Cartridge Co. introduced their high velocity, progressive burning powder Super-X loads in 1922, the 1 ounce 20-gauge load was put up in their 2 3/4 inch FIELD shell --



As our other North American ammunition companies followed suit and added high velocity progressive burning powder loads to their offerings, Peters High Velocity, Remington Nitro Express, etc., they put their 20-gauge 1 ounce loads up in a 2 3/4 inch shell. The max loads available in the 2 1/2 inch 20-gauge shells remained the 2 1/4 drams of bulk smokeless powder or 18 grains of dense smokeless powder such as Infallible or Ballistite pushing 7/8 ounce of shot. In longer 2 3/4 inch, 2 7/8 inch and 3-inch shells one could get 2 1/2 drams of bulk smokeless powder or 20 grains of dense smokeless powder pushing that same 7/8 ounce of shot. By the early 1930s, Winchester was offering their progressive burning powder Super-Speed 20-gauge 1 ounce load in either the 2 3/4 inch case as the other manufacturers or a 2 1/2 inch case --



probably for their customers who had 20-gauge Model 12s with 2 1/2 inch chambers. The 1 ounce 2 1/2 inch 20-gauge Super-Speed loads remained a Winchester offering until WW-II. So, if Winchester could do it back in the day, I'm sure it could be done today.

Any published load that fits into a 2 3/4" hull that is pie crimped will fit into a 2 1/2" roll crimped hull.

You can also get 1 oz factory loads in 2 1/2" hulls, specifically made for Brit guns (so low pressure) from Kent Gamebore. They list the Pure Golds as being available in 5 shot. However, those may be British shot sizes, which means their 5's are basically our 6's.

If I were you, with just an ounce of shot, I don't think I'd go anything larger than 5's. They'll do a good job on December roosters and will give you better pattern density than 4's.

What Larry said. 1 oz of number 4s is only 135 pellets.

Best,
Ted