megasupermagnum
10-08-2021, 03:27 PM
I did a handful of pattern testing with some lower recoil options for bismuth today. I chose these loads because I think they will be about as weak as can reliably cycle in a gas semi auto, and I think they are still very effective on ducks. More effective than most 3 1/2" full snort steel shot loads. These are all variations of loads I pulled out of the Precision Reloading Bismuth reloading manual (not the buffered lead and bismuth). Note the second load is a buffered load. I will list the two main loads below. I claim no responsibility for the safety of such data, use at your own risk.
12ga Federal 2 3/4" Gold Medal
Federal 209A
18gr 700x
(1) .175" nitro card + (1) .125" nitro card + (1) 1/2" fiber wad + (1) .375" fiber wad
1 1/8 oz bismuth
fold crimp
1189 fps
11,130 psi
12ga Federal Gold Medal trimmed to 2 1/2"
Federal 209A
16.5 gr 700x
(1) .175" nitro card + (1) .125" nitro card + (1) .375" fiber wad + (1) "tite seal" (possibly over the shot, not clear)
1 1/8oz bismuth
PSB buffer
fold or roll crimp
1154 fps
11,440 psi
Now I chose these loads in particular because trying to figure out a plastic wad is becoming a nightmare as more and more are discontinued, or only listed with one primer, etc. Natural wads will NEVER become obsolete, and you can make them yourself. Sure you use a little more powder for the same velocity, but big deal. The changes I made to the first load were with various wads. I tried fiber, felt, cork. I tried all the spacers OVER the shot. Nothing seemed to make a huge difference, they all worked pretty well. There is one load I did that did make a difference. If you are familiar with muzzleloading shotguns, you have probably heard of the Skycheif load. If you are not, let me explain. In a muzzleloader you do powder, hard over powder wads (nitro cards), then shot, thin overshot card, then you top it all off with a big fiber wad soaked in olive oil. This sounds bizarre, but it does work. I did this in a shotgun shell, which is normally not an option, being as you normally don't have this much extra space. The exact order I did was (2) 1/8" nitro cards + (1) 1/8" felt wad, then I added shot, and topped it with (1) thin overshot card + (1) 1/2" fiber wad soaked in bear grease. Yes it is messy, but I want to try it with some beeswax added to see if this could be a viable option.
Now the second load, the buffered load, I simply turned it into a 2 3/4" load. I make no claim to the safety of such a thing. The exact wads I used were (2) 1/8" nitro cards + (1) 1/2" fiber wad + (1) 1/4" fiber wad + (1) 1/8" felt wad. I then added shot and buffer, and used a thin overshot card on top of that, and fold crimped.
Today I was firing these all out of my Winchester 1897 with 30" Full choke barrel at 40 yards. As I said, all the normal first loads did about the same, in the 67% to 68% pattern range. The Skycheif load did amazingly well, almost matching the buffered load at 77%. The best of the day was the buffered load, not a huge surprise at 81%. These are not by any means the best patterns I have gotten from bismuth, but they are perfect for what this load is. The recoil is the same as a trap load. I am shooting #4 bismuth, and I counted 176 pellets in 1 1/8 oz. From what I'm seeing, penetration of these should be good to 50 yards on ducks, which the buffered load patterns are going to be good to about that 50 yard range. I personally like to see over 100 pellets in a 30" circle for big ducks, and I like to see closer to 140-150 for smaller ducks. Lets round to 125. That makes the first load at 68% about topped out at 40 yards, which is pretty good. I'm probably going to load the first load tonight, since I don't have a lot of time, and I'll be letting my brother and dad try them out Sunday morning on ducks.
One last thing, the reason I took out the 1897, is because it always shot slightly low and left. About 1' low and left at 40 yards. I finally had enough, took the barrel off, took it to a fork in a tree, and started bending on the barrel. It sure is scary, but after a couple tries, I started to really lean on it. Finally the next shot, boom, dead perfect, hits right to the bead.
https://i.ibb.co/zbmKxHg/IMG-20211008-135913555.jpg
12ga Federal 2 3/4" Gold Medal
Federal 209A
18gr 700x
(1) .175" nitro card + (1) .125" nitro card + (1) 1/2" fiber wad + (1) .375" fiber wad
1 1/8 oz bismuth
fold crimp
1189 fps
11,130 psi
12ga Federal Gold Medal trimmed to 2 1/2"
Federal 209A
16.5 gr 700x
(1) .175" nitro card + (1) .125" nitro card + (1) .375" fiber wad + (1) "tite seal" (possibly over the shot, not clear)
1 1/8oz bismuth
PSB buffer
fold or roll crimp
1154 fps
11,440 psi
Now I chose these loads in particular because trying to figure out a plastic wad is becoming a nightmare as more and more are discontinued, or only listed with one primer, etc. Natural wads will NEVER become obsolete, and you can make them yourself. Sure you use a little more powder for the same velocity, but big deal. The changes I made to the first load were with various wads. I tried fiber, felt, cork. I tried all the spacers OVER the shot. Nothing seemed to make a huge difference, they all worked pretty well. There is one load I did that did make a difference. If you are familiar with muzzleloading shotguns, you have probably heard of the Skycheif load. If you are not, let me explain. In a muzzleloader you do powder, hard over powder wads (nitro cards), then shot, thin overshot card, then you top it all off with a big fiber wad soaked in olive oil. This sounds bizarre, but it does work. I did this in a shotgun shell, which is normally not an option, being as you normally don't have this much extra space. The exact order I did was (2) 1/8" nitro cards + (1) 1/8" felt wad, then I added shot, and topped it with (1) thin overshot card + (1) 1/2" fiber wad soaked in bear grease. Yes it is messy, but I want to try it with some beeswax added to see if this could be a viable option.
Now the second load, the buffered load, I simply turned it into a 2 3/4" load. I make no claim to the safety of such a thing. The exact wads I used were (2) 1/8" nitro cards + (1) 1/2" fiber wad + (1) 1/4" fiber wad + (1) 1/8" felt wad. I then added shot and buffer, and used a thin overshot card on top of that, and fold crimped.
Today I was firing these all out of my Winchester 1897 with 30" Full choke barrel at 40 yards. As I said, all the normal first loads did about the same, in the 67% to 68% pattern range. The Skycheif load did amazingly well, almost matching the buffered load at 77%. The best of the day was the buffered load, not a huge surprise at 81%. These are not by any means the best patterns I have gotten from bismuth, but they are perfect for what this load is. The recoil is the same as a trap load. I am shooting #4 bismuth, and I counted 176 pellets in 1 1/8 oz. From what I'm seeing, penetration of these should be good to 50 yards on ducks, which the buffered load patterns are going to be good to about that 50 yard range. I personally like to see over 100 pellets in a 30" circle for big ducks, and I like to see closer to 140-150 for smaller ducks. Lets round to 125. That makes the first load at 68% about topped out at 40 yards, which is pretty good. I'm probably going to load the first load tonight, since I don't have a lot of time, and I'll be letting my brother and dad try them out Sunday morning on ducks.
One last thing, the reason I took out the 1897, is because it always shot slightly low and left. About 1' low and left at 40 yards. I finally had enough, took the barrel off, took it to a fork in a tree, and started bending on the barrel. It sure is scary, but after a couple tries, I started to really lean on it. Finally the next shot, boom, dead perfect, hits right to the bead.
https://i.ibb.co/zbmKxHg/IMG-20211008-135913555.jpg