doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Kent Bismuth

Refer to L Brown and Rev Drew below.

Larry, there's still some "good" 12 gauge TM Kent 2 1/2 No. 5 fibre 30 gram around but you have to ask your Kent distributer to bring in what you want by the case from England. I believe the pressure is 6500.

Kent's current 12 gauge TM 1 1/4 at 1500fps---claimed, I think, at 9900psi---will tip you over if you're wrong-footed on high-angle shot. Wouldn't use it in vintage doubles, bought a Beretta 686 to handle it but it's still too much unnecessary boom for me.

Why do they do it? That 2 1/2-inch will do anything the other can do.

You can't figure the tons by multiplying x 2,000 or even 2,200. It is indeed a service pressure rather than a proof pressure. Ithaca1 has the 850 bar proof pressure correct, converted to psi as measured with a transducer. (If you multiply x 14.5, you get LUP rather than psi, because those bar numbers are lead crusher.) Service pressure for an 850 bar gun is 10,730 psi as measured by a transducer. That's straight from the Birmingham Proofhouse.

King, I agree that the Kent TM stuff normally sold on this side of the pond is way too hot for vintage guns. Although the pressure is low on the 2 1/2" Kent stuff, they're no pussycats to shoot in a light game gun either. But then they're not target loads, and you likely won't be shooting a whole bunch of them in a day. (And if you do, it will get very expensive!)

Kent used to make 1 1/4 oz 16ga TM loads. I don't hunt ducks very often, but I did shoot a few of those in a light game gun (but modern: Bernardelli). Made some impressive kills, but they'd rattle my teeth in that gun.

I was so disappointed with results of bismuth loads that I gave away about 10 boxes to a duck hunter friend. I had used them on some preserve pheasants for an old dogs last hunt. All six birds were very lightly crippled as if I were shooting very light loads of very small shot. It did give the old girl a good workout, though!! This was about 7 or 8 years ago. These came in green boxes and I don't remember the company that loaded them. Hopefully the new stuff is much better.

Refer to L Brown and Rev Drew below.

I did the same but sold all of my old Bismuth Cartridge Company and my Kent TM 16 gauge shells and bought RST's 'Nice' shot, 2 1/2 inch, 16 gauge shells.

But now I find that those shells are hard to find. Glad I bought a bunch of them a few years ago.

What is the velocity on those 6500 psi loads?

SRH

I wish I had been that recipient. I find Bismuth #4s to work very well in my handholds, at moderate velocity. I load 1 1/16 oz. in AA hulls for one of my Foxes, and if I hit 'em I kill 'em. I don't understand the issues some people say they have had. I sure haven't, they work equally as good as 1500 fps steel loads for me in my BSS.

SRH

In hand loads sure, but their factory loadings are brutal.