Anyone Reload slugs/Buckshot?

greg11

greg11

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I have a Lyman's 5th Ed Shotshell Reloading Manual on the way, which, I am told is a great resource for all sorts of shotshell loads, including Buckshot.

I'm sure I'll find a recipe that works for me in that book, so I'm not really asking for recipes (liabilities and all), just general info. Do you guys have any thoughts to pass on to someone starting out? Anything to keep in mind with Buckshot reloading?

How about slugs?
 
I've been reloading buckshot for my cylinder bore 20 gauge shorty. From reading the Internet there's lots of people saying that #2 buck is the largest you can get for a 20 gauge. In lyman 5th edition there's loads for #3 and #4 but no #2 in 20 gauge. Well I found some #2 buck in a whole sale sports and I've been shoving 12 pellets in a WAA20 and put powder in for a load of shot with the same weight. Its a tight squeeze in the wad and I have to use a pen to push every 3rd pellet in so it sits flush, but they sure do work well :) I manage to get about a 12 inch group at 12.5 yards. normal shot will get me a group twice as big.

That being said, I would not even consider shooting them out of something with a choke. I have a feeling the buckshot loads in the book are more choke friendly.
 
Thanks guys. I have a controversial question. I was on shotgunworld.com asking this and they all yelled at me. lol

A lot of the guys on that site say that 1oz is 1oz, that you can substitute buckshot for birdshot in any recipe. But some guys are saying you can't do this, that you'll blow up your gun. I don't understand this logic.

Also, many say that experimenting with loads is too dangerous to try. But I see some people (like you, waynesixgun) have experimented with loads. SAAMI pressures for 12ga go all the way up to what, 14000psi? So I'm thinking that experimenting with a load that claims 8500psi, even in the worst case scenario, couldn't possibly hit 14000 frikkin PSI man, like, you'd really have to try to stuff too many balls in your hull before they'd jam up that bad to cause a 300psi spike over the 8500psi recipe.

I don't know. I'm waiting till I get the book, but I just find it hard to believe the old guard when I see a lot of experienced guys saying experimenting with loads is okay...

Thoughts?
 
greg11 said:
Thanks guys. I have a controversial question. I was on shotgunworld.com asking this and they all yelled at me. lol

A lot of the guys on that site say that 1oz is 1oz, that you can substitute buckshot for birdshot in any recipe. But some guys are saying you can't do this, that you'll blow up your gun. I don't understand this logic.

Also, many say that experimenting with loads is too dangerous to try. But I see some people (like you, waynesixgun) have experimented with loads. SAAMI pressures for 12ga go all the way up to what, 14000psi? So I'm thinking that experimenting with a load that claims 8500psi, even in the worst case scenario, couldn't possibly hit 14000 frikkin PSI man, like, you'd really have to try to stuff too many balls in your hull before they'd jam up that bad to cause a 300psi spike over the 8500psi recipe.

I don't know. I'm waiting till I get the book, but I just find it hard to believe the old guard when I see a lot of experienced guys saying experimenting with loads is okay...

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

1 oz is not always equivalent to 1 oz in a shotgun.
Let me put it this way: 12G 00 buckshot has 9 pellets in 2.75". Birdshot has thousands (more or less).
When the shot cup starts moving in the barrel, the inertia pushes the shot back and since them pellets can't go back the force is redistributed sideways against the shot-cup petals (and against the barrel). This causes friction resistance and the rubbing sometimes ends in pinholing of the cup.
How much resistance ? Well, small shot generates more, larger shot generates less.
But you can do your own load development if you have the proper gear (chronograph is a must).
 
@legion,
So, with that in mind, bird should generate higher pressures than buck, right? Buck having less capacity to exert outward pressure on the wad pedals, creating less friction.

So if anything, you might need more powder in buck loads?
Again I'm waiting for the book. I'm going to have to find a cheap chrono cause I really want to (safely) experiment.
 
You're Lyman book will have different loads for buck than shot even though they may way the same. Different powders sometimes and usually more for buck than trap loads.
 
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