doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Various 2-1/2 inch loads for damascus

Possibly the easiest and most available factory load is the Winchester AA low-noise, low-recoil load. Even though it's a 2 3/4" shell, the 6,200 psi is low enough for use in 2 1/2" chambers. It would be suitable for Trap and smaller birds, and runs about $8 per box in most of the country.

Two things - first, you can shoot 2 3/4" shells in your 2 1/2" chambered gun -the pressure doesn't go up that much, so if you're shooting low pressure there's no worry. Second, if you find a low pressure 2 3/4 load use it in your 2 1/2" shell, at least that's what I do. Good luck - Paul

Tim, I believe just about all American manufacturers list their pressures as being "within SAMI specifications", which means no more than 11,500 psi. That keeps them out of the courthouse. As sensitive as they are to legal liability claims they would probably list a firecracker as within the maximum.

JDW, you're misinterpreting what I said. I'm referring to FACTORY shells, not reloads. But my point is this: Just because you test a particular factory load and find that it produces a pressure of, say, 9,500 psi, you cannot be confident that the exact same load--same company, same shot charge, same velocity (or dram equivalent) marked on the box--will produce the same pressure if it comes from a different lot. Ammunition makers vary the powders that they use. They don't worry about pressure, other than to make sure that they stay under the 11,500 psi SAAMI service pressure ceiling. The next shell you have pressure tested may develop 8,000 psi or it may develop 11,000 psi if those shells are from different lots. But they will all be quite close to one another in velocity, because velocity is the constant towards which the ammo companies work.

Even though my point was in reference to factory loads, it's easy enough to confirm by looking at reloading books. You can have higher pressure loads that produce lower velocity than lower pressure loads. And you can have a higher pressure load and a lower pressure load that produce the same velocity. If we shoot vintage guns, we worry about pressure. Winchester, Federal, and Remington do NOT worry about pressure other than not exceeding the SAAMI maximum because their loads are not designed for our guns. Their major concern is sticking to whatever velocity is marked on the box. RST, on the other hand--making shells designed for our vintage guns--will focus on pressure. For obvious reasons.