question after fact

[Harry Collins]

Calvin,

The "dram" refers to black powder. On modern shotgun shell boxes useing smokeless powder they list the dram equivilent (ie: 3 Dram 1 1/8 oz of shot). In other words this load will drive a 1 1/8 oz load @ 1200 fps. So, your dipper will have 3 dram (black powder) on one side and 1 1/4 oz of shot on the other. FF will work just fine. FFF will be a little faster and you do not need it. In the old days they loaded their shells to about 1080 fps.

Harry

[ch]

Harry,
So 3 drams of black and an oz of shot will go around 1200? And the fellows who loaded 1080 fps where using a lighter load? ch

[Harry Collins]

Calvin,

Most of the black powder loads were equal volumes of powder and shot. FF was the powder of choice and an equal amount of shot to 3 drams of powder was 1 1/4 oz. That would sail out the barrel at about 1080 fps. If you dropped the shot charge to 1 1/8 oz with 3 dram of powder you would get close to 1200 fps. Equal amount of shot to 2 3/4 drams of powder is 1 1/8 oz. That too had a velocity of about 1080, but if you drop the shot to 1 oz in a 2 3/4 dram load you will get about 1200 fps. The difference in foward allowance between a shot charge at 1080 fps and one of 1200 fps at 30 yards is just a 3 to 4 inches. In England not that many years ago a standard velocity load was 1070 fps and a high velocity load was 1120 fps.

Harry