3/4oz 12ga

[Paul Harm]

Use the same powder charge as the 7/8 load. Over on another reloading forum they say to use a load for one of the higher velocity loads for a clean burn.

[Steve McCarty]

Originally Posted by Kensal Rise

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

Don't these 3/4 loads behave like what it would be like to shoot a 2" shell? I've read that 2"ers throw very even patterns and I'm sure the recoil is very light.

I wonder where the point of deminishing returns is. If 3/4 oz loads pattern better than 7/8s then does a 5/8 load patten even better? I mean eventually you are going to run out of shot!

Sorry, just thinking.

[Kensal Rise]

Steve:
Nice to know there are still thinking people out there. Mostly on this august forum! And all I can say to your posit is that there probably IS a tipping point for the 12-bore. And personally, I think it's just below 3/4 oz. But precisely where, I don't know.

Those who would like to understand the truth of shotgun pattens are urged to get a copy of "The Mysteries of Shotgun Patterns" by Oberfell and Thompson.

Their discoveries were only enhanced by the one-piece plastic wad. Never refuted.

Best, Kensal

[Steve McCarty]

Originally Posted by Kensal Rise

Steve:
Nice to know there are still thinking people out there. Mostly on this august forum! And all I can say to your posit is that there probably IS a tipping point for the 12-bore. And personally, I think it's just below 3/4 oz. But precisely where, I don't know.

Those who would like to understand the truth of shotgun pattens are urged to get a copy of "The Mysteries of Shotgun Patterns" by Oberfell and Thompson.

Their discoveries were only enhanced by the one-piece plastic wad. Never refuted.

Best, Kensal

Thanks Kensal.

I shoot one oz loads in my 12s and 7/8 oz loads in my 20's. Most people, I think, do.

However, when I actually start reloading shotshells, I'm going to pour 3/4 oz loads in my 12s and probably the same in my 20s. Today, I'm shooting a 20 at skeet, because I've found a little gun that fits me like a glove. Not a fancy gun, a Remington model 11! I doubt it'd cycle extremely light loads.

I have three 20's choked F/M. An ancient Baker, an Ithaca 500 and a Miroku O/U. The Ithaca is mint and I have never shot it. It is light as a feather and I'm not going to touch it. The Baker is my dad's old gun, made in 1903 and I'm not going to mess with it either, but the Charles Daly Miroku I'm going to have choke tubes installed. Years ago I shot it a lot and it's pretty beat up. (hanging in the rack in my friends Power Wagon) In that gun I'll be able to shoot any weight load I choose.

For shooting skeet I like a heavier gun. At first I shot light guns, but I find the swinging best with a heavy gun. I also prefer long tubes. Yeah, I know folks like short barrels, for skeet, but not me. I also like autos because they absorb recoil and after a few rounds of 25 it makes a diff. However I'm always running around picking up empties. I'd rather have a good double that I can shoot as well as my autos.

I'd like a heavy double, maybe a DH or VH bored skeet/skeet or maybe IC and Mod. I think modified is a good choke for the second going away bird.

One of my skeet shooting buddies shoots a Model 12 bored full and he does pretty well with it! He shoots it at clays. He doesn't use it all of the time, but he does it just for kicks. He dusts the birds he hits.

I am still searching for my perfect skeet gun. For trap I shoot my SBC. For doubles at trap my Model 12, 12 ga or a Miroku O/U 12, but I usually don't shoot doubles.

[Paul Harm]

Steve, your Model 11 will shot any loads. I have 3 of them and I'll try to explain how to adjust one for heavy, medium, or light loads. With the bolt back, put the butt on the floor and push the barrel all the way down. While holding it down unscrew the knob on the end of the forearm. Remove the knob and forearm. Slowly let the barrel up and remove it. For heavy loads you should have the spring next to the receiver; then friction ring with a bevel next to spring toward receiver; then bronze friction piece. For medium loads - friction ring next to receiver with bevel away from receiver toward muzzle; then spring; then bronze piece. For light loads the bronze piece next to receiver; then spring; then friction ring with bevel toward muzzle. After you get everything the way you want it, push the barrel back down and install the forearm and knob. Always start with the heavy set up and ONLY go to a lighter set up if a shell won't eject. Failure to do so will result in excessive recoil, broken forarms and excessive wear. I copied most of that from a old Remington instruction booklet. It's good for any " humpback" gun. I keep a Remington Model 11 out at the club set for the light 3/4oz loads for new young shooters. Their dads will show up with some light single shot and factory ammo that kicks like hell. They want to quit. I give them the Model 11 and 3/4oz loads and they start having fun. And they get to say they're shooting a " big 12ga". The Model 11 was built from 1905 to 1950 in 12ga. In 1930 a 20 ga was offered, and in 1931 a 16ga. From 1941 to 1946 some 60,000 were built for the military. Mine have the poly choke which seem to be a nice addition with the high receiver. Now the end of the barrel is as high as the receiver.

[Steve McCarty]

Originally Posted by Paul Harm

Steve, your Model 11 will shot any loads. I have 3 of them and I'll try to explain how to adjust one for heavy, medium, or light loads. With the bolt back, put the butt on the floor and push the barrel all the way down. While holding it down unscrew the knob on the end of the forearm. Remove the knob and forearm. Slowly let the barrel up and remove it. For heavy loads you should have the spring next to the receiver; then friction ring with a bevel next to spring toward receiver; then bronze friction piece. For medium loads - friction ring next to receiver with bevel away from receiver toward muzzle; then spring; then bronze piece. For light loads the bronze piece next to receiver; then spring; then friction ring with bevel toward muzzle. After you get everything the way you want it, push the barrel back down and install the forearm and knob. Always start with the heavy set up and ONLY go to a lighter set up if a shell won't eject. Failure to do so will result in excessive recoil, broken forarms and excessive wear. I copied most of that from a old Remington instruction booklet. It's good for any " humpback" gun. I keep a Remington Model 11 out at the club set for the light 3/4oz loads for new young shooters. Their dads will show up with some light single shot and factory ammo that kicks like hell. They want to quit. I give them the Model 11 and 3/4oz loads and they start having fun. And they get to say they're shooting a " big 12ga". The Model 11 was built from 1905 to 1950 in 12ga. In 1930 a 20 ga was offered, and in 1931 a 16ga. From 1941 to 1946 some 60,000 were built for the military. Mine have the poly choke which seem to be a nice addition with the high receiver. Now the end of the barrel is as high as the receiver.

Thanks for the info, Paul, on my Model 11. I just returned from shooting it at my skeet club and I did okay with it. I like the gun. Years ago I set it up for light loads. It does not seem to beat itself up so I think it's set correctly. I'm shooting 7/8oz #9s. However, I do see a lot of Model 11s and Auto 5s with cracked forearms, so they were incorrectly regulated.

John Browning, after all of the wonderful guns he designed, said that his most difficult was the Auto 5! Isn't that strange. I used to instruct on the M2 HB "MaDuce" and I always thought it a pretty complex design. Interesting gun to shoot.

My gun has the Polycoke attached too and I like it. Someone told me that they pattern well wit open chokes and not so well when closed. Don't know if that's true or not.

Just so you know, when Robt Stack won the jr sheet shooting championship he was shooting a Model 11 with a Cutts Compensator attached. I think it was a 12, but can't recall.

There are no fleas on a Rem Model 11 and they are much cheaper than the Browning of the same design. Savage/Stevens made one too. None of the parts interchange.

[Paul Harm]

Browning thought it was his best design because it could use black powder or nitro - the only auto that can to this day. Of course today no one designs modern shotguns to shoot BP.

[Steve McCarty]

Originally Posted by Paul Harm

Browning thought it was his best design because it could use black powder or nitro - the only auto that can to this day. Of course today no one designs modern shotguns to shoot BP.

I didn't know about the BP. I had read that he made the gun to shoot heavy and light loads though.

[Pauly B.]

Does anyone know of a recipe to use the CB0175 with Federal Paper hulls? I have a ton of the paper target hulls (I like them for black powder). I was wondering if I could load some of these 3/4 oz in Federal paper hulls with Claydot. Any thoughts?

[Paul Harm]

You could use them in Federal shells but they're a straight wall hull and the Cb wad may be a bit loose. Call CB and they'll tell you what can/can't be done. Let us know what they say. Paul