doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com reloading for my 2 1/2"

burch - do you have some reason for not loading low pressure light loads in 2 3/4" hulls? I shoot lots of them and have not ever had a problem. Check for loads of 7/8 oz shot with the Claybuster "Lightening" wad. For sure you can make fine 2 1/2" reloads, but they are always more trouble/work than using 2 3/4". Sherman Bell found in a series of tests that 2 3/4" hulls in a 2 1/2" chamber gave a pressure rise of 0 - 15% above the same load in a 2 3/4" chamber. That is, a 2 3/4" load 7000 psi load in a 2 1/2" chamber could give up to about 8000 psi, a pressure that should be well within the guns operating range. I fully understand those that "want" to shoot 2 1/2", but I will argue that it is rarely "necessary" to do so.

I made a cutter with Jim Legg's advice and pictures. It was easy and hulls surprising cut like butter down to 2 1/2". I used a 20 gauge overshot card to keep the shot from falling out. It worked very well and the confetti coming out the front of the barrel often raised a chuckle. It took me twice as long to make the shells using the overhsot card. I think it is called a Harten crimp. The nice thng about it is that you can use a marker or bingo dot maker to color code your loads.

Time is short and I would rather be out shooting or hunting so I read the info that Rocketman is talking about and decided to use 2 3/4" Remington hulls and use a lower pressure combo to make up for the possibility that the longer hull raised the pressure 10 percent. I use gun club remington hulls because they are thinner than STS or Nitro hulls so when they open into the forcing cone it would restrict less.

I chose an IMR load at around 5K pressure and I have been very happy with it. Around 20grains of PB, Claybuster wad and 1 oz shot for a low 5K pressure around 1150 feet/second. Works in warm and cold weather. Stay away from 7625 powder. Too many bad stories and not good in cold weather.

Acually, my chamber is 2-9/16" I just figured it would be a lot easier reloading a 2-1/2" shell since i`ll have to modify my press. Now if you all think I can still shoot a 2-3/4" shell loaded to low pressures that`s all the better `cause I won`t have to modify anything. I just don`t wanna push this `ole double to an early grave `cause i`ll never be able to afford another one.

Burch,
I shoot a full length Federal Gold Medal paper hull (2 3/4") in my Ithaca and Parker damascus guns. I have pressure data (measured) showing my load is about 6500 psi in a 2 9/16 chamber. The load is: Fed paper hull, Fed 209A primer, 17.5 grains of Hodgdon Clays powder, Fed 12S3 wad, 1 oz of shot of choice (I use this load for 7 1/2 and 5 shot with only shot size changes for dove, quail, and pheasant). This load produces a very consistant 1150 fps.

I like this load so much, I occasionally use it in a modern gun.

O.K. let me say this. So why can`t we just shoot ( other than just customizing your load ) a standard 2 3/4" light factory load like say a Remington STS Light Target or Low Recoil. They run around 1150 FPS or less, 1 1/8oz., 2 3/4 DR.EQ. ?

Burch, you might find that some 2 3/4" labeled shells don't actually measure that long. I have measured a couple that are as short as 2.62". Regardless, I believe the evidence is overwhelming that you can use a shell 1/4" longer than the actual chamber without a noticeable increase in chamber pressure.

Skip

It depends. 1 1/8 oz. can be tough on the old wood during recoil regardless what it says on the box. You need to find out what the pressure these loads are. They might be high which is tough on the chamber and breech. Your meaning and their meaning of light loads and recoil may be very different.

Burch
If you can find a factory load that produces pressures compatible with your gun, you CAN shoot them in your gun. The issue is more one of finding pressure data on a factory load. I've called Federal and asked about pressure for a particular load. They were not evasive, but only provided that "... they liked to keep the pressure around xxxx." Others here have cautioned that pressures may vary greatly for a load since only the velocity is 'promised' on the load and powders are sourced from the cheapest supplier. I would challenge that claim on a premium shell like the STS and AA and possibly other better lines. I haven't seen any convincing evidence of that activity by the ammo makers.

But, just the same, I'd recommend you poke around in the premium target ammo lines and find something that looks promising on the pressure and send it to Tom Armbrust for testing.

Frankly, though, I've found it easier to load for just the specialty ammo for my damascus guns and buy factory ammo for the modern guns. Currently, I have only one setup for 12g damascus guns, the load I mentioned above. I find it simplifies life a bit to just change the shot size for the different types of bird hunting. Sure, I could go down to 7/8 oz for the dove/quail load and back to the 1 oz or maybe even 1 1/8 oz for the pheasant load. But I have found it makes little real difference in the end.

One of the loads i`ve found using the Rem STS hulls are 1180fps/7300psi with a 1-oz, 2 1/2" hull. I`ve contacted BP and their working me up something but they say the Rem hulls aren`t that good for roll crimp ( anything to complicate the matter ) I`m looking for a load using the 2-3/4" hull. If I can find something at that speed and pressure I think i`ll be fine with it.

Burch,
I use the papers partly out of nostalgia and partly to easily ID my low pressure loads. All of my paper loads are for the damascus guns. Easy and prevents mistakes.