"Overload Proof"

[Mike of the Mountain]

Originally Posted by Stan Hillis

Baschieri & Pellagri (B & P) have a 12 ga. load called the Comp One. It is a low pressure one ounce load. The pressure is 6530 psi. The Comp One 1 1/8 oz. load pressures are 8416 psi. These are published pressures. Both have a published velocity of 1160 fps. They are very soft shooting, but kill well. I can only use them in my external hammer guns. None of my sidelock or boxlock hammerless guns will shoot them reliably. I get misfires with them regularly because of failure to ignite the primers, from light primer strikes. There is something different about the rim shape and dims that lets the shell sit a tiny bit deeper in most chambers.

Don't ask me why the hammerguns will "light them off" every shot when the hammerless guns won't, but it's so. I haven't measured the firing pin protrusion on the hammerguns, but have measured it on several of my boxlocks that misfire with them, and too little protrusion isn't the problem. All are within specs.

But, I've shot up a couple flats of them and love 'em in the hammerguns.

Stan, this has happened with various gun/ammo combinations over the years. One thing we have found here is some ammo is manufactured with slightly thinner rims and the shell will sit a few thou deeper in the chambers. That has caused some light primer strikes. If they were shooting at higher birds it didn't cause any misfires but if your gun was below horizontal or swinging fairly hard it would allow the shell to settle in lower in the camber. Maybe this will answer your question? Hope it helps.