doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com light 20 ga loads

Good evening Gentleman
Just pickup a Escort youth model 20 ga for the grand daughter. She is a petite little thing that loves to shoot she is only 8 years old, the same age I started her father. What I need is a load for soft shooting load for it. I don't want to start buying 1 pound bottles of powder and different components to see which one really is the softest, so I am coming to you gentleman to get your vast knowledge. Please don't tell me to look it up in a reloading book that is not going to tell me if it is soft shooting. Thank you in advance for your help.
Pete

Pete, generally speaking, "soft shooting" means reduced payload and/or velocity, because those are the most important factors where recoil is concerned. Most of the 3/4 oz loads should be pretty soft. One I like uses 3/4 ounce in an AA hull, Win primer and wad, 13.5 grains of American Select. With that load, you should be able to adjust your reloader so that you don't need any filler. Works that way for me anyhow.

Ditto what Larry said, as well as 13 grains of either Green Dot or International Clays should you have those on hand. The Green Dot load clocks 1190 fps from my gun and cycles the 391 20ga auto I use for training. With minor adjustments you can get acceptable crimps with any Win or Rem hull, primo or promo.

Mike "Mr. Fox" Campbell has a 391?????? Say it idnt so!

Does "soft shooting" necessarily refer to "low pressure"?

Anyone have recipes for Low Pressure?

Thanks.

I fixed it, Chuck!

"NO"
Recoil is a direct reaction of the weight of all being ejected, (includes shot, wads & powder) vs the velocity they attain. Pressuire is not evan an entry in the recoil formula.

Most 3/4 oz MEC 502 bars actually throw just under 11/16 oz magnum #8.5s. Agree with the 13 gr GD charge, I have gone as high as 14 gr for 5 stand. You can use old-style comp-formed AAs, STS, or GCs interchangeably. If you use new AAs you will give up about 35 fps. Best wad, IME, for the comp formed hulls is the OEM WWAA20. You should not need to make any press adjustment, nor will you see a need for filler using this wad.

I do not know pressures on this load. I do know the load parameters are below published 3/4 oz data that is available. Factor in the sub-11/16 oz payload, too.

The load will not cycle either of my 391s. If you substitute 14.5-15 gr Unique you ought to cycle most 1100s, and usually 391s (except in January!). Port pressure is what matters to gas guns.

Sam

ETA, 11-12 gr Promo/Clays/RD works great with a 5/8 oz shot bushing (which actually dumps about 9/16 oz). But be advised you may wish to use filler. Some don't like filler. I've loaded tens of thousands of these weenies using 1-2 kernels of puffed rice on top of the shot. You may need to make some small press adjustments to get crimps right, too.

Hard to get really low pressure with the 20, like you can with the 12. The American Select load I posted, although light, is not particularly low pressure--but well within SAAMI 20ga parameters.

3/4 oz. #8, 13.1 gr. Hodgdon International, STS or Gun Club hull, with WAA20 (Winchester, not clones) wad...sweet load!