8300 PSI TOO MUCH FOR 10 GA TWIST

[Bill Murphy]

Go on the internet and find the "shotgun powder burning rate" chart. If a powder is slower on the chart than something that works, it isn't neccesarily going to work in zero degree temperatures. How about using stuff that you have used all your life? Why go to some "boutique" powder that is hard to find and expensive? If you want a ten or eight gauge load that is going to work, use your experience. If you want to load a light ten load, like 1 1/8 ounces for skeet or sporting clays or birds, use a fast burning, cheap powder like Red Dot or Bullseye. If you want to load a 1 1/4 ounce load or maybe a 1 3/8 ounce load for pheasants or blue grouse, use Unique. Only if you want to load to full capacity of the ten, 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 ounces, should you use Blue Dot. To use Blue Dot in lighter loads risks bloopers in real cold weather. The reason I suggest these powders is because they are easy to buy, are tested for decades, and can be bought in quantity. Eight gauge shooters should use the same principles. You are shooting out of a big barrel. Your pressures with various loads will be quite low compared to ten and twelve gauge published loads. To load for casual shooting with light shot weights like 1 1/4 ounces, use very fast burning powders like Red Dot. Only when loading 2 ounce loads and heavier for serious waterfowling should you use powders such as Blue Dot.