reloading for an LC Smith

[Der SchizKoph]

I hope i am in the right section.

I have never reloaded shotgun shells, but i was recently given my great grandfathers shotgun. Its an old double barrel LC Smith manufactured in 1926. With the exception of the saftey, everything functions jus fine. Going off of my dads memory, i aqcuired some black powder shells for it, they were supposedly loaded with 1 1/4 oz 7.5 shot on 3 ?drams? of black powder. The rounds fired well, but after shell number 10 or 12 the barrel was a little more than warm to the touch. Tryin to be nice to the old girl, we moved on to other weapons. After the session, i broke her down, cleaned her up jus like i do any of my other black powder guns. Everything still looks as good or better than before we started.

What i am wanting to know is:

What kind of equipment would be usable to make shells for this (12 ga)

Any recomended powder and/or loading info

the info on the shells said there was no plastic wad for easier cleanup? i've never had any issues with this in a modern shotgun, is that just with black powder?

and finally, is it actually a black powder shotgun or can it be fired with modern smokeless.


This is not going to be a primary use weapon, pretty much jus the random skeet shoots or plinkin when someone want to check it out. Thanks in advance for the assistance.

[bruce drake]

http://www.lcsmith.org/

start here and do some reading. Also by 1926, most shotguns were proofed for smokeless powder. Blackpowder residue does not mix well with plastic wads and literally creates slag mound down the barrel. Most likely those blackpowder loads were using felt or cardboard wadding.

Most people who reload shotgun shells recommend MEC or LEE brand equipment as starting points. 18gr of Red Dot over 1oz shot loads is a good start for most shooters who do trap or skeet. The Wad brand will depend if you are reloading Remington or Federal Style hulls.

Bruce

And get that Safety fixed!

[6pt-sika]

To each his own but I don't even load BP for my damascus double barrels .

Being made in 26 your gun is more then likely fluid steel the chambers should also be 2 3/4" . I see no reason (as long as the guns in good shape) that you can't shoot factory skeet,trap or field loads or reload ones in the same pressure range !

One ounce target loads are easy on the shoulder and typically okay on the gun .

My suggestion would be Winchester AA hulls or Remington STS hulls . You can use a the Claybuster knockoff wad for the WIN 12AA in either hull .

Without a doubt THE BEST loader on the market is a Ponsness Warren bar none and thats what i started with . But at that time I was shooting trap and skeet damn near every day .
Now I use MEC600JR's for the 10 , 12 , 16 and 20 . And based on the number of shells I shoot they are more then adequate although a bit time consuming .

[sundog]

My Dad had an LC Smith double bbl in 16 guage he bought used about 1928. We never used anything other that 2 3/4" smokeless loads in it. I guess it's still in the family somewhere, sure would like to have it. Good shotgun!

[Box13]

An L.C.Smith is one of the best american shotguns made at the time.They advertised that even the lowest grade was made with the finest materials available,the higher grades just having better engraving,handwork ,wood and options.About your safety,Does the safety not work at all?Some people had them disconnected for target shooting reasons...Robin

[John Allen]

Look up circle fly wads. They make really nice ones for older shotguns.

[longbow]

I used a Lee Loadall for many years and it worked reasonably well but then I picked up a MEC Sizemaster and fell in love! It is so nice to use and quite affordable (I got mine lightly used too so even cheaper than new).

A little while ago I picked up a MEC 600 JR. for $25.00 also lightly used and it works very slick as well.

The Lee Loadall is adequate, very inexpensive and does a good job for low to moderate amounts of shooting but the MEC is not all that expensive and is head and shoulders better for faster easier loading for larger volumes.

My $0.02 worth.

Longbow

[220swiftfn]

Yours should be fine for smokeless (especially if marked "Royal Steel" on the barrels), if you want to "baby" the old girl, use low pressure "lite recoil" target loads. As to reloading for it, I'm happily using two MEC600jr's, and load data from IMR/Hodgdon (before they merged). Loads to look for keep the pressure under 8500 PSI and the velocity under 1150 or so for an 1-1/8 ounce load (pressure is easy on the barrels, recoil from the velocity is easier on the "fingers" of the headstock which tend to be a bit fragile.....) The loads that I settled on are @ 5400-6500 PSI at 1090 fps IIRC. If you need the info, I'm willing to post it so you don't have to go digging, but remember to use the data EXACTLY as listed, no substitutions (swapping a Win primer for a CCI can change the pressure by a thou or two as an example.)


Dan

[Der SchizKoph]

I really appreciate all the help with this, and although i do like the 6' plumes of smoke coming from the barrel, i think i will have to try it with smokeless powder. As for the saftey, the only thing I know is that it doesnt work, it will be one of my next projects and will definately be addressed before anyone other than me uses it.

[gnoahhh]

I collect/shoot only L.C.Smith shotguns, and load for all of them. One caveat I would add to all of the good advice so far in this thread is this: while the Smith gun is robust and capable of handling stiff smokeless loads without coming unglued, so to speak, a shooter is well advised to avoid heavy recoil loads. Notice I said heavy recoil, not heavy pressure. The head of the butt stock is very delicate due to all of the inletting for the side locks and will not withstand a diet of heavy recoil loads without splitting. I have slowly learned the hard way that one doesn't need speedy 1 1/8oz. loads to break clays. Low velocity (1050-1100fps) one ounce loads work just fine, and 7/8th ounce loads are just as good. The load I use for 90% of clay targets and most of my bird hunting anymore is 16.9gr. Clays, W-W 'gray' wads, 7/8oz. magnum shot, in AA hulls and W209 primers. Low recoil and darned effective, and with the cost of shot these days, easier on the pocket book. Less shot + lower velocity= less strain on the stock (and shooter).

It's awfully hard to find Smith -friendly loads at K-Mart. Do some research to find such shells on the internet, or buy a MEC loader and never look back.