3/4oz 12ga shells
 

I went into a slump shooting SC's. A friend who is a Master class shooter gave me a little advise and bingo, I started shooting a lot better. Anyways, it's fun to beat those guys shooting O/U'ers with my Parker hammer gun and 3/4oz shells. I have one friend who thinks you must shoot hot, 1 1/8oz shells to hit targets 40yds away. It's really no trouble with 3/4oz and lite mod chokes.

You will get no argument here. I do believe the tight chokes help as I do better with my 20ga 3/4oz loads in guns that are tightly choked vs the more open ones.

3/4 and 7/8 pattern very well in my 12ga. Parkers. For clays 7/8 #8 will reliably break a clay at 50 yds. I only have to send it to the right place. Thats the problem. What advice did you get?

It is fun waxing their butts with a 100yr. old gun and a little biddy 3/4oz. load. That's all I load for 12,16,20 and of course 29ga.

I don't even try to convince them any more how effective the light loads are. If they want to pound themselves with heavy loads have at it.

With tight chokes you don't need heavy shot loads. How the gun/load prints on paper will prove the point. 3/4 oz out of a Full & Fuller Parker has plenty of pellet density for clay birds. Pattern the same gun with 1 1/8 oz, it has way more pellets than it needs.

William

I've found that less choke is needed with 3/4oz loads. The shorter shot column means less pellet deformation on the back end, hence more shot in the pattern. A tighter choke would really give a tight, full pattern. When FETIC shooters had to go from 1 1/4 to 1oz they thought scores would fall, but they didn't. They went up because of less recoil and the patterns were the same. Also, in the International clay games they only use a bit under 7/8.

I don't know about less choke wit 3/4 oz loads. I've had great success with them in my SC (thank you Phil Carr) and also 7/8 oz loads.

I like them in the tight choked 20"s I have but don't think I'd use them in a skeet gun.

If we stand back and think about it 5 factors in breaking a clay target, velocity, choke, pellet size, shot weight, and the target itself.

With little ability to vary velocity in reasonable loads you can reduce recoil most by cutting shot weight. Best way to make up for light shot loads with short range targets is smaller shot. 3/4 oz # 9 in guns with some choke breaks Skeet targets well, close to the trap, spinning fast, it does not take a lot to break one.

Longer targets another thing, 9s run out of gas, better to go to 7 1/2 and more shot = 7/8 oz. Increase in shot weight brings more recoil, I use factory 1 oz 7 1/2 in my modern gun & recoil increase is noticeable. Sweet spot for me with tight choked 12 g SxS and targets at varying distances short to long is 7/8 oz # 7 1/2.

That's why I say pattern on paper at intended distances & see what your preference is. I absolutely agree with Paul shorter shot column improves patterns. Why modern gun shooters overload 28 & 20 G guns with heavy shot loads escapes me.

William

There was a article in one of the SC's magazines by a guy who does testing of shot shells. He said with the 3/4oz load he had to use either fiber wads or spreader loads to get them to open up enough at skeet ranges. I've hit targets pretty hard at 40yds with open chokes.