7/8oz black powder shotshell load

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  • Last Post 03 August 2016
GWarden posted this 02 August 2016

Does anyone load 12ga. BP shotshell for 7/8oz of shot? Haven't been able to locate load info.Will not be using any plastic shot cups, just fiber. Using 2f Goex. Would appreciate any info for such load.Bob

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6pt-sika posted this 02 August 2016

Can't say as I have . I kinda have an aversion to using BP in any of my double guns . 

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Ed Harris posted this 02 August 2016

The avoirdupois dram is the unit of weight used to measure black powder. There are 256 drams in a pound avoirdupois, 16 drams in an ounce, and 7000 grains in a pound.

1 gram = 15.432 grains = 0.564 drams. These are all weight measurements, and always have been. Volumetric measuring of blackpowder has never been accurate, and it isn't today.

A 20-ga. load with 7/8 oz. of shot was traditionally 2-1/2 drams.

A 12-ga. load with 1-1/8 oz. shot was traditionally 2-3/4 drams. Refer to the accompanying table:

Drams(powder)Grains(powder)Ounce (shot) 2____55___3/4 2-1/4__62___7/8 2-1/2__68___1 2-3/4__75___1-1/8 3____82___1-1/4 3-1/4__89___1-3/8 3-1/2__96___1-1/2 3-3/4__102___1-5/8 4___109__1-3/4 4-1/4__116___1-7/8 4-1/2__123___2 4-3/4__130___2-1/8 5___137___2-1/4

For shot loads in a cylinder bore gun remember this little rhyme...

"Less powder, more lead, shoots far, kills dead." "More powder, less lead, kicks hard, wide spread."

If it were me I would load not more than 70 grains of black with your 7/8 oz. load, and would pattern 60 grains first!

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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tturner53 posted this 02 August 2016

Good info. Would this apply the same in a 12 ga. muzzle loader such as a TC New Englander? I recall something about equal volumes of shot and powder.

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onondaga posted this 02 August 2016

http://www.castbulletassoc.org/view_user.php?id=21>GWarden

I have an old Westley Richards underlever 12 ga. that I have only ever used one load in. 7/8 oz shot by volume and an equal volume of 2FBP or substitute. This works well with over powder card wad and fiber filler wads to get the right column height for crimping. My load is with size 7.5 shot for Woodcock and grouse. My shotgun has shortened barrels for cylinder bore close shots over pointing dogs.

An equal volume of shot and BP is the classic load for ML shotguns so that is what I use in 12 ga shells. Use paper shells, plastic shells don't reload well as they usually melt from BP fire on the first or second firing .

Gary

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GWarden posted this 02 August 2016

EdThanks for the info, exactly what I was looking for.Bob

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Duke M posted this 03 August 2016

My wife and I have loaded and fired several hundred 12 ga. BP rounds for cowboy action shooting. I usually cut down plastic hulls to 2 1/2” and roll crimped them. I loaded 55 gr. of KIK 2fg. and a built up fiber wad column from boxes of Alcan wads I hoarded years ago. I would throw a couple dozen of the 1/2 inch fiber wads in a pan with a glob of Crisco and heat until the melted Crisco was fully absorbed. 7/8 oz. of shot and a thin over shot card wad under the roll crimp. For some odd reason these loads kicked less than the smokeless “lite” factory ammo most other shooters used but hit the shot gun targets violently, knocking them over with aplomb and leaving a big old bingo dauber smudge mark of black powder fouling and Crisco where the wad smacked the steel. I think our shot pattern was less blown out in the sawed off, chokeless barrels we used than the modern inexpensive smokeless loads.

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Ed Harris posted this 03 August 2016

Duke M, that sounds likea great recipe!

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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