Anyone load straightwall cases with lead shot ?

To the guys who have tried this, what kind of powder charges have you used compared to normal loads in the specific cartridge? I notice a few guys saying it blows big donuts in the pattern, but could that be mitigated somewhat with a lesser charge? Any load that's bound to go haywire might do so in a more spectacular fashion with extra powder.
 
savagelh said:
Maybe the winter boredom is getting to me but id like to try making some shotshells for the 350 legend. I was thinking of using about 7 grains of trailboss, a fiber wad, about 150gr of lead shot like maybe #8 or smaller and another fiber wad under a roll crimp. Im not sure how they'll shoot especially from a rifled barrel with no wad but it could be fun. Would be nice to have a couple in the pocket for the close chickens while big game hunting. These would be fired from a single shot so no need to worry about feeding.

Im also not sure on shot amount. I guess I would probably try to fill the case close to the mouth and then weigh that charge of shot and find a bullet close to that weight and try my trailboss load for pressure.
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Look up Ken Waters Pet Loads.....
 
I experimented with this a bit in my .444 marlin. Used 410 wads as well as gas checks and tried a bunch of combinations, never could get anything that I thought was reasonably effective. Kinda disappointing as my father had one years ago that worked quite well with the Speer shot cups. I think the microgroove barrel was what made that work, not maybe didn’t spin the shot capsules so much. I decided I was better off just loading some regular bullets down to subsonic velocity to keep the noise down and take headshots.
 
old303 said:
There are fullsize brass cases available for 12ga, which I understand are far less practical than the usual shells but look amazing. And there you're in a smoothbore and might get a reasonable shot pattern and chokes and all.
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Pretty much a BP only affair as the ballon head nature of the cases.
 
saskgunowner101 said:
To the guys who have tried this, what kind of powder charges have you used compared to normal loads in the specific cartridge? I notice a few guys saying it blows big donuts in the pattern, but could that be mitigated somewhat with a lesser charge? Any load that's bound to go haywire might do so in a more spectacular fashion with extra powder.
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It’s the twist of the rifling I have a .45/.410 adapter for the martini Henry and it does the same thing big donut patterns. That said if you can get it to throw the shot consistently in the same pattern hitting a grouse with the edge of the pattern is a possibility but you would have to be close. I’m going to try it in my snider being a 1 in 78 twist maybe it won’t do the same thing as the faster twist of the martini. Will probably use 24ga wads for that test.
 
saskgunowner101: Powder charges tested were generally pretty light. Think in terms of light cast bullet loads. Unique/Universal being a regular choice. Heavier loads were tried, to test whether that would have any effect on patterns....it did not. Rifling pitch(twist) was the determining factor in poor performance.
 
I've been thinking - is the reason I was seeing relatively better performance on a Webley that it was designed to have the bullet expand into the rifling? The shot capsule did not do that as much? So the answer could be making slightly undersize shot capsules?
 
Larger shot = fewer shot. Patterns might be really open.
At one time, shot loads were available for numerous calibers, from .22 through .577 Snider. Now, offerings are limited.
Rifled barrels are a fundamental problem with shot loads.
Shot/bullet combination guns in the US use modified rifling/choke attachments to get performance out of both shot and bullet.
Smoothbore revolvers had some popularity in the US. They became legally problematic after they were deemed to be sawed off shotguns.
 
tiriaq said:
Larger shot = fewer shot. Patterns might be really open.
At one time, shot loads were available for numerous calibers, from .22 through .577 Snider. Now, offerings are limited.
Rifled barrels are a fundamental problem with shot loads.
Shot/bullet combination guns in the US use modified rifling/choke attachments to get performance out of both shot and bullet.
Smoothbore revolvers had some popularity in the US. They became legally problematic after they were deemed to be sawed off shotguns.
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I mean being a 350 legend single shot, I could just try to find some of the 9mm shotshells to try. But that doesn't scratch the itch. According to you tube they make a blue capped one with smaller shot and a red capped one with larger shot both made by cci. Not sure if they're still available or not especially in canada.
 
savagelh said:
I mean being a 350 legend single shot, I could just try to find some of the 9mm shotshells to try. But that doesn't scratch the itch. According to you tube they make a blue capped one with smaller shot and a red capped one with larger shot both made by cci. Not sure if they're still available or not especially in canada.
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Best bet would be to get the capsules I doubt theh would survive pulling.
 
tiriaq said:
Larger shot = fewer shot. Patterns might be really open.
At one time, shot loads were available for numerous calibers, from .22 through .577 Snider. Now, offerings are limited.
Rifled barrels are a fundamental problem with shot loads.
Shot/bullet combination guns in the US use modified rifling/choke attachments to get performance out of both shot and bullet.
Smoothbore revolvers had some popularity in the US. They became legally problematic after they were deemed to be sawed off shotguns.
Click to expand...
I wonder how hard it would be to replicate the dominion .577 snider shot I have made paper shot cups for loading black powder 12ga.
 
savagelh said:
Maybe the winter boredom is getting to me but id like to try making some shotshells for the 350 legend. I was thinking of using about 7 grains of trailboss, a fiber wad, about 150gr of lead shot like maybe #8 or smaller and another fiber wad under a roll crimp. Im not sure how they'll shoot especially from a rifled barrel with no wad but it could be fun. Would be nice to have a couple in the pocket for the close chickens while big game hunting. These would be fired from a single shot so no need to worry about feeding.

Im also not sure on shot amount. I guess I would probably try to fill the case close to the mouth and then weigh that charge of shot and find a bullet close to that weight and try my trailboss load for pressure.
Click to expand...
Somewhat kind of related-unrelated, but I just checked and apparently a 410 wad fits in a 400 Legend case. I guess you need a 400 Legend now.:unsure:
 
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