Light 0.5 and 0.6 Ounce 12 Gauge Loads

[Bill Jolliff]

This new thread is in response to a previous thread in this Reloading Section where there were some discussions on light 12 gauge loads.

I’ve been shooting some nice light recoil 12 gauge loads in my old Fox A grade double with very satisfactory results. So for those that might have an interest in hand loading some for your old doubles or for recoil sensitive shooters, I sent some of my loaded 0.5 and 0.6 ounce loads using Alliant Extra Lite powder to Tom Armbrust of Ballistic Research for testing. Also loaded some 0.6 ounce loads using the more available IMR 700X powder and have those results too.

In all cases: I used Claybuster CB 0175-12 12 gauge pink ¾ ounce wads with Craig Smith’s Circle Fly 20 gauge 0.125” thick card wads in the bottom to make the 0.5 ounce loads and a 0.025” thick card wad for the 0.6 ounce loads; used #8 lead shot and Alliant Extra Lite powder.

Hulls/primers: Remington Gun Clubs with Remington STS 209 primers and Winchester AA HS hulls with Winchester 209 primers.

Loaded with a MEC Sizemaster.

Results:
0.5 ounce with Rem hulls, Rem primers, 14 grains EL powder (MEC #26 powder bushing) average of 4766 psi at an average speed of 1343 fps. (A second identical loading tested later produced 4300 psi and 1296 fps.)

0.5 ounce with Win hulls, Win primers, 14 grains EL powder (MEC #26 powder bushing) average of 5100 psi at an average speed of 1367 fps.

0.6 ounce with Rem hulls, Rem primers, 14.5 grains EL powder (MEC #27 powder bushing) average of 5133 psi at an average speed of 1308 fps.

0.6 ounce with Win hulls, Win primers, 14.5 grains EL powder (MEC #27 powder bushing) average of 5400 psi at an average speed of 1309 fps.

Also loaded some 0.6 ounce loads using 13.7 grains of IMR 700X powder (MEC bushing #24) with Rem hulls and Rem primers and they produced an average pressure of 3400 psi and average speed of 1207 fps. Looks like a bump up another powder bushing a size or two would be OK. This reflects the slower burning characteristics of the 700X compared to the very fast burning EL.

I’ve given the average of pressure and speed for each load. There was some variability in the numbers as might be expected for variation in powder drops of as much as 0.2 grains and differences in crimps and wad seating pressure (around zero) but overall probably not more than what might be expected.

These are nice pleasant light loads that sound fine and are quite clean burning. May not be for everyone but for those that want a light load, these work fine. Alliant Extra Lite powder seems to be very hard to find. A suitable substitute might be Hodgdon Titewad powder which is also a very fast burning powder and likely suitable for light 12 gauge loads. Have some of that Titewad powder that I’m going to try because my EL is running out and I can’t find any.

I do not have dedicated 0.5 and 0.6 charge bars. I use brass tubing and thin wall plastic pipe trimmed to insert in a 1 ounce charge bar. Can get pretty precise shot drops of 0.5 and 0.6 ounces.

I also load ¾ ounce loads using EL and 700X using published recipes. Use those in the Full choke barrel for those longer shots!

I’m sure a Disclaimer Statement is not required as anyone who reloads knows of the potential risk associated with doing same.

[Daryl Corona]

Thanks for the info Bill. You're preaching to the choir here. I've been loading .75 oz loads with a load right out of the Hodgdon manual. 16.1gr Clays, CB 1075-12 wad, WW209 in a GunClub hull. 1150fps @7500psi. My supply of Clays is dwindling so when it is exhausted I too will try Titewad as i have 8lbs. on hand. The Titewad load looks even more promising as it is listed in the Hodgdon manual as producing 6700psi @ 1150fps using 15.5gr., same hull and primer I'm going to try your loads as soon as I dig up some of the filler wads which I have somewhere in my loading arsenal. They sound great.

[Bill Jolliff]

Hi Daryl,

If you can't find any of those 20 gauge card wads, let me know and I can mail you some to make up some test loads.

And great meeting you at Hausmann's.

[Dave Suponski]

Daryl, your gonna love Titewad. I switched when my Clays supply was exhausted I,m not going back.

[Daryl Corona]

Thanks Bill, I'll let you know. Likewise on meeting you. See... another one of the benefits of those high dollar shoots.

Dave, I can see on paper that Titewad is gonna be a winner. What are loading with it?

[Dave Suponski]

Let me check my load tonight Daryl and I'll get back to ya.

[Stephen Hodges]

I agree with Dave. I have been using some Titewad lately and really like the results.

[John Campbell]

In my experience, Titewad leaves a LOT of unburned powder with 3/4 oz loads... unless you use a hot primer like Federal 209 or CCI magnums. But hot primers add a bit more pressure. Although not much.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

I use 16 gr Red Dot w 7/8 0z and CB 1078 grey wads. I have 2 lbs of Titewad that i almost sold--glad i kept it, and I was going to use that 15.5 gr load that Daryl posted. Just about out of RD, but I shoot much more 16 and 20 ga than i do 12.

[Rick Losey]

and i have two i just bought :whistle:

[Paul Harm]

I took me awhile to find it, but over on another web site a fellow or two have loaded 1/2oz shot with 15grs of Extra Lite powder, CB-0175 wad, with no filler. They use Win hulls which are a bit smaller than Rem hulls. No wad pressure, lots of start crimp, and very little final crimp. The shells looked great. Claimed the barrel was clean - a good powder burn.

[William Davis]

Paul

My CB 0175's in a AA hull, 15.7 of Red Dot, 3/4 oz of # 9 fills a bit below the top of the wad, of course all measures don't throw the same and # 9 is going to settle lower than larger shot like 7 1/2.

Still seems to me 1/2 oz is going to need some filler to crimp well. Loading some 3/4 now may throw a few with the 1/2 and 5/8 bushings just to see.

William

[William Davis]

Turns out I don't have a P-W 1/2 oz bushing. I did weigh the # 3 - 3/4 oz and # 2.5 5/8 oz throws

Using Eagle # 9 shot

3/4 oz bushing throws 352 grains of shot, little more than 3/4 oz, should be 327 grs

5/8 oz bushing throws 302 grains, again over, it should throw 270 grs

5/8 bushing drop hardly any visual difference from the 3/4 oz bushing drop and crimps almost the same with no adjustment

Loaded a box of the 5/8 will try them on the skeet field and couple of shots pattern board & let you know. Bet they work just fine.

P/s my powder charge is 15.7 Red Dot -weight checked

William

[Ed Blake]

What sort of patterns are you guys getting with these very lite loads? I've never shot anything below 3/4 oz in a 12 gauge.

[Bill Jolliff]

What sort of patterns are you guys getting with these very lite loads? I've never shot anything below 3/4 oz in a 12 gauge.

Ed,

I have never patterned my light loads to see how they perform. I just shoot them at those close targets and the hits seem to be fine when I do hit the target. And I can probably account for my "misses" to holes in the pattern. Sounds like an ideal excuse for those misses. :)

Hope to hear from some of the other light load shooters on their experince.

Bill

[John Campbell]

I have come to the conclusion that patterning any load is bad. It either instills over-confidence or ruins your faith in things. Thus, I don't do it. And I still hit a LOT of targets with 3/4 oz of shot. That makes me happy.

[Bill Jolliff]

And I still hit a LOT of targets with 3/4 oz of shot. That makes me happy.

Can't do much better than being happy. Me too! :)

[William Davis]

I have patterned light 12 loads, Nothing complicated use a 12 inch plywood disk with a 2 inch hole in the center trace it on a piece of cardboard & shoot at normal distances for the gun and load. No counts or percentages just eyeball the results. I have a stack of them all gauges short to long distance.

When I bought a 26 inch 12 G Parker with factory open chokes, .007 right barrel .010 left used my regular long barrel tight choke loads. 7/8 oz of 7 1/2 at skeet distances = 21 yards patterns were open too open I thought.

Switched to # 9 and patterned with 7/8 and 3/4 oz, just finished pattering again with 5/8 oz

Shot spread looks about the same all 4 loads difference is how dense the patterns are. 7/8 of 9 more shot than you need to break skeet targets. 3/4 is what I settled on, checking the 5/8 loads they are still adequate for skeet targets and more dense than the 7/8 oz 7 1/2 oz loads

Using a chart off the internet illustrates what you can see on paper

7/8 oz # 7 1/2 = 306 pellets
3/4 oz # 9 = 439 pellets
5/8 oz # 9 = 365 pellets

Only takes a few # 9 pellets to break a skeet target and the 5/8 oz loads put more pellets on target than 7/8 oz of 7 1/2. Shooting the 5/8 this week they break birds just fine. I did try some of the 3/4 # 9 loads on sporting clay's targets at longer distance. 35-45 yards I don't trust them. It's not the density it's the small pellet I figure. Have done fine with 3/4 oz # 7 1/2 at 35 yards in a full choke gun.

One of the skeet shooters told me I was re-inventing the wheel. They use 28's and 410's all the time 3/4 and 5/8 oz with # 9 and don't consider it a handicap compared to a full load 12 g

William

[Kevin McCormack]

You would all do well to read Tom Roster's article on patterning in the most recent issue of Shooting Sportsman. Years ago I virtually made a lifestyle of patterning; after reading his article it struck me how many more times I could have gone shooting rather than counting holes!

[Daryl Corona]

I agree Kevin. I used to be anal about patterning every new gun/load and did have fun doing it. Now I just shoot the pattern board for POI. The proof in the load to me anymore is how it breaks targets and how hard. It ain't rocket science.

[William Davis]

Agree lot of counting and math has little purpose. It is a good idea to see what your gun does on paper. Eyeball is all it takes.

William

[Paul Harm]

I only patterned once - didn't count holes. I did notice my wife's' 28ga didn't like 8 1/2s. 8s and 9s were ok though.