Does anybody load for 8ga?

[rromeo]

Yup, I said that right. My co-worker just picked up a Lefever 8ga double. 36" barrels on it, it is awesome.
Anyway, I'm helping find some ammo. Whether it's buying some, modifying industrial shells, or having the machine shop next door turn out some all brass hulls and making my own loads, we'll make this thing go bang, but hopefully not boom.

He definitely wants some full sized 8ga ammo to shoot, but after that, I can't think of a reason a sleeve adapter wouldn't work, am I wrong?

[hubel458]

Easiest I use for 8ga. and I have the one I made on falling block that can
take 4 times the pressure of that old Lefever, is to buy the 8ga wadcup
that BPI sells. and the 8ga plastic cases they sell. And get some 10ga hollowbase
about 8-900gr slugs and expand base a little to fit tight into the wadcup.

They sell the 3 ounce hard kiln slugs for wadcup, don't use them, AS they are too heavy
for old guns.And they have no nose on them, just a flat ended cylinder.

The cases they sell are industrial and we was swaging them down, but now is
legal to rework 8ga chambers to fit them in. Thanks to Brett in MN who got
it approved.
They sell roll crimper to use
in drill press. For Lefever hunt around for older loads as I use huge amounts of 4759 for
mine.Older loads will be smaller volumns so you will have to put wads and
cards under wadcup..Bpi has cards and wads.

[Greg5278]

I seem to recall that Tom Armbrust wrote a loading manual for the 8 ga with his pressure tested loads in it. I think it is available
from BPI. I would guess that Ross Seyfried probably contributed to it. Check around, maybe a google search.
Greg

[cpileri]

PR has it:
http://www.precisionreloading.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BKTA48&Category_Code=REL_MAN_SHOT
C-

[cpileri]

here's one from Tom Armbrust:

Shell: 8 GA 3 1/4" Remington Plastic Industrial Unibody
Primer: CCI-209 M Lot - D03C
Powder: 46 OR Blue Dot Lot - 207
Wad: Gualandi plastic + .135 NC + 1.50" X 2.50" X .010 Plastic shot collar
Shot: 2-1/4 oz 1 Tungsten Matrix 174 pellets
Buffer: 30 GR fine high density plastic
Velocity: 1216 FPS
Pressure: 10760 PSI (742) bars 10080 LUP (3.6 tons per square inch)
Roll Crimp: OL 3.070


http://www.armbrust.acf2.org/tungmatrix.htm

[cpileri]

another:

Shell: 8 GA 3-1/4" Winchester Clear Plastic Yellow Plastic Base Wad (New)
Primer: Win-209
Powder: 78 GR Alliant Blue Dot
Wads: Gualandi 8 Petals Removed + 3/8" Hard Fiber + (2) .125 Nitro Cards
Bullet: 880 GR Round Ball Number 2 Alloy .850 Diameter
Crimp Roll: OL 3.135
Volocity: 1563 FPS in 24" rifle
1636 FPS in 30" pressure barrel
Pressure: 11,070 PSI

http://www.armbrust.acf2.org/buffalo.htm

[rromeo]

Awesome, thanks for the help.
I'll get photos too.

[elk hunter]

A Lefever, WOW. Any American made 8 gauge is a treasure. I've been looking for one for many years.

I use the Remington industrial cases after running them through a ring sizing die to squeeze the base down. I load only black powder and 2 ounces of shot in deference to the age and condition of my Belgian made hammer gun.

There is a book " Reloading For The Short Ten Gauge" by John J. Shanafelt the has some 8 gauge loads in it. Finding a copy may be difficult as only 100 were printed in 2007. You may get lucky and find one through one of the used book sellers.

Tom Armbrust of "Ballistic Research" published a book "4 and 8 Bore Shotguns and Loads" that may still be available from "Precision Reloading" 1-800-223-0900.

[no-bama in 2012]

Measure your chamber just past the rim,industrial hulls might fit as-is. Sporting ammo measures about 0.925, the ind. hulls about 0.960. Rocky mountian cartridge (RMC) makes all brass shells,but they're $10-12 EACH, and you'll need oversized wads. The clear winchester hulls are the same thickness as conventional hulls,the remington ones are twice as thick. I have swage dies,and use the remington cases with an overshot wad for light loads

[hubel458]

I like REM hulls as they have extra strength and safety margin.
The factory kiln loads use 95 gr of hot ball powder, about 16-18k psi.
They come with a extra strong primer from BPI , so I buy the long 3.5"
12ga Fed cases which have extra strong primers, stronger than
209 Mag primers, and save primers to load 8ga. Large diameter
powder charges of the slower powders I use, need max primers.Ed

[6pt-sika]

I assume your coworker friend is well aware that 8 gauge Lefevers are like hens teeth ?

At the present I think there are more 8 gauge Parkers around followed by Lefever's and then LC Smith's !

There was an upgraded Lefever 8 gauge at the last James Julia auction a week or two ago . The gun had been upgraded to the "Optima" grade and had a reserve of $25,000 I think . The gun didn't sell at auction as no one bid the reserve from what I was told .

[6pt-sika]

Also Rocky Mountain Cartridge formerly of some where in Colorado and now of somewhere in Wyoming makes 8 gauge all brass hulls at a cost of about $10 each if my memory serves .

http://www.rockymountaincartridge.com/index.htm

They also make a small set of loading tools for the 8 gauge .

[rromeo]

I assume your coworker friend is well aware that 8 gauge Lefevers are like hens teeth ?

At the present I think there are more 8 gauge Parkers around followed by Lefever's and then LC Smith's !

There was an upgraded Lefever 8 gauge at the last James Julia auction a week or two ago . The gun had been upgraded to the "Optima" grade and had a reserve of $25,000 I think . The gun didn't sell at auction as no one bid the reserve from what I was told .

Yeah, he's Lefever and L.C. Smith collector, so he knows what he has.