newbie buckshot question

[John in WI]

I just inherited an entire coffee can of #F (0.22") and #1 (0.30") lead balls from a friend.

I don't have a full reloading setup, so I was going to buy pre-primed hulls to load them in to.

I'm looking to work up a decent HD round. Something without too much recoil or flash, maybe firing about an oz of shot. A little looking says 40 #F balls make and oz, and 11 #1 make an oz.

So I was wondering if I could use 20 #F and maybe 5 #1 to bring it just under an ounce of payload. Depending on how they stack in the hull, I could even stack in some BB shot to fill out the pattern a bit.



I'll be firing it from a 18.5Mossy barrel with screw in chokes, so I could find one that probably patterened ok at the 20-30 yard maximum distances I would be firing.

Any thoughts on where to start working up a load like this? Something around 1000-1150FPS, optimized for a short barrel and for short distance work? Preferably something that didn't blow your ear drums.

What about some of the new "reduced recoil powders"? Any idea about a SAFE starting off point?

[Ready on the Right]

Use data from any good loading manual for the hulls, wads, other components you intend to use. An ounce of payload is an ounce of payload, whether it be an ounce of buckshot or an ounce of birdshot, so a duplex or triplex load of various shot makes little difference, as long as the load column fits the hull to the proper crimp height. SHOTGUNWORLD forum has plenty of info for beginning shotshell loaders. Look for posts by Mr. James Gates. Ballistic products staff is very helpful when ordering components from them, they can usually advise on what will be necessary to accomplish your needs. The loads may or may not pattern as you want, but thats part of reloading. Sometimes it takes some tweaking to accomplish the task. Good luck.

[Harmon_Greer]

for home defense how well does it actually have to pattern? when i worked as a patrol officer we were very concerned with buckshot patterns because they could be shot out to 30 yards.

i would load an ounce and a quarter of the Lead F shot to about 1330 fps with HS6 powder, remington SP 12 wads and those clear ballistic products hulls. shot buffer and roll crimp with the clear over shot wads.

[161]

When you said HD rnds. I thought you were making Harley Davidson rnds. We can't hunt them down here. :kidding::kidding:[smilie=2:
Sorry I'll be quiet now

161

[x101airborne]

When you said HD rnds. I thought you were making Harley Davidson rnds. We can't hunt them down here. :kidding::kidding:[smilie=2:
Sorry I'll be quiet now

161

I like bikes and riding. I even own a bike myself. But when they come by my house at 0500 as loud as an artillery range in a thunderstorm and wake up my kids, I see buckshot as a really good use for Harley Davidsons and the like. Maybe even a little lite.

[Hamish]

"I'll be firing it from a 18.5Mossy barrel with screw in chokes, so I could find one that probably patterened ok at the 20-30 yard maximum distances I would be firing."

Not that I'm against it, but in my house, if I'm shooting vermin at 20 yards, they're several steps out the door,,,,[smilie=w:

Seriously, tri-plex, or even quad-plex shot loadings maximize load density in a given space. 700x, Unique, whatever, and it kills just as dead on the lower end of the loading spectrum, while keeping a lid on the hammer factor, and somewhat minimizes carry through.

The following is for 1 1/4 oz., but you get the idea:


12 Gauge
Case: Wichester AA compression formed (Should be the same in the new Winchester case)
Primer: Win209 or Fiocchi 616
Wad: WAA12 (1-1/8th wad)
Powder: ADI AS30N/Hodgdons Clays
Shot: 1-1/4oz Lead Shot

11 grains = 851 fps @ 5970 psi
12 grains = 910 fps @ 6915 psi
13 grains = 944 fps @ 8610 psi
14 grains = 985 fps @ 9840 psi


@(:^]#>:::

[John in WI]

Thanks for the data Hamish. You're right--the inside dimensions of my house are err, slightly shorter than 30 yards!

Anyway, at a glance I would think those loads are fairly "reduced recoil". But at 980fps, a .22 or .30 lead ball would be nothing to sneeze at. Especially not a dozen (or more) of them.