Loading 20 gauge AA

Give the web sites below a look. All manufacturer loading data.

I load 3/4 oz 20 ga. and they are great, with low recoil and a big cost saving on lead!

Hull: AA or Rem;
Primer: W209;
Powder: American Select - 16.9 gr.
Calybuster WW20 wads.


http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/index.aspx
http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp
 
I've used WSF (and it's predesessor WW473) for years in old-style AA's for both target and field loads... and have never felt the need for change. They load up beautifully.
A couple of buddies swear by Unique.
 
beretta boy said:
I've used WSF (and it's predesessor WW473) for years in old-style AA's for both target and field loads... and have never felt the need for change. They load up beautifully.
A couple of buddies swear by Unique.
Click to expand...

I had good luck with the WSF also but it is so fine I always had problems with it sifting out under the bottle seal even with the brass washer in place on my MEC reloaders.
It also does not burn as clean as unique.
Still works good like you say however.
 
3macs1 said:
I had good luck with the WSF also but it is so fine I always had problems with it sifting out under the bottle seal even with the brass washer in place on my MEC reloaders.
It also does not burn as clean as unique.
Still works good like you say however.
Click to expand...

Never had that problem, either on my MECs or PW's., although I have heard often that others have.

Besides Unique, Green Dot also works pretty well.

Have never cared whether a powder was considered "dirty" or not. None I've ever used have caused me any issues in any of the firearms I've owned, whether semi, pump, SxS or O/U.
 
20g AA

universal ++ stuff, been using that forever.

Win. 209 WAA20 15.5gr 10,200 PSI 1200fps

works perfect in my briley tubes with that nice low pressure.
 
20 guage loads

I have also used a lot of W-W super field in 20 gauge AA hulls with a AA 20 wad and it makes a great load. patterns very well and seems to smash targets. It is very dense powder so it fits well it this combination where a lot of bulky powders would require a different harder to find wad, it also seems to generate lots of combustion gas which makes auto loaders work very well, some thing I could never get green dot to do in a 20 gauge. you will also see that Alliant powder co. has discontinued 7/8 ounce loads with green dot in plastic cases (except the federal which has a paper base wad) they still show 3/4 loads though.
 
I've loaded many many many many thousand of those hulls with Unique and Claybuster wads. (just followed the mfg recipe). I'd shoot the hulls until I blew the 'crimp leaves' off.

I never got into load testing or trying different powders. Unique was available, reasonably priced and worked well for me. I have a MEC 9000 and could crank out a case an hour easily. The price of lead, combined with the advantageous pricing on Federal Topgun in 20ga pretty much took me out of the reloading game unfortunately.

Brad.
 
Duckshoot said:
you will also see that Alliant powder co. has discontinued 7/8 ounce loads with green dot in plastic cases (except the federal which has a paper base wad) they still show 3/4 loads though.
Click to expand...

I've been using that 3/4 oz. Green Dot recipe lately. Also been loading some 7/8 oz. using Unique. Bought a bottle of 20/28 but haven't tried it yet. If I could only have one powder for 20 gauge it would be Unique.
 
When I ran out of WSF I tried unique. Never noticed the difference in the end result. I had half of an 8 pounder green dot given to me. When I googled it I ended up on a shotgunworld site and many there were claiming it spiked too much pressure and some claimed it cracked chambers on their briley and kolar tubes. Green dot sure works well for 12 gauge.
 
Never owned a 20 ga. semi and didn't have any problems with Green Dot and Briley tubes.

Lyman's data showed a 14.5 gr Green Dot load @ 1175 having a pressure of 10,400 LUP while the equivalent 16 gr load of Unique @ 1200 was 10,300 LUP. Both well under the 20 ga. upper limits. Shot literally 1000's of rounds of Winchester's old 20 AA 18 gr. load of WW473 @ 1200 ( supposeldly "duplicating" the factory 20ga. AA ballistics) generating 10,900 LUP out of the Briley tubes without incident
 
Covey Ridge said:
When I ran out of WSF I tried unique. Never noticed the difference in the end result. I had half of an 8 pounder green dot given to me. When I googled it I ended up on a shotgunworld site and many there were claiming it spiked too much pressure and some claimed it cracked chambers on their briley and kolar tubes. Green dot sure works well for 12 gauge.
Click to expand...

I've read the same things. Probably the reason why there are no longer any 7/8 oz. recipes. Too easy to go over pressure in 20 ga. if things are not right.

When loading 3/4 oz. with Green Dot, I have my powder drops set so that the maximum variation results in 14.5 gr. (the published number for 1200 fps) and most fall around 14.2 gr.
 
i use blue dot clean burning powder

Rem sts hull
22gr blue dot
SP20 wad
Win 209 primer
1oz load
1200 fps:stirthepot2:

Win AA
23.5gr blue dot
SP20 wad
Win 209 primer
1oz load
1250 fps:stirthepot2:
 
Wolfe1 said:
i use blue dot clean burning powder

Rem sts hull
22gr blue dot
SP20 wad
Win 209 primer
1oz load
1200 fps:stirthepot2:

Win AA
23.5gr blue dot
SP20 wad
Win 209 primer
1oz load
1250 fps:stirthepot2:
Click to expand...

Thanks Wolve
I'm looking at loading target ammo with 7/8 oz or maybe even 3/4oz of shot. FS
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom