Loading manual or information source

[JL McGillicuddy]

Folks,

    Can any of you point me at a loading manual or loading information resource for BP shotshells?  I want to check pressures and max loads. 

    I have what seems to be a workable load for my 12er, but I want to get a stouter pyrotechnic effect, so I was looking at upping the charge and possibly the shot charge.

    My current load is 60 grains under an ounce and an eighth of shot.  I was wanting to see how heavy I can take it without being in danger of blowing up my gun.  I have heard of some pretty stout 12 gauge loads and wanted to approach the high end of the spectrum cautiously.

Thanks!!
Jack (who ain't got no sense when it comes to needin more boom) Lee

[hellgate]

Any number of the blackpowder manuals like Lymans and shooter's bible type books have loading data. So does the GOEX website. The big limitation you'll have is case capacity. As my "serious" long range load I use 80grs BP and 1 1/8oz shot. There is little room for the wad. I use a steel shotcup one piece wad where there is less than 1/4" of plastic betwixt the powder and the shot. A roll crimp would gain a little more capacity but I don't like a wad in front of my shot. My India made 12 ga ML shotgun has stamped on the barrel max load of 90grs and 1 1/4oz shot. You'd be hard pressed to get that load into a 2 3/4" hull. No matter what you load ALWAYS PATTERN IT. A piece of butcher paper on a cardboard box or stapled to an IPSC target makes a decent patterning board to look for donut patterns or irregular loads. Also note where you aim and where the shot actually hits. I had one SXS that shot HIGH and another that was WALLEYED (one barrel high right other barrel low left). Couldn't figure out how I  was missing targets (an IGA Stoeger coach gun). Too much powder tends to blow patterns. Maybe the wad gets shoved right into the shot as it exits and you get an open center. You want a dense center or an even pattern for CAS.

[Ransom Gaer]

JL,

I use the Magtech all brass shotshells and with the components I use space is not really an issue.  Overall length is a little more than 2.4 inches which is longer than a ready to shoot 2 3/4" shotshell.  I use an 11 gauge over pwder card, followed by a 1/2" thick lubed wad(11 gauge) and then over the 1 1/8 oz of shot an over shot card(11 gauge).  I used to use an 80 grain charge behind the shot.  Had more problems with it than I thought it was worth, so I backed the powder charge down.  Works much better.  I think one of the issues I may have been having was I was blowing wholes in the pattern.  Never patterned the load so I'm not sure.  The old load also had some pretty good recoil.  That 80 grain load had plenty of smoke and fire, but even backing it down to 70 grains gives plenty of smoke and fire and I can consistantly hit the targets with them.  Less recoil too.


Get a copy of the Lyman Blackpowder Maumual.  In the back of it there is a whole bunch of loading data including shotgun loads.

Ransom Gaer

[JL McGillicuddy]

Thanks guys.  I am going to hunt up a copy of the Lyman BP manual and add that to my collection for pressure data.  I was able to scare up a site that had the basic info I was looking for.

Gotta get more kaboom.  Sort of becoming an addiction. 

Jack Lee

[Haggis MacGurk]

I have said Lyman manual, and the recommended load in that book states between 90-100gr of 2f for most of the loads. Ouch
I load both magtech and plastic hulls and use the same for both: 4.3 cc of 2F( about 65 gr), over powder and 1/2 in cushion wad, and roughly 1 1/8 oz of shot( 4.3 cc and a 1.0 cc Lee dipper). They pattern well, and knock down targets with authority, and won't dislocate yer shoulder in the process. Plenty of kaboom, smokeless heathens gasping and choking, etc...

[hellgate]

I use   bookfinder.com
they will sort the books by  price, condition etc. Found lots of good prices on used books.

[Dick Dastardly]

Black powder is very user friendly.  No matter what the source, they will NOT recommend a charge VOLUME greater than the payload VOLUME.  What happens is that the unburned Holy Black may very likely explode beyond the end of the barrel, thus blowing a huge donut in your pattern.  So, you would like to keep all the burning under the payload.  Good on you. . .

Yes, there are many published 'recipes' that will help you get great performance from your smoothbore.  All that said, your smoothbore may have preferences.  Load some.  Shoot some paper.  Take notes and report back.  One thing I've learned is that there no absolute rules.  Also, with Holy Black, there's a LOT of room for experimentation.  You're now part of the project.

DD-DLoS

[JL McGillicuddy]

If the spotters ain't duckin' fer cover when I pull the trigger it just ain't the same.  I found a site that had a chart that translated Drams into ounces of shot and grains of powder.  I am going to try the loads that were listed there and see how they pattern. 

What it showed was 75.19 grains as a match for 1 1/8 ounce shot.  I have my main match stuff loaded at 60gr under 1 1/8.  I am going to load test rounds at 64, 68, and 72 and see if they all pattern ok.

Should be a good time.

15 days and counting to get my 10er back.  I will post pics of the lovely darling when I pick it up. 
Then we get serious about horsepower in the shotgun loads.   

Jack Lee