Sporting Clay Loads...recipe

Is anyone reloading for Sporting Clays, and willing to share their recipe? Shot weight, powder etc.
I'm a rather unconventional shooter using my favorite Double 12 Gauge. It's a Herald Simpson. Most are using Auto's or Over and Unders.
I get some looks when I show up and hear some under currents from people.
In fact I use my double for almost everything like Rabbit and pheasant, but I eat well.

I just like the feel and comfort of the old gun. It's a steel barrel so I can use most loads available to me but would like to start reloading my own.
Need some guidance from anyone with good results Clays.

I used to shoot 12Ga WW AA Hull, Win white wad 1 1/8 of 7 1/2 Hard Shot & 18.5 grs of 700X.

OR

12 WW AA Hull, Win White Wad, 1 1/8oz of 7 1/2 Hard Shot & 16.5grs of Clays. A bit slower, but lower pressure too, easier on the shoulder.

And Win 209, you need a closed primer with the ball powder.

I don’t really differentiate my loads other then shot size between skeet trap sporting and dove . I also don’t differentiate my loads between the Remington STS hulls and the Winchester AA . Usually anymore my 12 gauge loads be it handloaded or factory are an ounce . You’re not as unconventional as you might think , there are many folks I’m friends with that shoot a plethora of SxS guns . I generally shoot a pair of Parker VH 12’s and a pair of Parker Grade 2 12 gauge top lever hammer guns . Although if I go to a course that allows it I’ll take a Parker 10 gauge or two . Sometimes I drag along a relatively nice Parker VH 16 and or a Parker VHE 20 . I’ve found I can miss equally well with o/u , SxS , 10 , 12 16 and 20 LOL’s

You made reference to your gun having steel barrels which I take to mean fluid steel . Everything I load for clay targets and dove are safe in damascus or twist steel barreled guns that are sound . Instead of differentiating between Fluid and Damascus loads I just shoot low pressure in them all then there’s no chance of shooting a hotter load in a non fluid steel gun . Of the doubles I regularly shoot five are fluid steel and a dozen are not .

I am like 6pt-sika, if I am shooting a 12 then most likely it is a 1 oz load running 1250 or so. My guns are mostly fixed choke pump guns so I am a bit different as well. I like tite wad or red dot and just follow the book for my normal gun club hulls. It is way more important how you point the gun than minor details about loads. Generally I will be found shooting small gages, or a 16 so I use lots of #8 shot and it finds its way into the 12ga as well. If I am really serious I get out the target O U ,a 1966 Superposed and feed it 1 oz in #8 or #7 1/2 depending on the course. It is choked tight and tighter, a bunker gun in the past. Incidentally, the short suggests tubes from briley in 20ga open the patterns and turn that Super into a decent skeet gun. Let you shoot those nice old doubles even more! Sporting kinda makes up for not hunting as much anymore.

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Originally Posted by rking22

If I am really serious I get out the target O U ,a 1966 Superposed and feed it 1 oz in #8 or #7 1/2 depending on the course. It is choked tight and tighter, a bunker gun in the past. Incidentally, the short suggests tubes from briley in 20ga open the patterns and turn that Super into a decent skeet gun. Let you shoot those nice old doubles even more! Sporting kinda makes up for not hunting as much anymore.

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OMG don’t get me started on the Superposed LOL’s ! When I was growing up I woulda gotten my butt beat if I brought any O/U except a Superposed , Remington 32 or a K-32 in the house ! At that time it was still don’t buy any guns made in Japan. Now of course a Purdey or Boss O/U woulda been fine but there was no way Ida got my hands on one of them except thru theft LOL’s . I’ve got Superposed now in all four gauges although it took awhile to get the 28 and 410 . Incidentally the second Superposed I got was a circa 1969 12 Magnum 30” mod and full . That thing makes an awesome sporting gun and I’ve run more then a few straight rounds at the 16 yard line .

GP Shell AA HULL, WWA 1 1/8 WAD and 7.5, 8 or 9s with 23/4D load of Clays

Titer core WAA, 1 OZ WAD, 1 Oz 8s and green dot for 1200

28 ga claybuster with a AA hull and Universal with 8.5s

410, Rem ribbed hull, Fed wad and 296

I never really did much experimenting on loads, just got lucky the first time. I use the CB 7/8oz. wads, with 7.5 shot and 17grs of RD in Remington hulls, and Winchester primers. SPS, Nitro's, gun club , sport loads hulls all pretty much the same. That load patterns very well in my shotguns, full choke to IC. I'm thinking its around 1200fps. They just don't cycle the A-5 type guns very well!

Thanks to all! Great reading and information. I'll be reading and re-reading this post for a while.
Yes, we're talking Fluid Steel 6pt-Zika. Like the rest of you, it's how it feels and carries in the field that matters. That's why I love it.

So, what press(s) are you using for this reload?

I have to get back to that uncles home again I spoke about in another post about "hidden finds", and continue cleaning it out. But my aunt told me she saw a "Red Thing called Lee" and has no idea what it is. But it has a big wide handle on it. At least she's not tossing things out without checking first!

I'll keep you posted as to what it is, but what do you all suggest anyways?

Thanks for the help and interest.

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Originally Posted by sailcaptain

So, what press(s) are you using for this reload?

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At the moment I have MEC 9000’s for the 12 , 16 , 20 and 28 , a MEC Grabber for the 410 and I use MEC 600JR’s for 12 , 16 and 20 buckshot , Bismuth and slugs . A MEC Steelmaster for 12 gauge 3” and a MEC Sizemaster for 10 gauge 2 7/8” clays , birds , Bismuth , buckshot and slugs .

All MEC here also. 9000s ,12,28,and 410. A grabber in 20 and 600jr for 3 inch 410 as well as misc in all the others. I keep the 20 and 16 setup all the time and trade out the others in the same bench space. The 9000 in 12 ga has loaded well over 100,000 rounds of 24 gram international loads, and I bought it used! One of the 600s was my first loader back in 75, still running strong. Really hard to beat a 600 for hunting and casual targets, like 100 a week. When you want 500+ a week the 9000 or grabber become worthwhile.

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Originally Posted by rking22

All MEC here also. 9000s ,12,28,and 410. A grabber in 20 and 600jr for 3 inch 410 as well as misc in all the others. I keep the 20 and 16 setup all the time and trade out the others in the same bench space. The 9000 in 12 ga has loaded well over 100,000 rounds of 24 gram international loads, and I bought it used! One of the 600s was my first loader back in 75, still running strong. Really hard to beat a 600 for hunting and casual targets, like 100 a week. When you want 500+ a week the 9000 or grabber become worthwhile.

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Of all the MEC stuff I mentioned all was bought used except the 9000 16 , 600JR 16 , Sizemaster 10 and two I didn’t mention a 600JR 10 and a 650 16 . I actually have a pair of 9000 28’s got them both used at prices I couldn’t turn down , but the same could be said about the 9000 12 and the 20 . Thirty years ago I used Ponsness Warren exclusively but when I gave up competitive skeetznd trap all the PW stuff except my the PW Mettalic II headed down the road (they were ALL purchased new). When I decided to get back into reloading for shotguns I lucked into several very good deals if I say so myself ;)

As an update to my earlier post....I've been going back and forth between cleaning the house and cleaning out the house.
It turns out that I now have a Lee Single stage Press. It was in a .45 cal Ball Ammo Can along with 20 M1 Garand ammo clips (empty) and an M1 Bandolier with clips and cardboard liners (empty also). I have yet to find any dies or for that matter any other reloading tools. Now have it mounted on my bench. Sure it will serve a purpose.
I'll be looking for the ammo to go along with those clips.
Attachment 238492. Attachment 238493. Attachment 238494

I shoot 1 oz for practice but always 1 1/8 oz when it matters.

Why send fewer soldiers to battle?