8 GA. Shells
 

It seems that there has been some discussions about loading 8 GA shells for our 8 GA Parkers. I don't have an 8 and do little reloading, so I have not followed this very closely but it seems there is a need for 8 GA shells?

Today I was looking around on the web and saw that black powder 8 GA shells are available, so if anyone needs them..... as found at http://www.vintagers.org/

thanks for posting this ROBIN this will give them fellas a chance to try out them old 8 s....i load my own 8 ga shells but who knows i might have to try this brand.... charlie

Wonder if he'll load smokeless as well ?

"If" I'm ever able to afford an 8 gauge Parker I don't wanna shoot BP in it !

I assume you can shoot the black powder and reload the empties with smokeless?

Well rather then pay his price and have to shoot the black crap in any Parker of mine and then reload seems to me I'd be better off loading my own to begin with .

Where do you get the empties to start reload? Is there a supply of reloading components for 8 ga? From "casually" reading the reloading threads, I understood that 8 ga empties were non existent and some sort of industrial 8 ga shells had to be reworked for use Parker 8ga guns. That is why I thought shooting these for the empties might be an easier way to go........

it is easy to reload your on 8 ga shells....theres plenty ofreloading info out there TOM ARMBRUST HAS A GOOD RELOADING BOOKwith some great stories in it...PRECISION RELOADING has all the compononts you needplus BALLISTIC SELLS COMPONONETS... GOT SEVERAL SITES THAT SELL BRASS HULLS...plus you you can get these game bore shell listed here....i wonder whatthe loads are for the old 8.... charlie

the 8 ga hull is fairly easy to get...you do have torework the hull but this is easily done i posted a thread on a simple set of pliars to do this not long ago...the wads andover shot cards are readily available at above mentioed sites...hulls and compononets about the same price as the mag 10 stuff... charlie

I do not know if they are still in business, but I purchased my 8 gauge brass empties from Rocky Mountain Arms (google them). They are the finest brass shells I have ever seen. They are cnc machined from solid brass stock and take a 209 primer. When I purchased them, they were around $6 each, but that was over 10 years ago.

I think the Rocky Mountain Cartridge Company brass shells are about ten bucks apiece. I bought 30 at Cabela's closeout bin a few years ago for a bargain price. I have no idea why they had them. Maybe there are some still floating around the Cabela's stores even now. If you want to make it easy, they are the shells to use. Gary Herman may still have some Bismuth eight gauge ammo for sale for those who attend side by side events in the East. He is a bit under the weather now, but may be set up at the Southern.

Anyone here ever tried using the brass shells with roundballs the way (I assume the brits) used to load them by pinching the brass in at the top of the shell in 6 or 8 places ?

I see no reason to crimp a brass case with a ball or bullet unless you are actually carrying the gun in the field. There is no crimping with Rocky Mountain Cartridge Company cases.

If I wasn't planning on using it in the field I wouldn't load it in the first place .

And I don't know if this is actually what one would call a crimp as such . To me it sort of looks like a large torx bit .

Oh incidently if it was done before I think it's safe to assume that it CAN be done again with Rocky Mountain cases regardless of what your PERSONAL opinion may or may not be .

I'm sure you are correct.

Black crap??? Somebody slap him:)

Farfaro 8 guage shells
 

has anyone tried these farfaro shells in the post above?
my gun is not nitro proofed so perhaps this is my way to go.
What are the gamebore hulls like? are they different from the industrial hulls?

I have seen/had a few English shotshells made of brass in my collection. They are quite thin when compared to the stout, lathe turned cases from RMC, and probably tolerate repeated crimping in the fashion described in the previous postings. A modern crimp starter would probably do the trick, seeing as how the crimp is not folded in completely. The MEC crimp starter is made of a machined metal, isn't it? Maybe it would be the right choice for use on brass. Cheers!

I think you might want to speak to RMC. I seriously doubt their case is thin enough not to crack, if crimped. The loads I have seen do not have a "shotshell crimp", but just the most modest turned in edge like a rifle cartridge crimp, and they were drawn brass cases. There was also a canalure in the (Conical) bullet.

RCBS makes a set of 12 gauge dies that applies a slight turned over crimp, similar to that used on a lead bullet handgun load. If used with a stiff overshot wad, this might be a good alternative. I have only seen this done on thin, drawn hulls, such as Magtech. Good luck!

I would prefer a glued in top wad in my RMC hulls. I have no interest in using black powder. Mr. Farfaro is filling a void but I think most of us would rather approach the eight gauge situation from a different direction.

The one problem I found with the Gamebore shells, at least the ones I had, was that they had plastic wads in them. The black powder burning heats them up to the point that they melt a little bit in the barrel everytime you shoot one. Once the gun cools, to say it makes it a bit hard to clean, is a gross understatement. Maybe they figured that out and started using fiber wads, the shells I had were made several years ago. But I'd ask some questions before I bought any.


Destry

I've found that a squirt of carburetor cleaned dissolves plastic residue

the plastic wads i use give no problem with smokeless powder .. it maybe the black powder causing the problem...but its good to know carberator cleaner will help clean...thanks big D... charlie

To remove plastic fouling in the bore use Shooter's Choice bore cleaner. It comes in a glass bottle because it truly eats plastic.

Both good tips, thanks guys.


DLH

P.S. to Charlie: It was only black powder shells that ever get me this problem.