Federal 7/8 loads?
 

Anyone know the PSI of the Federal 7/8 box ammo? (think they were around 1200 fps)
i shot some RST's 2 1/2 - 1oz 8's - 1170 fps and some Federal 7/8 loads and they feel the same.. wondering if they are safe to shoot in my Damascus barrels..
(12ga).

You wouldn't blow up a damascus barrel gun with modern loads [ assuming they're safe to shoot ]. And you can't really tell how much pressure a shell has by recoil. In the formula for recoil there's nothing in it about pressure. Pressure is speed [ FPS ] times the weight of the powder, wad, and shot. Most guys like to keep pressure down around 7000psi or less in their old guns out of respect for the stocks and so they won't shoot the gun loose. It took Sherman Bell 32,000psi to blow a damascus barrel gun. Modern shells are usually no more than 11 to 13,000psi at the most. That's why we reload - to keep pressures down. The high pressure does nothing but cycle autos and deform shot.

i understand that Paul.. so do you think the 7/8 loads are ok? the recoil is not bad and you can hit the birds, not like the 980's that winchester sells that are pretty slow.. the 980's pressures are around 6000.. (ok for skeet but thats about it i think).
I understand about loading your own now.. and thats a major reason, that and the cost of buying the specialty shells like RST's (even though i like them and they work well) It just gets too expensive if you shoot a lot and i do..

Paul, how do you explain the fact that loads with the identical weight of the three components you mention and identical velocity have widely different advertised pressures in loading manuals? By the way, Gary, the new Federal 7/8 ounce Top Guns are the best thing brought out by the big three since smokeless powder shells.

Try the Fiocchi trainer 7/8oz. trainer loads. Even softer than the Federals.

Bill, I have noticed that the same hulls loaded with the same weight of shot, same powder and weight of powder charge vary considerably in pressure depending on the wad used. Even wads of the same weight cause greatly different pressure results. Perhaps some of the factors explaining this would be differing efficiency of the gas seal and blow by, different "slickness" and drag coefficients and surface area of contact between the wad and barrel wall, to name a few.

I also neglected to mention the amount of wad compression pressure and crimp also cause quite a bit of variation.

Gary:
If you are concerned about the pressure of these Federal loads, there is a simple way to find out exactly what it is. Phone Federal. They will be happy to tell you.

Gary, I think Fred and Kensal both gave good advice.

I've been phoning Federal for 3 days, left call back numbers each time and no reply.. doesnt seem like that question is that difficult.. guess i was wrong.
Still waiting.. :whistle:
Maybe someone else could try calling them and report back.. maybe they'll have better luck than me..
1-800-322-2342 - choose opt 4 Good luck.