Buckshot Alah 8 gauge
 

Just tried the two 0000 buck buffered at 30 yards . Eight barrel looks good and I just mighta pulled the left a skoosh . I also found the 00000 buck and the .775” slugs I’d cast before . So perhaps after dinner I’ll load two more of the 0000 buck , four of the 00000 buck and four slugs . Wanna try the 00000 and slugs at 30 yards then all three at forty yards . Eight barrel was fired at the benchrest target and the left at the pistol target . Oh yes these were with 31 grains of Clays .

Wow thats a beautiful 8 gauge ! :shock:
I may have missed it but what are you planning on hunting with the 8 gauge buckshot ?

Maybe a deer this Friday . Damage Control permits :cool: As a matter of fact four of us went last night and got seven .

Loaded up two more with 0000 buck buffered , also loaded four with eight 00000 buckshot buffered as well . Then I loaded eight with the .775” 730 grain slug which needed one 12 gauge nitro card to have the correct height . All are using 31 grains of Clays and a CCI209M .

are you casting your own slugs...tell us something about your 8 ga...charlie

Yeah I cast the slugs and the 0000 an 00000 Buckshot . A friend in Ohio had Accurate molds cut the mold for the slug I’m using . I had borrowed the mold a year or two ago , but at the time the only thing I could use them
In was a 10 gauge ML I’ve since purchased the mold from him . Oh yeah he had it cut for an LC Smith 10 gauge that the barrels had been cut . That slug fits very well inside the SP-8 wad and is a good height with a single 12 gauge nitro card underneath .

Well I shot the 00000 at 30 yards and it was okay . Shot the 0000 and 00000 at forty yards and it wasn’t as okay . The slugs were not so okay , when they went off correctly they did okay at thirty and forty yards . However I had about 50% hang fires . I’m going to load some more slugs with Universal Clays and International Clays . Also wanna load some 000 , 00 and 0 buckshot to see if it does any better at forty yards . I may try the other two powders with the buckshot as well . Incidentally while I was searching my shelves for the open 8 pounder of Universal Clays I found I already had a four pounder of Clays , if I’d known that I’d have saved the forty bucks the two cans of Clays cost me last week LOL’s.

try bluedot my buckshot loads do well with this powder... my roundball loads are only accurate to 30 yards in my 8 ga lifter....hope to better the round ball load soon...charlie

Just finished a group all pushed with 32 grains of International Clays 0 , 00 , 000 , 0000 and 730 grain slugs . Think I’ll ease out front and try them now .

Has anyone tried a tri ball load in the 8 gauge ? , I remember seeing a 12 ga tri ball load on another forum that patterned pretty good out to 40 iirc . I think it was 3 .600" balls and usually patterned them in like a small triangle .

I have been thinking of eventually trying to make a 10 ga 2 7/8 #4 buck load , would be interesting to used a old sxs on coyotes .

no 4 buck does well in the 10 ga...I ve used no 4 in the 10 ga 3 1/2 inch shell with no 4 buck using a Ithaca mag 10 it will bring a deer down cleanly at 50 steps...charlie

years ago I ordered some 0000 in 10 gauge 3.5" but they never sent me the ammo . Theres another company now making 10 ga 3.5" 0000 buck but I dont currently have a 10 gauge magnum .

Ive always wanted to try loading up some lead T shot in the 10 ga , I believe BPI sells it . I know theres a good number of guys in the midwest that love the 10 gauge for predator hunting .

I was going to order 2 cases from RST last week but ended up buying a 22 mag instead lol.

milt try lead bb shot on the predaters...I have shot and killed several coyotes and beavers with them...at 40 yard or better a big coyote will fold up for sure..charlie

The stuff with International Clays wasn’t getting consistent ignition . But the hulls I was using cane from the group of 20+ that came with the gun they’d all been fired more than a few times . So I’m thinking the hulls might be on their last legs . Gonna try a couple of the new unfired as well as change primers from CCI209M’s to WIN209’s . Gonna try International Clays again as well but just two of slugs and two of buckshot and see what results I obtain .

I found if you put a 1/8 inch over powder wad in before putting the plastic wad in this will keep the misfires from happening...I had your troubles before finding this out...charlie

Well I just loaded four with the card as you say two with slugs two with buckshot and only one of the four went off correctly. I’m of the opinion that the crimp is not stiff or tight enough because the hulls I’m using are past their prime . Tommorrow I’ll try four unfired the same way .

you could be right about the hulls...I use bluedot for all my 8 ga loads that I shoot....charlie

In the book I have with WIN hulls and the SP-8 wad he has no loads using Blue Dot . But I don't think the powders the issue or some wouldn't set off correctly and others not . I suppose I could get a roll crimper thing and try that but I don't really want to do that .:whistle:


I've got the grass cut etc so other than a couple auction items my weekend is wide open so I just might get this stuff ironed out . Then I need to get a scope on top a Mannlicher Schoenauer MC rifle length 06 I bought to rob the triggers . Might set this one up with several factory loads to carry out for Damage Control when I use the 8 gauge from a ground blind . Or I might carry my 6mm-06 that's never been blooded . Anyway I need to get some stuff straight before Tuesday evening .

If you don't mind saying what charge weight and powder weights with SP-8 wads ?

Okay just loaded a pair of the slugs with International Clays as well as filling the bottom cavity with wax and a nitro card in the bottom of the shot cup for proper height . Also loaded two more with sixteen 00 buck pellets and buffer again with International Clays . All four are in brand new unfired hulls with WIN 209’s . They look nice but let’s see if they boom correctly :whistle:

Well all four went off as one would like . The slugs however were kinda low and the left barrel of buck I think I pulled it a bit left off the box . I’m going to take the four once fired and try slugs in them again two for the left and two for the right . Then I’m going to load two new hulls with sixteen 0 buck pellets and try them . Below is the 00 at 30 yards 14 of the 16 pellets are on the box all be it a little left and a little low .

What kind of deer are you hunting? Whitetail or sika?

Whitetail sadly I’ve not been on the Eastern Shore of Maryland to hunt Sika in three or four years . Since I’ve put my pop in an adult care facility now I could try and do Blackwater NWR this season , but based on current events I think I’ll just hunt around here besides damage control three months and then three months of archery , ml and gun here I should get my fill .

Okay shot the four slugs and the pair of 0 buck . I’m going to need to go to the range and shoot something larger than my cardboard boxes for the slugs might also need a wrap or two of masking tape to snug them a bit . But I’m pleased that the snap .... boom ceased . The 0 buck shot nicely at 30 yards so Tuesday I’ll carry the 8 gauge and sit a different spot until dark or until I plunk one .

The lone slug that hit paper just now and it tells me nothing since I have no idea where the other three went .

And the two with 0 buck at thirty yards .

Well Monday first thing I need to do after breakfast is head to the range . Loaded 12 more slug loads but with three different powders . Also filled the HB with candle wax Nd our one wrap of masking tape on each slug , maybe snugging them up a skoosh will help accuracy . Also have my 6mm-06 , MS 7x57 , Savage Hog Hunter 338 FED and AR-10 338 FED to check sight in . The pair of 338’s I wanna check suppressed . Tuesday if no rain I might just take the Mannlicher Schoenauer 7x57 along with my 8 gauge .

that old 8 ga will do its job ok...I got faith in the gun...charlie

The bad part is it’s making me want a second one ! Preferably a hammerless on a #6 frame with 34” barrels . I know where there’s a German made double rifle in 375 Flanged I like . If I can’t work out a deal for that I just might take the leap for the second 8 gauge . But I need to get a couple hundred atleast new WIN hulls .

It’s going to be intresting when the molds arrive from the UK especially the .775” mold for punkin balls . The .415” to make 000000 I don’t think will be overly difficult as long as my hulls hold up although I might have to snip the shot cup off the SP-8 wads .

Well just returned from the range I dunno if shooting from the seated bench made a difference or the one wrap of masking tape around the slug before putting them in the shot cups but all the slugs hit the boxes and two of them were rather decent all be it one powder for the right barrel and a different powder for the left barrel . I’ll just post the two I deem acceptable .

Thats not too bad. With double rifles if the bullet is to lite or to fast they will cross paths. If to heavy or to slow they will shoot apart. Look like you need a touch more speed.

Actually the top target is a pair from the right barrel and the lower target is a pair from the left barrel . Typically I like a slug in one barrel and buckshot in the other .

Have you looked at any of the molds accurate molds sells for slugs ?
They have quite a few hollow base designs too which I suppose is basically a foster style slug .

They have a .774 900gr hollow base design that looks pretty interesting , I think thats just a bit over 2 ounces .

The mold for the slugs I’m using was cut by Accurate as well as my .730” 730 grainer for the 10 gauge . Matter of fact the mold I borrowed a couple years ago and cast the slugs I shot today arrived in the mail today and is now part of my accumulation of stuff . I’ve put $250 in molds for this dinosaur that’s enough for now and besides I’ve met my parameters .

Oh yeah Accurate does not make HB or HP molds as such . They will cut the mold all the way thru on the bottom and you can send it to www.hollowpointmold.com and they’ll hook you up with the HB pin , which equates into $200+ by the time you’re done . For what I’ve got in the mold I’m using I’m perfectly satisfied and 730 grains is certainly heavy enough .

Have you tried any large lead shot in the 8 gauge ? I have always read that larger shot stacks more evenly in larger bores .

It’s very little difference when compared to a 10 . And no I’ve not tried large birdshot . Just 0 , 00 , 000 , 0000 and 00000 . And once the pair of .415” ball molds arrive I’ll make some 000000 buck .

I ordered some 0000 for the 10 ga BPS I had years ago but they never sent me the ammo . I want to try loading something for coyotes in the 10 gauge but I dont want to put anything too large through the Parkers since its full choked I have read that can be a problem ? But I think something like lead T shot or as Charlie said lead B or BB would be good coyote medicine . I dont have anywhere to try buckshot on deer . The area we have to hunt is mostly hogs and its wide and open , you're looking at about 300 yard shots .

I shoot 0000 and 00000 thru all my 10’s no problem . The largest I’ve ever heard of the factory loading for a 3 1/2” 10 was 00 .