Dave McCracken
Moderator In Memoriam
At long last, I got to do some range testing today,checking out an idea I had and have mulled over since the TFL days of blessed memory.
Think about this....
The big reason our families do not share our love of shotguns is felt recoil, AKA kick. This means that a shotgun kept for defensive purposes is best utilized only by those of us who use one regularly, and not by our SOs, parents and kids.
That's the sole downside.Shotguns kick,some cruelly,in non-shotgunners' hands.
Otherwise, their near perfect stopping record and cost make them a superb choice for those crises happening in the home. Most families can afford a Big Four pump or two. Many cannot shell out more money for the better handguns, which do have downsides. Some places ban honest citizens from having them, and the things are far harder to shoot well.
So, if the only downside to a shotgun is kick, why not work on reducing that so that our families are not traumatized by our HD tools?
Anyway, there's a couple ways to reduce kick. Increase the weight of the shotgun, decrease the weight of the load, or decrease the speed of it.
The barrel mods like long cones and overbores do drop kick a tad, but are not cost effective or as effective on a family gun.
My research into superlight loads for training new shooters paid off serendipitiously.
I had worked up a 3/4 oz load for Son when I gave him the little NEF single a few years ago.Using that data, I decided to figure out what 3/4 oz would do in a Home Defensive context.
Imagine my joy when I found that some 00 scavenged from aging Federal loads would fit neatly into the wads I use for 1 and 7/8 oz loads, 6 at a time, 2 pellets per layer. Even crimped neatly with 30 lbs of wad pressure. These pellets weigh a hair over 50 gr each, so 6 means 300 gr of lead.
Extrapolating 7/8 oz data, these go over 1200 FPS. That's putting out about the same muzzle energy as the 44 Magnum in a handgun with the 240 gr load.
Range tested these this morn. Set up at a measured, not guessed, 15 yards. I used Number 6 with the chokeless but otherwise unaltered barrel from the This Old Barrel thread. IOW, this should give max spread for a worst case scenario. Spread in a HD situation means less energy concentrated at any one spot.
A Forensic Specialist I know theorized that while all shotgun loads are quite effective, one of perhaps palm size was tops.
Patterns ran 7-8", edge to edge.At 8 yards, which is much more likely range for a defensive encounter inside a home,4". Palm sized. A load of this inserted into a CNS should render followups moot. And, since there's little kick to recover from, shots at other targets should be faster and more accurately gotten off.
IOW, this stuff is....
Effective.
Helps those around us be better protected by enabling them to use a very effective tool.
Helps proficient shooters be better protected by shortening recovery times.
With less pellets and less spread, chances of stray pellets wreaking havoc are reduced.
A few caveats.....
My test loads will never be used for HD, because they're handloads, not factory stuff. But a factory load like this should sell well and for good reason. Time to call Remington, I guess.
I do NOT recommend you using any kind of handload either, including one duplicating my efforts, for defense.
These are also not for targets much past 20 yards, pattern density is but a memory with only 6 pellets.
And I'd be hesitant to say they're OK for autos. Some may not cycle, some will.
But as a mission specific load with plenty of upside, these bear some consideration...
Think about this....
The big reason our families do not share our love of shotguns is felt recoil, AKA kick. This means that a shotgun kept for defensive purposes is best utilized only by those of us who use one regularly, and not by our SOs, parents and kids.
That's the sole downside.Shotguns kick,some cruelly,in non-shotgunners' hands.
Otherwise, their near perfect stopping record and cost make them a superb choice for those crises happening in the home. Most families can afford a Big Four pump or two. Many cannot shell out more money for the better handguns, which do have downsides. Some places ban honest citizens from having them, and the things are far harder to shoot well.
So, if the only downside to a shotgun is kick, why not work on reducing that so that our families are not traumatized by our HD tools?
Anyway, there's a couple ways to reduce kick. Increase the weight of the shotgun, decrease the weight of the load, or decrease the speed of it.
The barrel mods like long cones and overbores do drop kick a tad, but are not cost effective or as effective on a family gun.
My research into superlight loads for training new shooters paid off serendipitiously.
I had worked up a 3/4 oz load for Son when I gave him the little NEF single a few years ago.Using that data, I decided to figure out what 3/4 oz would do in a Home Defensive context.
Imagine my joy when I found that some 00 scavenged from aging Federal loads would fit neatly into the wads I use for 1 and 7/8 oz loads, 6 at a time, 2 pellets per layer. Even crimped neatly with 30 lbs of wad pressure. These pellets weigh a hair over 50 gr each, so 6 means 300 gr of lead.
Extrapolating 7/8 oz data, these go over 1200 FPS. That's putting out about the same muzzle energy as the 44 Magnum in a handgun with the 240 gr load.
Range tested these this morn. Set up at a measured, not guessed, 15 yards. I used Number 6 with the chokeless but otherwise unaltered barrel from the This Old Barrel thread. IOW, this should give max spread for a worst case scenario. Spread in a HD situation means less energy concentrated at any one spot.
A Forensic Specialist I know theorized that while all shotgun loads are quite effective, one of perhaps palm size was tops.
Patterns ran 7-8", edge to edge.At 8 yards, which is much more likely range for a defensive encounter inside a home,4". Palm sized. A load of this inserted into a CNS should render followups moot. And, since there's little kick to recover from, shots at other targets should be faster and more accurately gotten off.
IOW, this stuff is....
Effective.
Helps those around us be better protected by enabling them to use a very effective tool.
Helps proficient shooters be better protected by shortening recovery times.
With less pellets and less spread, chances of stray pellets wreaking havoc are reduced.
A few caveats.....
My test loads will never be used for HD, because they're handloads, not factory stuff. But a factory load like this should sell well and for good reason. Time to call Remington, I guess.
I do NOT recommend you using any kind of handload either, including one duplicating my efforts, for defense.
These are also not for targets much past 20 yards, pattern density is but a memory with only 6 pellets.
And I'd be hesitant to say they're OK for autos. Some may not cycle, some will.
But as a mission specific load with plenty of upside, these bear some consideration...
