Skeet Shot

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warzaw

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GunNutz
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niagara region
What is everyone handloading with their skeet loads soft or hard shot. Also what is your favorite action and barrel length and choke constrictions. If you don't handload what is your favorite factory load.
 
One of the fellows I shoot with melts old wheel weights he's collected for years and puts it through a homemade shot tower. I don't think it's very hard shot? Its definitely a variety of sizes from 7.5 to 9 and various shapes. He loads it into 2.5" 4.10 hulls (1/2oz) and at 85 he is something to watch shooting. A bad evening for him is a 92x100. Most evenings he shoots 96-98x100. I'd say he shoots about a 95-96 average over the course of the season shooting 200 targets per week. He still hunts waterfowl from a layout blind all season!
 
Harder shot will deform less, and pattern better, which is more important on the smaller gauges, you can shoot some pretty low grade shot in the 12 gauge, and still do well. I use skeet chokes for regular skeet, but I leave my LM choke tubes in for doubles. I use handloads of #9 shot for 410 and 28 gauge, and whatever factory load I can get for 20 gauge. I rarely shoot 12 gauge for skeet, and only use the 20 for doubles.
 
the spank said:
One of the fellows I shoot with melts old wheel weights he's collected for years and puts it through a homemade shot tower. I don't think it's very hard shot? Its definitely a variety of sizes from 7.5 to 9 and various shapes. He loads it into 2.5" 4.10 hulls (1/2oz) and at 85 he is something to watch shooting. A bad evening for him is a 92x100. Most evenings he shoots 96-98x100. I'd say he shoots about a 95-96 average over the course of the season shooting 200 targets per week. He still hunts waterfowl from a layout blind all season!
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there was a guy from around maple creek that had a shot tower, and also shot trap at maple creek trap club. That was years ago, and the shot size was every uneven. I bought a bag and tried it. Was very soft shot, but broke targets like they had been hit by iron. Shot many a 25 with that pushed out of shape lead.
 
For skeet since it is relatively close range there is a slight advantage for soft #9 shot with IC/Skeet chokes. Pretty general question though- unless you are breaking 100 straight the shell isn't the limiting factor.
 
If we're talking about #9 shot, I've read that due to the small size of the pellet that the antimony levels are basically irrelevant as it can't do what it does on a pellet that small.
Can't remember the exact technical explanation but my take away was paying a premium for magnum lead #9s is a waste, save it for the 7.5s
Plus as mentioned above, the soft lead may deform a bit more than a harder lead mix, and may result in a larger pattern all else being equal.

I've been shooting a lot of 7/8oz (24gm) lately at about 1300-1350fps.
Light recoil and I get more shells out of a bag of shot.
skeet or IC for skeet.
7.5s and a LM or M choke, they work just fine for most sporting clay targets as well.
Its what I practice with.

For skeet, going to try 3/4oz next.
Seems to work fine in the 28 gauge so why not the 12?

As for the gun, I love my Beretta 390, but prefer the O/U for most my clay shooting.
30" or 32" barrels, depending on which gun I grab.
 
#8 or 9 soft shot, low velocity with an open choke in a 28 inch o/u 12 gauge, there are no long shots, tighten up the chokes as you go down in gauge. I've done full choke 12 gauge on the skeet range and it does the heart good to see all the inkball targets!
 
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