I'm feeling pretty good about those light target loads.

Shooting RST in any vintage double gun is cheap by comparison to the cost of the gun and possible damage. Recoil is not an indicator of pressure.

I'm curious. Does anyone know what the kind of pressures factory shells were generating in the mid 1930's?

I liked those herter 16 ga loads, and still have several cases of them, BUT, I will only shoot them in my NID 4E, Utica 16 Sterlingworth, and Fair Rizzini 16 guns.Then I happily cut them down to 2 1/2' and load low pressure 7/8 oz loads. I've given a bunch of hulls away, and still have close to 1000 that need cut down.
I'd be ok shooting them thru my steel barreled Parker 16's also for hunting, but not for the extended shooting of sporting clays--too much recoil for me, my O frame DHE 16 only weighs 6 LBS.

John: A DuPont Ballistic Table was published in Parker Brothers' “The Small Bore Shotgun” c. 1920 http://parkerguns.org/pages/PDF%20Do...%20Shotgun.pdf
It is clear that this table converts Long Tons to PSI simply by multiplying by 2240; NOT using Burrard’s conversion
p. 7 “All powders referred to on these pages are of the bulk nitro"
Numbers require adding 10 - 14% for modern piezo transducer pressures.
12 gauge
3 Dr. Eq. 1 1/8 oz. = 8,110 psi
3 1/4 Dr. Eq. 1 1/8 oz. = 8,960 psi
3 1/2 Dr. Eq. 1 1/4 oz. = 9,900 psi
16 gauge
2 3/4 Dr. Eq. 7/8 oz. = 7,035 psi
3 Dr. Eq. 1 oz. = 8,980 psi
20 gauge
2 1/2 Dr. Eq. 7/8 oz. = 12,655 psi
DENSE Smokeless Powder pressures would be 1000 - 1,500 psi higher

The 1933 edition of “Smokeless Shotgun Powders” by Wallace Coxe, ballistic engineer of the Burnside Laboratory of the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. reported the pressure for 1 1/4 oz. 3 Dr. Eq. of DuPont Bulk Smokeless at 9,600 psi by LUP.

Of course everything changed with Western's boomers

In a 1927 Western Cartridge Co. flyer “Super-X The Long Range Load” by Capt. Chas. Askins the 12g “Duck Load” (not specified but presumed to be 1 1/4 oz. Super-X “Field”) is described as 3 1/2 dram (38.5 gr. DuPont Oval Powder = 11 gr. / Dr. Eq.); at 1400 fps (at the muzzle rather than 3 feet) and 1000 fps average over 40 yards, with a breech pressure of 3 3/4 tons or about 11,480 psi by Burrard’s conversion.
3” Super-X “Record” with 1 3/8 oz. at MV 1400 fps with 4.25 Tons psi = 13,160 psi
Super-X 10g 1 5/8 oz “about 4 1/2 Drams” No. 2 shot Full choke 32” barrel, average velocity over 40 yds. 1030 fps; “up to 13,000 psi” by crushers = about 14,500 psi by modern transducers.
Super-X 3 1/2” 10 Gauge Magnum in Ithaca Gun Co. with bore .795” with 2 oz. shot; pressures “about 5 Tons” = 15,680 psi

A Hunter Arms Co. Pressure Curve dated June 10, 1929, is in the McCracken Research Library, Buffalo Bill Center of the West
http://library.centerofthewest.org/c...d/8149/rec/107

Maximum Standard Factory Loads 1” peak pressures
12g 3” ‘Record’ 1 3/8 oz. shot presumed 1275 – 1295 fps = 13,250 psi
12g 2 3/4” ‘Field’ 1 1/4 oz. shot presumed 1330 fps = 10,750 psi
12g 2 3/4” 1 1/4 oz. 28 gr. (3 1/2 Dr. Eq.) Ballistite = 12,900 psi
12g 2 3/4” 1 1/4 oz. 3 1/2 Dr. Eq. DuPont Bulk = 10,000 psi

those 10 ga magnums are way up yonder...the 3 inch loads aint far behind...them duck loads in 2 3/4 are not far behind...its a wonder that any of these old guns got a stock left on them... i have shot my share of these old 1 1/4 ounce loads...charlie

Charlie, maybe they're a little tougher than we give them credit for.