Shell Recommendation/ Pressures Exceptable
 

Does anyone know if there is information out from companies on pressure testing from their loads they produce? I'm trying to purchase some shells for my 12 gauge with Low-Pressure loads. RST and Polywad are great shells, but sometimes the website is out of Bismuth for areas that I hunt and I was curious if anybody found information on this. I found some Bismuth produced by Kent that was 1 1/4 load at 1250 feet per second but you don't know the pressure produced would be acceptable for my Parker. I used to reload trap loads years ago, but I have been out of the mix on reloading for 15 years so I would love any direction if someone can share their experience. I know the feet per second and drams don't mean much without the pressure produced.

You will usually not get pressure data from factory loaded shells. If you ask various companies, The answer you will get is just that their shells meet SAAMI standards. Which I think is 13,000 psi for 12g loads, if I remember correctly off the top of my head.
My guess is that many companies change up their loading recipe from time to time based on availability or cost of components and those changes mean pressure changes as well.

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Several of the heavy 12-gauge smokeless powder loads (3 1/2 drams of bulk smokeless

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or 28-grains of dense smokeless powder,

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such as Infallible or Ballistite, pushing 1 1/4 ounce of shot) available from our North American ammunition companies from the late 1890s into the 1920s were higher pressure than today's SAAMI specs. We know the North American Nimrods tendency to shove the heaviest loads he can find in his gun!!

The real issue is not that the metal of these vintage guns, in proper condition, won't hold the pressures, but that the heavier payloads and higher velocity made possible by modern powders create much higher recoil forces which are harder on hundred year old wood and seventy year old shoulders.

Thanks for posting the Standard pressures Dave.

Thanks for the information and it looks like, I'm going to have to get another reloaded and I shouldn't have sold the last one. I will have to do some research on some previous post on the powder you recommend as well as wads. I will most likely only reload 12-gauge so I will have to see what is out there for a reloaded as I used to have a mech-grabber years ago. Do you all reload to the 2 3/4" or do you reload to 2 1/2". I have never reloaded for 2 1/2" so I would have to set the adjustments once I get back into it. I now understand what my dad felt like when I went to college and he told me 90% of what you learn I'm going to have to unteach you wrong theory. Blessings to both of you!

Eddy, in the mean time you can get RST shell which are loaded to lower pressures then most shells and they will share the pressures created with you.

Thanks for that information as I did buy some shells from RST, and I will email them and ask for that information. So my question for you guys that reload, do you have a chart you go off of that tells you the pressure of the powder type based on the amount of powder dropped in the reloader or do you actually know someone who can test your reloads. I'm curious as in the past I used different bushings that dropped different amount of powder so I knew what my powder charge was. Low pressure is totally new to me in reloading so I want to do this right and someone else's experience is the best experience. I'm someday excited to pass this knowledge onto some friends of mine that are in the process as well of buying a Parker and carry on some our American History. I feel like owning a Parker is not a gun but more a privilege and a responsibility at the same time.

I’m not particularly concerned with low chamber pressures as long as they are comfortably under published Parker service load pressures. Unless a person’s guns are thin walled or otherwise infirm , it is an unnecessary caution.

Go to the online site of the powder maker and look up the load you want and the pressures will be listed for each load and it will give you a choice of high to low.

I can't imagine how an ammo company could be in business without knowing their product's pressures. That said, I agree with Bruce on this.
BTW the MEC Grabber is probably the best all-around choice for the average re-loader.
It kinda reminds me of a mid 60s VW bug. Cheap, but reliable enough to get you to New York and back.