Favorite powder
 

Hello all, my nephew and I are setting up two loading presses, one for 12 ga and one for 16 ga. We mostly hunt doves and quail here in Oklahoma. Would like some feedback on a couple of powders that will work well in both gauges. Which powders do you like that are easy to find. We are also working the last bugs out of a shot dripper of my design so we can produce our own lead shot. Mike

black or smokeless

Depends on what you want to use the gun for. Targets light load my Parker 12s I use Red Dot Alliant calls it ideal for 7/8 & 1 oz target loads. Any number of other powders formulated for the same use and probably just as good. Target 12 probably the largest consumer of shotshell powders.

16 the same what is the intended use. Smaller bore operates at higher pressure and most use slower powders . 16 G Data is sparse , most current published is for 1 1/8 oz loads. I load 3/4 oz for targets 7/8 game with Green Dot and data from the 16 g society . Even so my light loads are not ideal 3/4 some unburied powder 7/8 fine.

Generally Doves do fine with target loads & if your guns are choked tight no need for heavy shot loads.

One powder fits all difficult to do. I stick with Alliant powders after all the trouble and lack of honesty from Hodgon during the powder shortage. Local shops have plenty of Alliant & they make it in the USA

William

If it was smokeless powder you were referring to I would probably go with Unique, if it's black powder I wouldn't use anything other than FFg Goex.

I use Clay Dot for everything I shoot. It is not quite as clean as Clays but pretty close. I have been told Clay Dot is a cleaned up version of the old Red Dot.

Dealing with smokeless powders, my 16ga Parker VH and 12&16ga Lefevers are all mod/full. Just don't want to have to stock up on 6 or 7 powders. So possibly Unique and Green dot or Alliant.

To be clear, Alliant is a manufacturer, they make Clay Dot, Red Dot, Unique & Green Dot.

While you can use Unique for almost anything and I always have some on hand, it's not the optional light shot load powder. Look at Alliants on line Manual all the Unique loads are for heavy shot charges. 3/4 & 7/8 oz you will get un burned powder and the recommended charges with heavy shot loads are much larger = fewer loads per pound.

12 G no doubt about it in Alliants line, Clay Dot or Red Dot are optional for 7/8 or 1 oz . You can use Green Dot but it's slower and charge weights are 25-30%,higher = back to fewer loads per pound

16 G you are on your own, little current published data and all of it with cycling Automatics in mind 1 1/8 oz shot loads mostly . Find the 16 G Society on line, they have collected lot of old data on 16 that can be used today. I am using Green Dot based on 16 g society loads. can't give it 100% recommendation just yet.

Assuming you don't want 1 1/8 oz loads either gauge, you need two powders minimum . All opinion and somebody else may have another.

William

Looks like green dot, red dot, and Unique may be the choice, won't be loading any heavy loads. All my guns were made between 1897 and 1907. Don't want to risk cracking the stocks since they are all 109+ years old.

With BP 3F is fine. Just use less [ 70grs in the 12ga - 1oz of shot ]. It'll burn cleaner, if that's possible, and you'll use less. Unique, GD, and BD will all work in both.

Alliant powder, American Select works well with light loads and has very low pressure in 12 ga. Carvel