12 gauge 7/8 ounce load effectiveness

[J.B. Books]

I went over to the range this afternoon and put the left barrel of my DHE 12ga straight grip 30" Titanic bbls on paper to see how it was actually performing with a 7/8 ounce load of magnum 8's. Barrel has a choke constriction of .038.

The load was AA hull, Fiochhi 616 (209 type) primer, 16.5 grains of Red Dot, Claybuster brand copy of Win AA12SL wad, 7/8 ounce of Lawrence brand magnum 8 shot. (My MEC 7/8 bar throws slightly heavy, 29/32 of ounce when weighed, 385 #8 pellets)

The pattern at 40 yards was 318 out of 385 pellets in a 30" circle for 82.57% I deliberately held low for this shot because the gun is stocked for trap shooting and it shoots a high point of aim.

Not much is going to get away from this 7/8 load out to 40 yards. If you have not tried shooting clays with a 7/8 ounce load in a 12ga you should give it a try as they really perform well, give much less recoil and stretch a bag of shot a little further.

[charlie cleveland]

good pattern pete..a fellow can load several shells useing only 16.5 grains of powder...the old8 ga needs at least 30 to 50 grains depending on powder type used.so a 1 lb of powder dont last to long...this new load for the 12 looks to be a good hunting load... charlie

[Ed Blake]

7/8 is all I load in a 12 and have never felt handicapped except by my own poor shooting. That's a great pattern. No flyers and an even distribution.

[Double Lab]

Welcome to the world of light but effective shot charges Pete. If you get a chance to load up some 3/4oz. you would be amazed at the pattern and total lack of recoil out of a 12. I have some patterns shot with my VH's ranging from .010 to .034. I'll dig them up and post them when I find them. What with the cost of lead these days they are a real money/lead saver.

[J.B. Books]

Originally Posted by Daryl Corona

Welcome to the world of light but effective shot charges Pete. If you get a chance to load up some 3/4oz. you would be amazed at the pattern and total lack of recoil out of a 12. I have some patterns shot with my VH's ranging from .010 to .034. I'll dig them up and post them when I find them. What with the cost of lead these days they are a real money/lead saver.

Daryl I have been shooting 7/8 and a few 3/4 ounce 12ga loads for a few years now. The DHE I shot the pattern with is a gun I have been using for trap shooting for a couple of years. I was always impressed with quality of the target breaks using 7/8 ounce of 8 through the left barrel as I prefer the feel of the back trigger for singles. I had never patterned this gun before today and was very pleased with results and I wanted to share them.

[Double Lab]

Originally Posted by Pete Lester

Daryl I have been shooting 7/8 and a few 3/4 ounce 12ga loads for a few years now. The DHE I shot the pattern with is a gun I have been using for trap shooting for a couple of years. I was always impressed with quality of the target breaks using 7/8 ounce of 8 through the left barrel as I prefer the feel of the back trigger for singles. I had never patterned this gun before today and was very pleased with results and I wanted to share them.

Same here Pete. My double trap has a ball grip and the back trigger feels much more comfortable when shooting singles. Who needs one of them fancy SBT's.

[Jeff Christie]

I have shot 1 1/8, 1, 7/8, and 3/4 oz loads at trap and 1 and 7/8 oz loads at skeet and The only difference is recoil- not score. I don't think much of reducing pay load as a means of saving money but I like it a LOT from the comfort standpoint. Find another way to save money.

For trap I use them in either a VH or a SBT SC. Both guns like the light loads a lot. Patterns are superb. And they destroy targets when I do my part.

[J.B. Books]

Originally Posted by Jeff Christie

I have shot 1 1/8, 1, 7/8, and 3/4 oz loads at trap and 1 and 7/8 oz loads at skeet and The only difference is recoil- not score. I don't think much of reducing pay load as a means of saving money but I like it a LOT from the comfort standpoint. Find another way to save money.

For trap I use them in either a VH or a SBT SC. Both guns like the light loads a lot. Patterns are superb. And they destroy targets when I do my part.

Jeff, although the cost savings between 1 1/8 and 7/8 ounce traps loads is only 75 cents a box, getting more loads out of a jug of powder and a bag of shot is a good thing in this time of component shortages. I can get almost 15 more boxes of shells out of an 8lb jug of Red Dot using 7/8 and 4 more boxes of shells out of a 25lb bag of shot vs. 1 1/8 loadings. The lower recoil of the lighter loads is better for the gun and less fatigue for the shooter.

[Double Lab]

Originally Posted by Pete Lester

Jeff, although the cost savings between 1 1/8 and 7/8 ounce traps loads is only 75 cents a box. However getting more loads out of a jug of powder and a bag of shot is a good thing in this time of component shortages. I can get almost 15 more boxes of shells out of an 8lb jug of Red Dot using 7/8 and 4 more boxes of shells out of a 25lb bag of shot vs. 1 1/8 loadings. The lower recoil of the lighter loads is better for the gun and less fatigue for the shooter.

Looks like a win/win/win situation for your pocketbook, your shoulder and your gun.

[C.O.B.]

I like the lighter loads for the reduced recoil and they break targets just as well maybe better than the heavier loads due to better pattern density. BUT if you think your saveing money on the increased number of shells per bag offset that with the increased use of primers and wads. I think the cost saveings in dollars is very small.