1oz vs 1 1/8 oz load skeet and trap

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fljp2002

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Been noticing that European tend to shoot 28gr(1oz) loads vice 1 1/8 loads.

Can someone enlighten me in pro and cons.

I am tracking that for the equiv dram of powder a 1 oz load should be faster then the 1 1/8. The 1 1/8 will have more pellets.

Will the recoil be lighter with the 1 oz

Thanks
 
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Yes, less recoil with 1 oz and frequently more even patterns at a given velocity. More pellets with one ounce of 8's than 1 1/8 oz of 7 1/2's. Win -win until you get to long yardage,
 
I believe the the rules are different for the British shogun sports as well. Their max weight for a lot of the registered events is 28 grams. Targets are slightly different too.
I watch too much YouTube content.
 
Has anyone ever patterned a 7/8 oz, 1 oz and 1 1/8 oz load of their shotgun to compare the pattern density. Been reading that people are getting close to 90% in 20 inch with lighter / faster loads
 
I have patterned 3/4. 7/8. 1 and 1 1/8 oz loads. Generally the 7/8 patterned best from a dozen or so shotguns and reacted best thru various choking. Barrel length made no real difference. The percentage of pellet hits is nearly the same between 7/8 and 1 1/8 oz in most of my guns. I drive my lighter loads alot faster and use 7/8oz for skeet trap sporting and small game hunting including turkey but i swap to #6 copper plates shot for turkey
Recoil is noticably less with less shot weight
 
I use the same 1oz reload for Skeet, Trap, Skrap and most Sporting Clays stations. 1Oz of #8 at 1200-1220fps, as you noticed on Friday, I seemed to break targets just fine when we shot Skrap. The extra recoil from heavy target loads can get to you after you 5 or 6 rounds in an afternoon. That load patterns best out of the IM choke in both my Akkar and my BPS at 50yrds.
 
Federal makes pretty well all permutations of 1 oz loads (1150,1200, and 1250 fps). I've been using the 1150 1 oz loads for years, the recoil is marginal. I recently tried some Estate target loads, and found the recoil to be punishing. If memory serves they were 1 1/8 1200 fps...
 
I started purchasing only 1 ounce loads for sporting clays, and my scores didn't decrease at all. They do fine at wobble trap as well, although I don't shoot a lot of trap. I usually shoot skeet with the 410 and 28 gauge, and my 28 gauge scores are within 1 of my 12 gauge scores, so even 3/4 ounce loads don't make much difference to me. I did notice that the patterns are slightly tighter with the 1 ounce loads, than with the 1-1/8 ounce loads.
 
Generally speaking, the heavier loads are a North American thing, bigger is better.
I've been switching back and forth between 1 oz and 1 1/8 oz loads for years and I can't see any difference in my scores, at least at moderate ranges. Basically speaking, anything that goes bang will break targets out to 25 or 30 yards but when you start trying to catch up to those 50+ yard crosser's, the heavier and faster load will increase your chances somewhat. Just as important though is that for the longer shots you also need to consider harder shot to give you more consistent and dense patterns. Most cheap loads such as gun club, super targets, etc use soft shot in the 2% antimony range. The more expensive or premium loads such as STS or AA's use a harder shot in the 5 to 6% antimony range which are more resistant to deformation in the trip down your barrel resulting in better, tighter patterns with less flyers and are superior at long ranges. That's not to say that you can't break far targets with 1 oz loads but FITASC is limited to 1 oz to make it a bit more challenging for top shooters because it's a slight handicap, as well International bunker trap and skeet are limited to 7/8 oz loads for the same reason.
 
I left 1-1/8 loads behind years ago, and use 7/8 and 1 oz. loads exclusively. The light really came on for me shooting 24 gram International loads at "Olympic" Trap. It's very illuminating to see how on the second shot, when the target is way out there, you still get very good breaks with the International load, which is slightly less than 7/8. Although the International 24 gram shells are loaded to 1325 fps or greater, I see no advantage to anything faster than 1225 / 1250 for North American Trap, Skeet, 5-Stand or Sporting. In fact, 1250 fps 24 gram International Skeet loads work just fine for that discipline.

I tend to use the 7/8 oz. loads for Skeet ( after all, that's the standard 20 ga. load ) and 1 oz loads for most other clay games, with the 1 load at 1150 - 1200 fps.

Hard, premium shot is a great equalizer, as are quality wads, particularly in the colder months. Inspect your empty hulls carefully for splits or pinholes. You'll get the best pattern results from a firm, well-shaped crimp,
which tends to happen on a less than 5 times reloaded hull I've found.

Give it a whorl, you may be pleasantly surprised.
 
fljp2002 said:
Thx for feedback, will look to source some 1oz commercial load and may have to start reloading if I go down to 7/8
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Not at all. International Trap loads are 24 grams - a few pellets less than 7/8 ounce. There are domestic as well as international distributors for the 24 gram loads. They tend to be on the faster end of the spectrum, but even the brands I would call snappy are light recoil.

ETA: World Cup and Olympic shooters order these loads by the pallet. Your local dealer does not. He can get them, though. You can special order by the flat but, if you only want a box or two, your best bet might be the local trap club.
 
I used to always shoot 1 1/8oz but switched to SCORE's 1oz load at 1100fps. My scores at sporting and 5 stand stayed the same. My shoulder likes the lighter loads more.
 
There is a Federal Distributor in NB that should be able to put you on to where to get a variety of Federal loads. I'd be surprised if The Gun Dealer down in McAdam didn't have a good inventory.
I'm particularly fond of Federal Gold Medal shells, and especially their paper loads. Although pricey, why invest in a pricey shotgun ( I shoot a Beretta DT10 and have for the past 19 years) and shoot cheap "promo" loads through it ?
I do reload, and shoot a combination of reloads and factory shells. Reloads for practice - factories for competition.
 
Ross generally has anything you would want on hand, and can order in anything you desire. Bass Pro in Moncton usually has 1oz Top Gun on hand in flats and Winchester AA 1oz light as well.
 
Just like MS said, I'm also sure Ross could get you some lighter loads, Winchester AA's, Federal Gold Medal, Kent or whatever you want.
 
You will likely notice zero difference between 1 oz and 1 1/8 oz target loads when shooting 16 yard trap or skeet. Funny though, most 1 ounce loads are priced same as 1 1/8 so go figure. I shoot 7/8 oz handloads for 16 yard trap and just crush them but drop down to 8 shot to make up for lower pellet count.
 
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