The best all around powder ?

[chris dawe]

With all the threads on various low pressure powders ,I always find myself asking the question is there one all around powder for low pressure loads that will work in all gauges ? I ask because things are just so hard to get up here....a one for all would be great !

[Daryl Corona]

i'm afraid that's not possible Chris. I currently reload for 4 gauges- 12,16,20 & 28 and I've got it narrowed down to 2 powders. Clays or Clay Dot for the 12, and 20/28 for the other 3.

[Pete Lester]

With all the threads on various low pressure powders ,I always find myself asking the question is there one all around powder for low pressure loads that will work in all gauges ? I ask because things are just so hard to get up here....a one for all would be great !

Depends on which four gauges you mean, there is a big difference between what works in a 10ga vs a 410.

[chris dawe]

Sorry should have said that ,I load for 10,12,16,20.

[Fred Verry]

Chris, it would help if you could define what you mean by low pressure loads. Are you asking about target loads or hunting and basically how much shot and what velocities do you need in each gauge?

[Pete Lester]

Sorry should have said that ,I load for 10,12,16,20.

I don't think there is a perfect all around powder for those 4 gauges.

If I had to stick to one powder Green Dot would be my first choice, 700-X second choice.

GD works well with 1 1/8 and 1 1/4 10ga, 1 and 1/8 ounce 12ga. In 10 and 12ga it provides both velocity, payload and lower pressures. It does OK with 3/4 and 7/8 ounce 16ga and 3/4 ounce 20ga but pressures are high in both these gauges.

There were some older published loads for 700-X that have been taken out of print. Published loads today have pressures with 700-X in 20ga are at the max 11-12K with Federal hulls only.

[chris dawe]

Thanks for all the help ,it go's to show on this forum ...all we have to do is ask

I load the ten to 1 3/8
twelve to 1 1/8
sixteen to 1
the twenty I haven't started yet ,.but was thinking 3/4 -7/8

these would be hunting loads,I like to keep them below 9000 psi ,the ten is no tox

I fear my batch of 4756 will run out this season ,so I was proactively thinking of a replacement,

[CraigThompson]

At the moment I use SR7625 for the Short 10 , 12 , 16 and 20 .

Now after the 10 pounds I have is used up I have no idea what I'm going to !

[Fred Verry]

Chris, your real thorn in this mix is the nontox 10 load. What hull length and type of shot (steel, Bismuth, Nice, ITX, TM, rock salt, rubber buck shot)? Loads meeting your criterion for the other 4 gauges (assuming lead shot and velocities don't need to be > than 1250 fps) can all be loaded a single powder.

[chris dawe]

I use bismuth ,and lead

[Fred Verry]

Chris, is the Bismuth 10ga. load you need for a 2 7/8" hull or a 3" or longer hull?

[chris dawe]

I load for both 2 5/8 and 2 7/8

[Forrest Grilley]

is there one all around powder for low pressure loads that will work in all gauges ?

Probably not the answer you are looking for, but, I use FFFg black powder in everything from my heaviest 10 gauge loads, to my 297/230 rook rifle. You can not beat black powder for it's versatility.

As far as smokeless powder, that is going to be tough. You might be able to do it with two, or three. Picking just one will be tough.

[Fred Verry]

Chris, if you are set on one smokeless powder for all the loads I would start with Blue Dot for the 10 bore 2 7/8" Bismuth load. According to current published data I can locate, it will do all the types of loads you asked (except the 2 5/8" 10ga Bismuth), but it will be less efficient in the smaller bore loads and may require you to go up to a one ounce load in 20 ga.. This is predicated on you being willing and able to acquire very specific hull and wad combinations for each load. It may prove more time consuming and onerous than just using multiple powders. I liked Daryl's suggestion of two powders but I would go with Blue Dot for the 10 and 12 gauge Bismuth loads and 20/28 for the 12, 16 and 20 gauge lead loads. Blue Dot and another powder might be equally well suited. HTH.

[chris dawe]

Thanks guys for all the help,I'll run through some load recipes and see what I can come up with re; the powders mentioned.

[Mike Franzen]

Hey Chris! My 2 cents worth is I'm inclined to agree with Hammer Fan about FFF Black Powder for hunting. I have been using it lately and I believe it will do anything smokeless will do. Plus it's more forgiving, easier to obtain, loading tools are cheap if you shoot solid brass hulls and in a pinch a guy like you could make your own BP. It is dirtier than smokeless but clean up isn't that big of a deal. Now if I was going to be shooting a lot of trap or clays I probably wouldn't use it. But for the amount of hunting shots you are going to take it might be a solution. And it seems my Parker tend to pattern a little better with BP.

[charlie cleveland]

blue dot powder is a good choice for hunting loads in the 8 ga 10 12 16 and 20

[Bill Murphy]

I can load well balanced low pressure loads in all four gauges with Unique. I can also load pretty hefty hunting loads using the same Unique.

[William Davis]

Agree with Mr Murphy, .410 excepted, Unique will load any Shotgun shell. It's as close to a universal powder as you can find.

William

[Mark Garrett]

If was going pick just 1 , I would go with want Murphy said , Unique or Universal .

Herco would do what you want to do also .

[Paul Harm]

Why won't the Green Dot work in 2 5/8" Bismuth ?

[Steve Kleist]

I agree with Mr. Lester.
I load Green Dot in 28, 20, & 12 ga target loads. They are fast and seem to pattern perfectly. Green Dot also makes a nice 1 1/4 oz field load in the 12 gauge.
I must confess that I don't experiment much...just find a load that works and stick with it. Green Dot has served me well for the past 45 years or so and I'm too old to change now.
However, "If it's any good they'll likely quit making it."
Steve Kleist
Ely, MN

[Paul Harm]

I normally use Promo, 700X, or American Select for my 10 or 12ga loads. Our supplier for reloading sent us a email and they were holding some powder we had wanted in the past. One was Green Dot - no one wanted it - and seeing how I didn't want to let it go because they were nice enough to hold powder for us, I bought a 8 pounder. These are all Allaint powders - they seem to still be able to get some of this so I've been pretty lucky getting powder - I have about 40 pounds of different powders I can use or have used in the past. Now I get the chance to load some GD and see how it works.

[Fred Verry]

Thanks for all the help ,it go's to show on this forum ...all we have to do is ask

I load the ten to 1 3/8
twelve to 1 1/8
sixteen to 1
the twenty I haven't started yet ,.but was thinking 3/4 -7/8

these would be hunting loads,I like to keep them below 9000 psi ,the ten is no tox

I fear my batch of 4756 will run out this season ,so I was proactively thinking of a replacement,

Bill M. could you share your recipe using Unique powder for a 2 5/8' 10ga. 1 3/8oz. Bismuth load making less than 9000 psi and its velocity?


Paul could you share your recipe using Green Dot powder for a 2 5/8' 10ga. 1 3/8oz. Bismuth load making less than 9000 psi and its velocity?

I have been looking for more 10 ga. 2 5/8 non tox load data too. Thanks.

[Paul Harm]

I've never shot Bismuth and have my first batch of GD and haven't used any yet. All my 2 5/8 loads were with lead shot - 700X and Promo were the powders I used. I only shot clay birds so loads are light - 1 1/16oz - 19grs of Promo.

[Bill Murphy]

I can't give you a recipe for 2 5/8" 1 3/8 ounce Bismuth loads, but I will say that Unique is a fairly slow powder, the ten gauge has a very big hole, so it would be hard to make up a load that would throw shot at 1150 and have a psi of 9500. I always look in the book to see if my logic is correct.