Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Murphy
ATA rules in the early days allowed 1 1/4 ounces of shot. I don't know when that changed to 1 1/8 ounces, but a 1917 Parker single obviously digested thousands of rounds of 1 1/4 ounce loads without significant damage. My 1922 PHE trap gun was used on pigeons until I purchased it. It had probably shot almost nothing other than 1 1/4 ounce loads for its entire life until the 1990s when I purchased it. It is still very tight and on face.
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Bill. I do know that the 1 1/4 oz. 12 bore load was the standard trap loading long ago. But I believe it was generally loaded at 3 1/4 dram equivalent (around 1200 fps) and not the 3 3/4 dram equivalent (+1300 fps) that is typical for heavy factory hunting loads. In my opinion, the 1200 fps, 1 1/4 oz. load is the optimum load for a 12 bore. It patterns beautifully out of my guns and I have used it for years on waterfowl and turkeys. It's the only load I use for hunting with a 12 bore. If you are going to carry a heavier 12 bore for longer range shooting you might as well use a 12 bore load in it.
The 1200 fps 1 1/4 load is a whole different animal than the 1300+ loading, in my opinion. It is a comfortable load to shoot and after comparing the results of using both loads on Saskatchewan waterfowl, I am absolutely convinced that the 1200 fps load is the better of the two. I tried hard to be totally objective in my comparison of the two loads on waterfowl and I became convinced that I had more dead in the air kills with the 1200 fps load. Maybe a longer shot string of the 1300 load had something to do with it, I don’t know. But I do know that my testing was extensive with a lot of kills to compare in the evaluation. I do two weeks in Saskatchewan and I pound the waterfowl day after day on their breeding and staging areas. My opinion is based on actual experience and, I trust, objectivity. No theory or armchair musings here.