Shotshell Pressure Question?

[Bruce Day]

Drew, I suppose that's possible. I got "about 7500" when I talked to the Federal people in person at Pheasant Fest and matching fps with the published drams. But the Fed hull is a straight hull noted for low pressure, they use Fed primers, and even with fast burning powder like Hodgdon Universal at 1165 fps the pressure is only 7500 and less with well known slow burning powders like SR 4756. So what powder Federal would use to push faster than a fast powder like Universal is unknown to me. Universal has the fastest burning rate of any powder made by Hodgdon that is suitable for 16ga.

I got a list of pressures from Federal years ago, I'll see if I can retrieve it, but I don't think their "above 10,000" is correct and may have been only to placate the autoloader bunch. I remember they told me that their 12ga 1 oz Gold Medal papers are at 8300 psi, also a long way from 10,000.

[Bill Murphy]

Maybe someone would send a Damascus Parker ten to Birmingham to have it proofed for 3 1/2" shells at 4 tons. I can't remember the shot weight of that proof, but I have seen more than one Damascus Brit gun marked with that particular proof. I think the shot weight may have been 1 3/4 ounces. Phil Futrel once had a hammer Purdey ten with that proof stamped on its Damascus barrels.