doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Has anyone tried 3/4 oz 12 ga loads

I like shooting old sxs and having low recoil. I usually shoot 7/8 oz loads but recently saw something on 3/4 oz 12 ga and thought wow what a great idea. Most of the targets I shoot on sporting courses are within 30-35 yards.

Great loads at recreational skeet distances, but unobtainable since the pandemic
https://kentcartridge.com/shotshell/elite-low-recoil-training

Out of stock
https://www.luckygunner.com/12-gauge-2-1-2-3-4-oz-8-shot-kent-elite-low-recoil-training-25-rounds

Possibly in stock
https://topammomag.com/product/kent-elite-low-recoil-training-12-ga-2-5-3-4oz-25rd-box/

Please let us know where you find some.

I use 5/8oz and have for a few yrs. Before that 3/4oz was my favorite.
Most all my guns are Full choke so range is not an issue. Either will reach easily to 40yds and a bit beyond and break birds.

I started loading yrs back with a low pressure recipe right out of the Lyman manual. It was for a 1oz (7/8oz?) load. Then I just kept reducing the shot load a little bit at a time. Still using the same wad. I just fill the extra space over the small shot load with a couple Cheerios and they crimp perfectly. I'm not choosey about hulls either but I know that'll make many worry.
No problems, everythings still in one piece incl me. All pre WW2 guns and many pre WW1. Some Damascus too.

The orig recipe was using Clays. When that got hard to find a few yrs back, I switched to ClayDot. Use the same 'bushing' in the MEC9000. I think it drops 14.4gr. A little bit heavier than what it did with Clays. But that's what it said it would do.

Skeet & SC w/a Trap gun,,,long range fun.

I've used and have numerous flats of those Kent Elite 2 1/2" 3/4 oz target loads. Shoot them out of all of my vintage guns. Like them a lot.

My friend has shot 3/4 oz loads for skeet and sporting clays out of his lightweight French 12 bore for years. He is a pretty good shot and it never seems to hold him back. He loads red dot in a Win AA or REM STS with the claybuster pink wads.

Link to the data http://www.claybusterwads.com/index.php/winchester-style/53-cb0175-12-load-data

I shoot both 3/4 ounce loads in the 12 and 20. The 20 gauge version is great and will smoke Skeet targets. The 12 is a great low recoil option, for new shooters. Either will handle Sporting Clay targets with authority. Often it is more an issue of getting proper wads and adjusting stack height. They work well in 2 1/2" hulls and you don't need to use any filler.

I was loading and shooting 3/4 ounce 12 gauge loads several years ago and they shot fine.

I went a step further, actually lesser, and started loading and shooting 1/2 ounce 12 gauge loads.

I had them tested about 8 years ago by Tom Armbrust. Pressure around 5500 psi and the speed is about 1350 fps.

I use 14.0 grains of Alliant Extra Light powder, Claybuster CB0175-12 pink wads for 3/4 ounce with a 0.620" diameter (20 gauge) by 0.135" thick nitro card in the bottom. Remington Gun Clubs, STS's, Nitro Golds and/or Win AACF hulls. Any available primer.

I get those nitro cards from Craig Smith of Circle Fly Wads in PA.

They crimp and shoot fine. Sound OK too. Pretty much no recoil.

A very good trap shooter was at the club and usually shoots 25 straight. I had him try a box of my 1/2 ounce loads, #8's. He got 24 out of 25 and said he couldn't blame the miss on the ammo.

I've probably loaded and shot around 20,000+ of them in the last 8 years.

PS: I shoot with Kutter above who shoots his 5/8 ounce loads. Amazing how well they shoot. And him.

Almost 40 years ago the rangemaster at a local military skeet range gave me a recipe for 2.75" and 3/4 oz. that I used to teach a 12 year old boy to shoot. To show it wasn't just a boy's load, I used it when we shot doves out of a 3200. It was deadly and a pleasure to shoot out of an 8 lbs. gun. Only specific component I recall was Win AA hulls, solid brass heads. Gil

I've shot them for years at recreational skeet in the 20ga. Ever since Claybuster introduced a very good 3/4 oz wad, reloading 3/4 oz for the 20 is a piece of cake. Makes volume shooting light guns much more enjoyable. And there are now enough published formulas for 3/4 oz 20s that you can probably find a powder that's actually available.

Our local sporting clay shoot sometimes offers 21 gram (3/4 ounce) cartridges.

I find that I can shoot just as badly with them as with 28 gram loads.