What exactly is dram and dram eq.?

[04DRam]

Yes I know it's in my name. that's my truck and nothing to do with a shotgun shell.

anyway I went to walmart and bought a brick of 100 trap loads this weekend and it had the usual numbers I knew like 12 gauge , 2 3/4" , 1 1/8 ounce 7.5 shot and I noticed a dram eq. 3. I did a search and found people talking about it but no actual description of what it is.

thanks in advance for your knowledge and replys

 

[Ganderite]

It is the blackpowder charge that got that velocity. It is a yardstick now of how much power the ammo is loaded to.

A 3 dram eq is milder than a 31/2 dram load.

 

[bdogg]

Dram is the powder measure,smaller drams less speed, less kick......1 ounce = 16 drams

 

[VLT79]

For a 12ga. the 3 dram eq. in those 1 1/8oz loads means the velocity is 1200fps. I have a chart somewhere...will try dig it up and post it here for you.

 

[VLT79]

Here you go...for lead loads from the 10ga. to the 20ga.

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[R&R Rancher]

VLT79 got you the correct info with the chart. Back in the days of black powder shells a given amount of black powder, measured in drams, would produce a certain muzzle velocity, with a certain weight of shot. When smokeless powder came along the "Dram Equivalent" measure was created by the manufactures. It allowed a shooter to convert the velocities he would get from his new fangled shells to something he was familiar with. The need for this unit of measurement is long since past, and I wish the manufacturers would simply provide the velocity on the boxes. Not many black powder shotgun shooters out there any more!

 

[04DRam]

so 1 dram = 1/16 ounce of black powder and the dram eq. is just the equivalent charge in the new stuff?

thanks for the chart VLT I dl'd it for future reference

 

[VLT79]

so 1 dram = 1/16 ounce of black powder and the dram eq. is just the equivalent charge in the new stuff?

That is correct. 1 dram is equal to 1/16 ounce (27.34375 grains) of black powder.

The dram equivalent rating stamped on the box of ammo you purchased simply means that the velocity is equal to the that of an old black powder shotshell loaded with 3 drams (82.03125 grains) of black powder and the same 1 1/8oz load of lead shot.

For other lead loads simply match the shot weight with the Dr. Eq. rating in the chart and that will give you the velocity of your shotshells. A "MAX" Dr. Eq. equals 3 3/4 and "MAG" equals 4.