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Thread: 12 gauge OO buckshot loads

  1. #1
    Boolit Bub seabat0603's Avatar
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    12 gauge OO buckshot loads

    I am new to casting buckshot for my 12 gauge. I have a lee mold on the way as I write this. The components I have on hand right now are: long shot powder, Remington premier sts, nitro gold hulls and nitro 27 hulls. wads I have are as follows: cb waa12r, cb waa12f114, cb waa12, rem r12l, rem sp12, and rem tgt12. What I am looking for is info on defensive/combat loads for my home. Does anyone have the same components I have listed above? Any info would help. I am trying to use what I have on hand if at all possible. If anyone has a really good load that is close to what I have component wise please add your comments. All help will be welcomed.

  2. #2
    Boolit Buddy
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    For shooting inside your home in an HD situation what you have is pretty close to perfect. I wouldn't put Longshot as my first choice for a light recoiling defense load, but it will do if that's all you have. I would recommend any of the Rem hulls and either the WAA12 or R12L wads with between 19 to 21 grains of Green Dot. Stacking home cast "00" by 2's (an 8 pellet load) I can get a nice even 6" to 12" pattern from 7 to 15 yards (which for HD is about perfect) using 21-22 grains of Green Dot. At those pressures it really doesn't matter what primer you use, but if you work up beyond 21 grains you'd better check your load against published data.

    Now for Longshot.......that is one fast moving powder. I love Longshot for some types of loads, but it does push at both ends and makes tactical shooting more of a challenge (for me anyway). Since you didn't specify what type of buckshot you intend to use, I suggest you go here and check out lead shot data for Longshot and Remington Premier hulls that matches the weight of your intended load.

    My advice, and I am only speaking about what works best in my Mossberg 590, is not to get greedy with your lead. An 8 pellet load of "00" inside a shot cup has worked better for me than trying to cram 9 balls into the cup. If you want 9 "00" or even 9 "0" it works best to cut the petals off the wad and stack your shot in layers of three. You may need to put a hard card underneath the shot to adjust your crimp height. For these type of loads--meaning ones that don't' require a tight pattern like a hunting load does--I use cards punched out of cardboard or (my new favorite) the foam display boards like the ones kids use at school for projects. #1 Buckshot should fit in your wads in layers of three. #4 buckshot is just a matter of finding out how many pellets you can dump in the wad to get a good crimp, and then (using shot data)matching your powder charge to the weight of that amount of lead.

    I shoot a bunch of low recoil HD rounds when I play "gravel pit warrior"! I find target shot loads have enough punch to do the job, and still let you recover quickly for your next shot. Hunting loads are a whole other story........

    Hope this helps.



    edit: I added a chart to help you figure out the weight of your shot. Be sure to "round up" when choosing a shot load recipe.









    http://data.hodgdon.com/shotshell_load.asp
    Last edited by diehard; 04-11-2011 at 09:06 PM. Reason: added chart

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy 300winmag's Avatar
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    http://data.hodgdon.com/shotshell_load.asp
    There is more listed in the Lyman 5th edition.
    happy loading
    300winmag
    As I was told when I was a child; your elders will make you smarter if you listen. Then when you are older your elders will teach you WISDOM.
    300winmag

  4. #4
    Boolit Master pls1911's Avatar
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    Diehard is right on... my own load is 19.5 g Green Dot, W12AA wad, and 8 pellets from a Lee 00 buckshot mold, 2 wide x 4 high stack... in a Win AA hull perfect TIGHT 8 point crimp, all pellets inside the cup and blows through 6 rounds in a Remington 1100 or 10 rounds through a Saiga in less than 3 seconds... Big grins.... And an 870 or Mossberg 500 isn't significantly slower in experienced hands...
    4" pattern with an IC choke at 20 paces, 1250 fps... RIPS Coyotes
    Cheap, effective, FUN!!
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    Last edited by pls1911; 04-11-2011 at 10:57 PM.

  5. #5
    Boolit Bub seabat0603's Avatar
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    has anyone used long shot in their reloads? What does cutting the pedals off the wad do to your pattern?

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy
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    has anyone used long shot in their reloads?
    I made some decent turkey loads with Longshot last year, and also terrorized the squirrel woods with 20 gauge loads stuffed with it. It really shines in the 20 gauge and .575" RB also. I have shot a few 12 ga Lee slugs made from 1 1/8 oz shot recipes that did pretty well. The few buckshot rounds I tried it with were very open and uneven, which seemed to indicate to me that I needed to slow the load down or use a stiffer wad. I like the stuff, but the velocities are fast and the recoil sharp, and you really need a heavy load to take advantage of its full burn curve. I have only gone through a pound of the stuff, so I am not even close to being an authority on it, however. Maybe others have had different experiences. I'd like to get more of it and experiment with some of the new steel wads I've acquired so I can make some reloads worthy of its name!

    What does cutting the pedals off the wad do to your pattern?
    The act of cutting off the petals on buckshot loads puts the pattern entirely at the mercy of your choke--unless of course you use a teflon or mylar shot strip inside the hull to help diminish the effect of barrel scrub and keep the layers together a tad longer as they leave the barrel. With really hard, hard buckshot and a teflon strip you can get really good, tight hunting loads, loaded this way, especially if the right choke tube is used. My 500 with a modified tube does ok at moderate buckshot ranges, and my Stevens double really patterns well with these type loads through modified and full choked barrels. I must admit, because the teflon strips I bought came in a pack of 50 I haven't played all that much with them, and I used most of them to try in long range turkey loads. Patterns are gun specific though, because the general rule is (according the masters like Mr. Gates, and others) the bigger the shot the less constriction of choke you should use.



    For close range HD rounds, however, the effect on the pattern is minimal, although I admit my standards are not all that stringent. Whether I cast my homemade buck hard or soft, I'm very happy with a concentric pattern that stays centered on an 18" wide cardboard silhouette when fired through an 18" cylinder bore.. At seven yards most any carefully assembled load will do that pretty well. In fact with harder shot I really like the patterns from loads made this way, as they cover a chest cavity-sized target well. Put too much velocity in them and I get stringing-type pattens that I appreciate less. Note: in direct answer to your question virtually all commercial buckshot was made this way before new tactical loads and flite-control type wads came along. Try it...your gun just might like them.

    There are a bunch of folks on this board that undoubtedly load better performance buckshot rounds than I do. I admit I just play around practicing tactical reloading and stuff like that. I have assembled buck that goes bang and hits cardboard and am confident that my reloads will kill zombies if need arises.

    Hope this helped.

    die
    Last edited by diehard; 04-12-2011 at 08:18 PM. Reason: grammar

  7. #7
    Boolit Bub seabat0603's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by diehard View Post
    For shooting inside your home in an HD situation what you have is pretty close to perfect. I wouldn't put Longshot as my first choice for a light recoiling defense load, but it will do if that's all you have. I would recommend any of the Rem hulls and either the WAA12 or R12L wads with between 19 to 21 grains of Green Dot. Stacking home cast "00" by 2's (an 8 pellet load) I can get a nice even 6" to 12" pattern from 7 to 15 yards (which for HD is about perfect) using 21-22 grains of Green Dot. At those pressures it really doesn't matter what primer you use, but if you work up beyond 21 grains you'd better check your load against published data.

    Now for Longshot.......that is one fast moving powder. I love Longshot for some types of loads, but it does push at both ends and makes tactical shooting more of a challenge (for me anyway). Since you didn't specify what type of buckshot you intend to use, I suggest you go here and check out lead shot data for Longshot and Remington Premier hulls that matches the weight of your intended load.

    My advice, and I am only speaking about what works best in my Mossberg 590, is not to get greedy with your lead. An 8 pellet load of "00" inside a shot cup has worked better for me than trying to cram 9 balls into the cup. If you want 9 "00" or even 9 "0" it works best to cut the petals off the wad and stack your shot in layers of three. You may need to put a hard card underneath the shot to adjust your crimp height. For these type of loads--meaning ones that don't' require a tight pattern like a hunting load does--I use cards punched out of cardboard or (my new favorite) the foam display boards like the ones kids use at school for projects. #1 Buckshot should fit in your wads in layers of three. #4 buckshot is just a matter of finding out how many pellets you can dump in the wad to get a good crimp, and then (using shot data)matching your powder charge to the weight of that amount of lead.

    I shoot a bunch of low recoil HD rounds when I play "gravel pit warrior"! I find target shot loads have enough punch to do the job, and still let you recover quickly for your next shot. Hunting loads are a whole other story........

    Hope this helps.



    edit: I added a chart to help you figure out the weight of your shot. Be sure to "round up" when choosing a shot load recipe.









    http://data.hodgdon.com/shotshell_load.asp
    they dont list loads with longshot powder

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy
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    they dont list loads with longshot powder
    The Hodgdon Data site lists hundreds of loads with Longshot powder, including 55 with Remington Nitro/STS hulls! They do not list buckshot loads, probably because Longshot is a poor performer for buckshot anyway, as I previously stated. However if you want to use Longshot for your loads, as stated above, weigh your buckshot and use an load intended for a lead shot load of the same weight.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master Ole's Avatar
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    Many thanks to the members that posted the useful info in this thread.

    I made up my first shotgun reloads tonight and probably would have had a heck of a time trying to load 3 rows of 3 00 buckshot, but 4 rows of 2 fit great. I can't wait to see how they shoot!

    My load was Remington plastic cases, W209 primers, 19 grains of Green dot, WAA12 wads and 8 pieces of 00 buck stacked in 4x2 formation.

    This site is awesome!

  10. #10
    Boolit Bub
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    Being an old goose hunter I used HS-6 and 7 a lot so that is what I use with 9 balls and get a good crimp. I cast a #1 ball. My loads are all 2 3/4" as I have thousands of AA and Rem hulls.

  11. #11
    Vendor Sponsor
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    Been thinking about trying to load buckshot with the Lee mold. Read over a few posts and most questions already answered, that's one more reason I love this forum. I have been reloading rifle/pistol and casting for both for 25+ years, but never a single shotgun round. thinking about starting cheap with a Lee single stage, advice please, thanks, john

  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by seabat0603 View Post
    has anyone used long shot in their reloads? What does cutting the pedals off the wad do to your pattern?
    I haven't used Longshot but I have used wads without petals, because that may let you efficiently load more pellets. The effect on the pattern is more holes! You really oughta pattern your loads and see how easy it is to miss a big piece of paper.
    What mold are you getting?
    Just because change doesn't make a difference doesn't mean that change is bad.

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy
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    I just loaded and shot my first 00 bucks a few days ago. The recoil was not bad shooting a Stevens 350 (heavy shotgun).

    Hulls: Winchester Universal and AA's
    Powder: 30.2 gr 7625
    Replacement wad for WAA12R
    CCI 209 primer
    9pellets 00 buck.

    7yds: 7-8" pattern

    With the Lee mold, Ive found that keeping the lead hot helps...I keep my Lee pot on a setting of 7. Drop the pot to 6 and I dont get a fill.

    I collapsed/folded 2 Universal hulls trying to get 10 loaded shells on the Lee Load-All. Walls are thin. I figure they are a cheap alternative for fire and forget hulls.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master John in WI's Avatar
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    Have you already settled on OO as the shot size of choice?

    I do NOT want to start a flame war here. This is just my own personal thought on HD shotgunning. But it seems to me that the real power of a shotgun is in the "multiple hit" department. Sure--an OO pellet at that range is somewhere around a 9mm in ballistics. And 8 or 9 of them would truly be horrible.

    But for my personal HD loads I use either #1 or alternating layers of #1 and #F buck. I actually like the duplex load a LOT for this kind of thing. I can fit 21 #F pellets (they are .22) and 3 #1 pellets, and keep the weight under 7/8oz. (the new, untested load will reduce the #F count and use 6 #1 pellets)

    I blasted some wet pack phone books with the load, and even the .22 pellets got a good 4" of penetration, and the larger balls got around 8". You could literally scoop the paper pulp out of the "wound" with your hands.

    Again--it's just my own personal opinion, but it seems like 15 or 20 .30" and .22" holes would do as well as 7 or 8 .33" holes. And with less recoil and slightly lower penetration.

    Anyway, if it was a load dedicated to HD/SD I think I would have to give the edge to a smaller shot size, but more of them.

  15. #15
    DEADBEAT UNIQUEDOT's Avatar
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    for my personal HD loads I use either #1 or alternating layers of #1 and #F buck.


    John, i read a study about this subject and according to the surgeons involved in the study #1 buckshot was the ultimate man stopping load as it was literally impossible for them to stop the bleeding in individuals hit with such a load.

    They said no sooner than they got the bleeding stopped in one area bleeding would start pouring from several other entrance wounds and the patient would end up bleeding to death before it could be stopped. If folks hit with larger buckshot was not hit in the spine, heart, or head they had a much better chance of saving their lives as there were fewer wounds to treat.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master John in WI's Avatar
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    I read that somewhere too, but couldn't find the actual source. And my wetpack tests (as crude as they were) were indicating plenty of penetration.

    I cut extra slits in the wad so it hopefully breaks away right after leaving the muzzle. I'd like to open the pattern up a bit more--it's only a couple inches at 15' or so. I tried the rifled slug barrel, and it really donuts the pattern. If I could figure out how to get a 8" pattern at that distance, it would be perfect.

  17. #17
    Boolit Man
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    Click image for larger version. 

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ID:	44921It's nice to have a place like this where I can find people who are willing to share their ideas and not just type in "Go buy a reloading manual." My latest obsession, 8 pellet Buck.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master John in WI's Avatar
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    Did you get those hulls from BPI? They look like the pre-primed ones I bought a while back. I don't have a reloading setup for 12 gauge (yet) so bought pre-primed hulls and a BPI roll crimper to finish them off.

  19. #19
    Boolit Man
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    Peters Blue Magics a buddy of mine gave me years ago, John.

  20. #20
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    I load in a 2 3/4 shell a waa12 1 1/2 (short red) wad-- 4-00 buck and then fill the rest of the case with #3 buck. Gives me about a 1 1/8 load. I use 26.5 grains (weighted) charge of herco. . for reduced recoil i just replace the short aa12 wad with a 1 1/8 version and i run the same powder charge with a load that goes 1 oz.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check