3/4oz 12ga
 

I'm always tring to save a buck reloading because the wife and I shoot three times a week [ for about 24 boxes of shells ]. I went to 3/4oz in the 12ga and have found no difference in our scores in skeet or SC's. If anything, the patterns have tightened up a bit. 40 yard clay birds are hit hard with IC chokes. With a shorter shot column less shot is deformed so more of it stays in the pattern. Claybusters sells a wad for 3/4oz in 12ga or 20. In the 12 the loads are all low pressure which makes it nice. Anyone else try these? Paul

Paul - I have loaded about 500 using the new wads and Clay Dot powder. The wads load great on my MEC. If you have switched to 3/4 oz you really need to get some.

i agree the 3/4 ounce loads really thighten up the patterns. i really dont understand it but seeing is believing... charlie

PH:
I mentioned these wads and my experience with the 3/4 oz. 12-bore loads on this forum some weeks ago. As you, I've discovered they are fantastic. If I do my part (which is not always) I can hit ANY clay on my sporting course with 3/4 oz. loads in a cylinder choke gun. What more can you ask?
Since the "Dot" powders seem a bit dirty burning to me, I've gone with the new Alliant Xtra Lite powder. It burns very clean with 3/4 oz. 12-bore loads.

As soon as I burn up my stock of 7/8 oz. "heavy" loads I will only load 3/4 oz. from now on!

Best, Kensal

Duster wads also makes a 3/4 wad. I have no problem switching to them. Duster will send you a free sample if you ask/email/call them. They always send me 150 of what ever I request. I have always bought 1000 after trying the sample as I really like what I shoot from them.

I'm on my second thousand with the CB-0175-12 wad. CB will also send a free sample. The so called dirty nitro powders don't bother me in the least, it's only the last shot that's dirty, the next one cleans it out and leaves a new deposit. Now you want to talk about dirty barrels, shoot over a 100 black powder shells through your barrels and look down em- now we're talking dirt. But after 15 to 20 minutes they look so pretty again it's worth it. Back to the wads - some guys at my club are so afraid to try em - they just can't believe so little bb's will still break a bird. I guess when you've shot trap with an 1 1/8 of shot for 30 or 40 years ain't no one gonna tell ya 7/8 or 3/4 oz is gonna work and that's that. A lot of the guys shoot either 7/8 or 1oz and three of us have gone to the 3/4oz. It feels great to smash a 40 yarder useing IC choke and 3/4oz of shot. Paul

paul that 3/4 ounce of shot will also make a doe deer get in high gear...deer been eatin my garden up did not want to kill them so hid and waited and gave her a load at about 60 yards of no8 s...dont think she came back last night... charlie

Shot one of my Parkers today for the first time in about a month - 12ga hammergun with laminate barrels - think it's choked IC and LM - the last 12 targets are in the open and longer than the rest which are in the woods. Must have been on - hit 11/12 and I never do that. Some about 45yds out were smashed. Was high gun with a 44/50 - first time in quite some time - felt good. I'm really sold on those 3/4oz loads. My buddy Dave was shooting 3/4 through his "rusty but trusty" 1882 Remington and also hit the longer ones hard. Paul

Paul,
I too have switched to the 3/4oz. loads and have had the same results as when I switched from 1oz to 7/8. They are extremely efficient. I am using the Downrange DRXXL orange wad which is a substitute for the the Fed. SO wad. I tried the wads listed in the Hodgdon manual with Clays in a Fiocchi hull but was'nt satisfied with the crimps. Pressure is @6200psi and recoil is very mild. I think there are two main reasons why the load works so well. First, it is an efficient load and very balanced. Second and probably the most important reason is that there is no recoil, enabling you to stay on the gun better for the second shot ( that is considering that you had your face on the stock to begin with:)). For your friends out at your club who don't believe the 3/4oz is a killer load- their loss. They can have all that recoil from their heavy loads and mine too.

Daryl, all my stocks I've bent from 3 to 3 1/4" of DAH so my cheek is never on the stock :). This way I can't lift my head, it's already up. You're probably right on the recoil thing though. Also, with that very shot shot column height in the shell I don't think any shot is getting deformed. Better patterns with less holes. Paul