goose loads
 

Going snow goose hunting when they start north. Whats some favorite loads I got 7625 powder but intrested in all loads. Favorit lead subustute is??? I was thinkin 4 drams black 1 1/3oz 4 buck. ho ho ho. For a NH 10 with good barrels. best ch

Calvin,

I use Sherman Bell's loading data for 4756 powder. 1 1/4 oz to 1 3/8 oz of Nice Shot #2's is plenty to knock down Canada Geese at 50+ yardes through my Parker 10 gauges. I also had success this year with 7625 in 12 gauge with 1 1/8 oz Nice Shot 2's.

If you do not have Mr Bell's data send me a PM with your email address and I'm forward a copy to you.

Mark

Too many squib loads with the 4756 powder for my tastes. They always seem to happen at a real bad time too. 7625 provides much more reliable ignition. I concur, 1 3/8 oz loads of nice shot (I like BB's) out of a 10 will clock 'em real good out to 50+ yards.

Not starting anything here but I've had no issues with the 4756 and also like the 1 1/4 - 1 3/8 of Nice Shot but with 4's they pattern very nice out of the ten.

I have read on various forums that both 7625 and 4756 may have ignition problems in very cold weather. Never willing to accept this without conducting a controlled test I place half a dozen loads of each powder in the freezer for a week. I though that was plenty long enough :) I then grabbed the frozen shells, walked into the backyard and fired them. While I was not set up to measure pressure or velocity, I did not not detect any difference in recoil from the same loads that were not frozen.

My hypothesis to prove was that 7625 would produce less recoil (squib load) when frozen. My finding for my rather limited test was that loads with 7625 were not affected at kitchen freezer temperatures.

For what it is worth,
Mark

Best Pheasant Loads
 

I have been using Hevi Shot Classic doubles #5s and 6s for pheasant - non-tox is not required but a good idea. They are fine, but I really have trouble knocking the birds down hard. I hunt over a setter and only shoot pointed birds so I am limiting myself to shots within 30yds - I hate seeing a bird flinch in the air and coast.

I have not yet tried NICE shot nor have I tried Kent Tungsten-Matrix (the later of which they claim is fine for old guns but are the pressures okay?). For Phez I use 16s and 12s.

Should I go back to lead #6s?

Advice from you western pheasant experts would really be appreciated.

Nice Shot at 1200 fps works great in my guns on ducks and geese.

I don't know how much pressure Kent TM loads develops. I do have a few cases of it that I use sparingly.

If your Parker will withstand the the SAMMI max pressure of 12,500 for a 12 gauge is a question of much debate and analysis. Barrel condition and wall thickness are big factors in determining how much pressure a Parker can endure. Then there is the rather old butt stock. It may crack under the recoil (different than pressure).

If you are going to use non-toxic one can load Nice Shot at low pressures cheaper than buying Kent TM.

I fired 606 10ga 1 1/4 ounce lead this season at crows, 1 squib. I fired maybe 40 loads 1 3/8's Niceshot using 4756 2 memorable squibs when a goose was in play. Scott K. has had more issues with 4756 than I but it doesn't take too many of them in a hunting situation to want to avoid 4756. Sometimes the squibs go bang but you can feel it just wasn't all there. The one squib on a crow was memorable to me because it was soft, real soft but I knocked the crow down. All hulls involved have been Federal, for me primers were W-W per Sherman Bells recipes.

TNR,

I've asked a lot of questions to folks who've been using the Hevi-Shot Classic stuff and have gotten a surprising number of negative responses. The worst was a friend who bought a pile of it to shoot out of a Model 11 20 gauge. Even with the rings on the light setting the shells didn't have enough oompah to work the action of the gun. This was the worst but I've heard the same thing you're saying from a lot of others, that they just don't seem to kill like you want a shell to. After running my little survey I've stuck with Kent TM and Federal TP, shame you can't buy the latter anymore.


Destry

I can assure you that IMR SR7625 does not perform well in 1100-1200fps 1oz 12ga handloads in AA hulls using WW209 primers in the cold if it's -10deg F or colder. Using hulls that have more than 3-4 reloads can make it worse. Upping the shot to 1-1/8oz would likely help. I have to be very cautious when shooting at -25F; I blow clear and look down the bbls every time, regardless of how the shots sounded. I have not participated in the annual -40F shoot up here but would use factory ammunition if I did and keep it inside a parka somehow, not on my belt in a normal carrier.