Ever load shot shells with HP38?

[Low Budget Shooter]

Dear Friends,

Right after I had just bought more HP38, my brother gave me some of his and our dad's reloading gear, and included more HP38! Well, at three grains a round for my .38 special, I now have enough HP38 to last for years, but I'm low on powder for my shotgun shell reloading.

I heard through the grapevine, from an UN-reliable source, that some people use HP-38 for shotgun. Considering the fact that some of the powders (Clays, N100) used for light trap loads are also used for light pistol loads, just like HP38 is, it seems feasible. Hodgdon does not list HP38 in any of its shotgun data charts, though. Anyone here ever tried it?

Specifically, I'm loading 20 gauge 7/8 oz loads for my teenage girls. (I guess I should mention that my 11-year-old GIRL shoots shotguns better than I do, although I can still best her in pistol, for now.)

Thanks!

 

[rcmodel]

Hodgdon does not list HP38 in any of its shotgun data charts

There might be a real good reason for that!

If it was suitable powder for shotgun loading, Hodgdon would list pressure-tested loads for it.

IMO: Low Budget all right!
Reloads for your little girls is not the place to be doing powder experiments to save money, and using them for the Guenna pigs!!

rc

 

[loadedround]

HP-38 is the same powder as W-W 231 and having said that, it is one of the fastest pistol powders on the market. If used in a 20 ga shotshell, I am very sure you would get a BIG KABOOM instead of a bang when fired. Stay away from HP-38 pistol powder and follow a good reloading manual for light shotshell loads.

 

[Low Budget Shooter]

Dear RC,

Did you notice that instead of using the girls for guinea pigs, I have asked the question of more knowledgeable people here on THR?

I am handling this question in this way precisely because I try never to do anything with firearms that I was not sure was safe, even for myself, and especially for my dearies.

If several guys come on here and say, "Yeah, I use it all the time for shot shells, and here are some links to some great load data . . ." which I can verify, then I can load some up, put on my eye protection, and give it a try. But if several guys come on here and say, "I am sure you would get a BIG KABOOM" then I can save up my pennies and buy a can of the right stuff, and use the HP38 to keep us in wadcutters until they invent phasers.

LR, it seems to me that HP38 is not faster than some of the powders that ARE listed for 20 gauge. That's why I'm asking.

LBS

P.S. I don't have any actual shot; is it okay to use twigs and gravel?

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have never heard of HP-38 being used in shotshells. Hodgdon doesn't list it as a shotshell powder. I wouldn't use HP-38 for shotshells, ever!

I know you say you have a lot of HP-38 but that's a very good thing since prices just keep going up. Not long ago that powder was $15/lb and in most stores it's now $30/lb. You'll be happy to have all that .38 Special powder around when the prices keep going up. I know I'm glad to have almost 10 lbs of W231/HP-38 that I bought for $62/4 lbs.

 

[snuffy]

My take on this is; Hodgdon did some testing, found HP-38 had a pressure profile that wouldn't work in any shotgun loadings. You'd better bet they tested it, if they could come up with another use for it, it would benefit them.

HP-38 is listed on this burn rate chart as #22. Red dot is #10.
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=powder-burn-rates&page=1&qsrc=0&zoom=Smokeless+%3CKW%3EPowder+Burn+Rates%3C%2FKW%3E+Chart|Accurate+Arms+%3CKW%3EPowder%3C%2FKW%3E|Winchester+%3CKW%3EPowder%3C%2FKW%3E&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reloadbench.com%2Fburn.html

The fastest powder I ever used for 20 gauge was green dot,(#29). Normally I use SR- 4756,(#48), or SR-7625,(#40). Green dot for 7/8 loads, and the other two for 1 ounce.