Light loads
 

I’m looking for a little help on some light loads
I can’t get a manual at this time , in a few weeks
So far

What I have
Cheddite primers 209
Cheddite hulls 2 3/4
Clay buster wads
Competition special short wads
Powder
Hodgdon longshot
Hodgdon international powder

Nickle Plated lead shot in 7 1/2
Nickle Plated lead shot in # 6

I can’t get my hands on the Advantages Reload manual
If any has one , could you please send me a couple picture of the loads they have listed at like 8000 PSI

Please and thanks

The Hodgdon reloading site has plenty of great info, and would be the first place I'd look.Just Google Hodgdon reloading site. BTW, I assume you're looking for 12 ga?

Also look at the Claybuster WS. It had loads listed for their various wads and powders.

My experience is most of the Advantages stuff is high pressure high velocity loads. I'd look at the powder load data on their respective web sites as Harold mentioned. 12 gauge?

You don't say how much shot. It sounds like you want target loads and if so 1oz is more than enough. Myself, I use mostly 3/4 and 7/8 for trap where all the birds are on edge. Many of BPI loads are computer generated. In other words they haven't been tested with a pressure barrel for actual pressures. Alliant also has a web site with many loads. You'll have to go to CBers website, or on their bags for 3/4oz 12ga loads.

I have a beautiful 7/8 oz load for 2 3/4" 12g but it's 16g Clays powder.

Yes sir , it’s for a couple Parker 12’s

I’ll be honest , I don’t know how much shot to add , I have some charge bars in 1 , 1 1/8 , and 1 1/4

I want light loads for pressure and for kicks as these old guns

I already spent like $500 on stuff , plus a loader , this is a new learning curve for me
I spent all my life loading for big game

you gona enjoy this new reloading...its hard to get a light load using very much shot 3/4 of and ounce makes for a light load in the 12 ga.....charkie

I spent a couple hours on that site looking loads with the powders I have and the primers , hulls

The only thing I have that is not on the loads is the wads

The wads I have are claybusters in 1 1/8 and 1 1/4
Now I did find some light loads with that amount of shot , but in different wads , they used GU 1225

Is it ok to switch out wads for what I have and it shouldn’t change the pressure much ,
Or should I just try to find those GU1225 wads


Also
I have another bag of wads made by ballistic products, they called 12 gauge target & light field loads
I’m thinking they for 1 ounce loads of shot

Thanks for the help , I’m getting excited about learning this , only wish it was easy to find new bulls and stuff , getting hard up here in Canada to find it

My light 12 load is 7/8 oz & Claybuster wads. Red Dot powder with all data and charge straight from Alliants site EXCEPT 1 powder bushing lighter than the recommended charge. Recoil is a bit lighter than published minimum charge weight load. Tight choked guns give adequate shot density for clay birds with fewer pellets. No need for 1 1/8 or 1 1/4 & have doubts 1 oz is necessary

Opinion, ideal light 12 G Parker & Targets factory load is B&P Competition One 7/8 oz. Buy them when I can find them. Alliants 7/8 load about duplicates it.

William

Richard, Claybuster makes a gray wad for 7/8 oz loads in 12 ga and a pink 3/4 oz wad. I prefer 7/8 oz in 12 ga..

Get yourself a 1 oz and a 7/8 oz charge bar. You can make light loads with 1 and 7/8 oz recipes. Keep the FPS under 1200 and you'll be happy. Velocity and load weight are what cause felt recoil so keep the velocity down. I prefer 1150-1180 FPS. They break anything that a 1250-1300 FPS load can break. I noticed you originally said you had #6 and #7 1/2 shot. If you're loading for clays you can't use anything larger than 7 1/2. It's a safety factor.

Grey Clay-buster is the one I use, optional for 7/8 oz Remington or Winchester hull. I loaded some 3/4 oz 12 with the pink wad but found 3/4 really needs a different powder and higher velocity to burn well. Another powder to buy increases complication and higher velocity makes for more muzzle blast. If high volume Skeet is the game worth it otherwise 7/8 at 1150 or so ideal.

William

Bill, I use mostly the pinkish DR 7/8 oz wads. Bought a boat-load of them years ago. They perform great. I highly recommend them too. Those gray CB wads work well too.

I have been using Extra lite in 3/4 and 7/8 for a long while and like you did not like the 1300 fps. I dropped it 2.5 grains and find it very pleasant to shoot. Was concerned about complete burning and cold weather performance but no change at all.
In 12 ga. that is all i use now and with the chokes in my Parkers 7/8 will reach anything i may want to shoot as far as clays go. Have made some very long,50-55 yard shots with good breaks.

Here’s a tip friend gave me some time ago. If trying light charges wipe the bores after with a slightly oiled patch. In a safe place light the patches corner with a match. If the patch burns smoky it’s dirty no real problem. . See it fizzle, that’s unburned powder, loads too light & best avoided, particularly in colder weather.

William

Dick,
If you'd like to go a little lighter, here is my recipe for 12 gauge with a 1/2 ounce of lead shot.

Remington hull: Gun Club, Nitro Gold or STS. Older Winchester AACF hulls OK too.
Cheddite, Winchester or Remington 209 primer.
14 grains of Alliant Extra Lite powder.
CB 0175-12 pink wad for 3/4 ounce.
I put a Circle Fly 20 gauge 0.620" dia by 0.135" thick nitro card in the bottom of the CB wad.

I had them tested in 2015 by Tom Armbrust. About 5500 psi and 1350 fps.

I've shot about 15,000 plus over the past 8 years.

They work fine, burn clean and if you hit the bird it breaks, if you miss it, it won't.

They may not make diesel smoke out there at 30 yards but they do break birds. Nice mild recoil and the lead and powder usage is a lot lower.

And by the way, there isn't a clay bird that can't be broken with this load at our local Sporting Clay's course.

I hope this helps.

Bill

For anyone that might have an interest in my loading recipe above, I wrote that late at night and made an error in the weight of the Alliant Extra Light powder. I wrote 13 grains.

It should be 14 grains which yields 500 rounds = 20 boxes of 25 for a pound of powder.

My apologies if this messed up anyone.

Bill

It’s been awhile since I’ve been this excited about loading and hunting upland again

My MEC press will be here and I can’t learn it all fast enough

I was wondering
Can you load them brass hulls or cases with todays powders instead of the black powder
They sell them in 2 1/2 inches and would be perfect

I was think about buy 50 to start
Just not sure about loading them with todays powder , I was going to get some stuff from that site track the wolf

If load them by hand with the dippers in 1 ounce for shot and get the right one for powders

Dick,

I am not real sure what you would like to load.

12 gauge it looks like. How much lead shot? 3/4. 7/8, 1 or 1 1/8 ounce?

Brass hulls? Not sure if most plastic wads available today would fit real well in a thinner walled brass hull.

I think best to use what is commonly available today in plastic wads for plastic hulls. For a 12 gauge Parker in good shape, 2 3/4 inch hulls will be fine.

I'm sure any 209 shotshell primers would be OK.

What powder do you intend to use? The amount of lead shot will be a factor.

Take your time and be certain of what your goal will be. Loading recipes on powder manufacturers web sites have a lot of data. Check them out.

Once you decide on what weight shot you want to load and what powder you would like to use, and available, please get back to us and we can give you more details if you need them.

Yeah, get something loaded up for your Parker - and shoot it.

In the meantime if that might be too long to wait, get some factory loaded low pressure loads, like RST.

Bill

Bill
If I could of got RST loads or any other on 2 1/2 , I most likely would of not got this reloading stuff
Very hard to get anything up here in Canada

Ah, Canada, eh?

Yeah, that could be kinda tough. Not sure what to suggest.

Tricky to get loading stuff down here in the US and near impossible in Canada.

Any body else have any ideas?

Bill

I shoot clays quite often on regular sporting courses with 410's and 1/2 ounce of 8's and 9's (2-1/2" shells) and have to be dead nuts centered on the bird or it's a miss. That's why I call them Professor guns. 1/2 ounce in a 12-gauge has got to be just as critical if not more so owing to the much shorter shot column. Bill, I've never been at your local Clays course but I'm wondering if it’s set with a lot of "cupcape" presentations, to use the jargon of sporting clays shooters. :)

Me? My light 12 gauge practice load is 7/8 ounce of 7-1/2’s or 8”s at about 1150 speed and driven by Alliant E3 powder. That’s in Remington hulls, Cheddite primers and gray Claybuster wads.

Hi Frank,

Yes, our course has a lot of "cupcake" presentations that do not include any real long, Bo Whoop type shots. Hence, a half ounce of shot in the right place will "kill" your bird. There are enough tricky ones tho that will make you humble.

Ya gota hit 'em tho. 1/2 ounce or 1 ounce, ya gota hit 'em!

Admittedly, some by what you have called, a "Golden BB" that produces that visible chip. (I sure wish they put more of those in a bag of shot.)

We don't keep score but we do like to do the best we can. For me, and the mostly old farts I shoot with most of the time, it's more social and it's good exercise. As in, a one mile plus walk carrying a 7 1/2 pound side by side. A Fox or Parker of course.

I've been shooting 3 /4oz 12ga loads for as long as I can remember. This is clay targets mine ya. Maybe back when CBers first came out with their 3/4oz wad. Bill, at first you'll probably make a few mistakes in what you buy, but keep it. It can usually be used latter for something else. In the past I never had much luck loading nitro powders in brass shells. It all has to do with the crimp [ I think ]. The military had brass shells and Buck Shot, but they used a swedged crimp - a vey slight roll crimp. Most of us guys don't want to roll the end because it would wear out. I believe Charlie has had some luck with nitro in brass shells. I've made it work with 410s [ 444 Marlins fire formed ] and plenty of hot glue. Because you want a thin, .028, onershot card, I was always afraid of using too much of anything on top of the shot [ a thick OS card will give you donut patterns ]. But another guy using plenty of HG and 410s, well, I gave it a try and it works. Good luck.