doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Pressures of light 12 gauge target loads?

Tut, if you decide to do that, I think you'd be wise to try to duplicate the ballistics of the old standard live pigeon load, which was 1 1/4 oz shot at 1220 fps. Just glancing at a couple reloading manuals, looks like you can get down to 8500 psi or a little less pressure. I've found that to be a load that patterns extremely well and is deadly on roosters as far out as I want to shoot them.

Have some IMR 4756 unopened and found a load for 1 1/4 oz using AA cases that comes in at 8200 PSI. Speed is 1275 FPS. Seems like just the ticket. That will be the load of choice it appears. Sounds like that could be pretty easy on the old girl.

This started out as a Light Load Q.
Light loads to me would be 1oz or 7/8ths...going at a moderate speed.
Now we are talking 1 1/4oz pushing 1300 fps...not a light load to me.Recoil might be harsh?
But I only load for clays....can't say I've ever fired 1 1/4oz loads....don't need em....could be rough on the gun in volume???
good luck
franc

Didn't need to ruffle feathers on thi. This thread (which I started) did indeed start out as a light load question on factory shells for informal clay shooting etc. However, that said I also plan on using this same gun for hunting and hunting out west over flushing dogs. If I handload and keep the pressures at circa 8200 CUP, it seems like this would be a practical load to use on occasion. No steady diet of course, but if I've got birds getting up consistently at 25 yards in a stiff Kansas wind a bigger payload (at reduced pressure) seems to be in order. In short, this thread morphed a bit. Perhaps I should have started a new thread asking the other question about hunting loads, but it just progressed this way. I'll try to stay on topic next time. Thanks for the replies thus far.

No,tut,it's a great segue, and it ties in with the thread on pressure and recoil. So, the big question is whether your sterlingworth is heavy enough to handle the load. How much does it weigh. Justin

Justin, you may be thinking the old British "rule of 96": the gun ought to weigh 96X the shot charge. That's not bad thinking, and it'd mean you'd want a gun of around 7 1/2# if you're shooting 1 1/4 oz.

Personally, I think if you're only shooting 1 1/4 oz occasionally, and especially if you're shooting lower velocities--like we've been talking about, as opposed to the 3 3/4 DE (1330 fps) longtime standard American load (not to mention the newer ones, pushing up to 1500 fps)--you're OK with a slightly lighter gun. I have a (modern) Miroku sxs, about 6 3/4, in which I'd use such loads. But with the pheasant limit being no more than 3 everywhere except Kansas, I'd hope that I wouldn't shoot more than about 5 of them a day.

The gun as is currently weighs 7 lbs 6 oz. However that gun will soon morph into something lighter as it is in the business of being customized. I'm hoping for slightly less then 7 lbs when all is said and done.

A couple decades or so ago I used to load a similar 1 1/4 0z. load using 4756 powder,#5 hard shot and an Alcan Flitemax wad that was buffered. Somewhere around here I saved a pattern I fired that was 97% at 40 yds with 3 pellets just outside the 30" circle and that was from a choke of .025 thou. It was my favourite duck load.
Boy, were those ever the good old days!!!!! Best part, they were about $5.00 a box. Sigh......

L., I was thinking that and all that was posted on the recoil thread you participated in. So,tut should check out the underside of the barrels and see what # Fox stamped on it.
I am afraid to ask about the customizing,tut,but just like staring at the car crash; what are you having done?

Tut,
If a long range pheasant load is the need, also consider #5 shot (US). I've had nothing but great success with #5 in modern and damascus guns, mostly with 1 oz loads in the 20g and damascus 12g guns. I do tend to shoot a bit tighter choke than most would recommend, but I'm very happy with the results.