Featherweight Shotguns Loads

[Grizhicks]

Greetings to ALL !!!  My wife (Leather Anne Pearls) and I are just getting in to CAS, and she is planning on shooting a '97 shotgun.  We plan on reloading, and I need to good "featherweight" load for her.  Any suggestions?  What are you other ladies using?  Thanks, Grizhicks

[Bugscuffle]

I'm glad you asked that question. I am brand new at this too and was wondering just how hard those steel knokdowns are to knock down. I hope that someone in the know answers your question, but I suspect that a lot of it will be just picking a load and if it doesn't knock down the steel plates consistantly, just add in a little more peanutbutter and jelly.  I was thinking of starting out with a 7/8 Oz. shot load with a light powder load of about 18 or so grains of Tightwad, and working up from there if necessary.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I'm glad you asked that question. I am brand new at this too and was wondering just how hard those steel knokdowns are to knock down. I hope that someone in the know answers your question, but I suspect that a lot of it will be just picking a load and if it doesn't knock down the steel plates consistantly, just add in a little more peanutbutter and jelly.  I was thinking of starting out with a 7/8 Oz. shot load with a light powder load of about 18 or so grains of Tightwad, and working up from there if necessary.

That load is in Hodgdon's online load data.  

http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

[Pettifogger]

As noted, Hodgdon has the Featherlight formula on its website.  Unless the target is malfunctioning a featherlite will take down any KD if you HIT it.  In the good old days most shotgun targets were fixed or spring loaded and there were always arguments about "goldern BB's.)  Most clubs and every major match have gone to KDs since there is no question about golden BB's.  The target is up or down.  One thing to be careful of with smokeless powder, including shotgun loads, is not to go wild trying to get the lightest load possible.  Smokeless requires a certain amount of pressure to work properly and to burn efficiently.  I have seen a couple of shooters at some local matches that are down loading their shotguns so low they are getting really inconsistent loads.  These guys were wondering why they had a ball of flame in front of the muzzle, but still couldn't knock down the targets.  The answer was that the primer was blowing everything down the barrel and the powder was igniting when it hit the atmosphere.  If you read the manuals they tell not to change anything, the wad, hull, or wad when following a recipe.  Smokeless powder ain't peanut butter and jelly and it's not just a matter of adding more or less.

[Bugscuffle]

The load that i quoted was right out of the Lyman manual and the comment about adding peanutbutter and jelly referred to starting out at 18 grains of Tightwad and 7/8 Oz of #5 (the low recoil round) and if necessary work up to 23 grains of Tightwad and 7/8 Oz of #5 (the high velocity round). As I stated earlier, I just don't know how hard these plates are to knock down and I thought that this was probably a range that I could work in.

[Pettifogger]

The load that i quoted was right out of the Lyman manual and the comment about adding peanutbutter and jelly referred to starting out at 18 grains of Tightwad and 7/8 Oz of #5 (the low recoil round) and if necessary work up to 23 grains of Tightwad and 7/8 Oz of #5 (the high velocity round). As I stated earlier, I just don't know how hard these plates are to knock down and I thought that this was probably a range that I could work in.

I was just making a general observation about light loads. If you are following a factory recommended load you are good to go.  Just a suggestion, especially with 7/8 oz loads, is skip the #5's.  A lot of ranges and matches won't let you shoot shot larger than 7 1/2.  You are far better off at CAS distances (very short range) and targets having more pellets blanket the target.  More pellets also helps in case you get some aerial targets.  Most cowboy shooters use 7 1/2 or 8's.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I agree;  #7 1/2s or #8s. Most ranges wont allow heavy shot, so check your range standing orders.

[Choke Creek Jack]

Winchester sells the powder that they use to manufacture their "featherllite" shot shells, it's called AA Lite.  It comes with the "recipe" right on the can to reproduce their featherlite load.  I've never had a problem with a knock down with this load.   It's the super-fast powder that seems to be the trick to reducing recoil.   Black power is also fast so that a heavy load of black powder behind an ounce of shot is not nearly as punishing as a full load of something like Herco .

[Curley Cole]

I devloped a load using Clays powder, to duplicate the FeatherLites (before you could get Winchester powder) but I like the Clays better anyways...my loads are as easy on the body as the FL and still knock down the targets ifn I do my part.

if yer interested drop me a pm.
curley

[Delmonico]

Velocity does not always help one on a shotgun load, more velocity and/or higher pressures often means patterns that are not as good.  Most folks consider a shotgun nothing but a pipe to blow shot out the end of.  Anyone who has really taken time and worked with catching the sot on paper and seeing what this and that does really learns to make their shotgun work.