Need Advice on Skeet Shooting Loads

[FitchHall]

Friends in shooting,

I have a pretty consistent and accurate load for Trap shooting, but am new to skeet shooting. I have been shooting 12ga AA shells with Winchester shotgun primers, Hogdon Clays powder and generic #8 shot (1-1/8 oz). My father-in-law suggested that I use #9 shot for skeet, but did not recommend any load sizes. Since we are in a bit of competition with each other, I don't want to ask him what his pet load is for skeet. I would appreciate any input you have on a good 12ga load for skeet (the gun is a H&K/Fabarm Red Lion semi-auto). Thank you for your time.

 

[HSMITH]

#9 shot will help a little. The longest shot in skeet is 25 yards so you don't need anything bigger.

For "serious" skeet shooting I shoot one ounce of #9 shot in AA hulls, AA wads, Win primers, and Clays powder. I prefer to keep the loads JUST fast enough that the choke responds well. If you get too slow the load will shoot tighter than what the choke should be throwing, and if it gets real slow it can be several constrictions tighter than the choke used. In most of my guns I need to stay above about 1075-1100 FPS for the load to open up and throw a nice skeet pattern, any slower than that and center density starts getting pretty high with patchy edges. Look for a nice EVEN distribution of pellets over a 20-24" pattern at 25 yards. With a 20" pattern if you miss you screwed up pretty bad. It happens, but you KNOW before the shot gets to the target that you missed.

My thought is to reduce recoil as much as possible without compromising the pattern quality. Lowering recoil helps even the most manly man shoot better, trust me on this one. With reduced recoil you can focus where you need to focus, the front edge of the target.

 

[45auto]

If you are comfortable with your trap loads, I would just use the same load with 9's and soft 9's would be just fine... probably better.

The targets are close and 1 1/8 is a lot of shot, so I wouldn't shed a tear if all I had were 8's either.

Are you sure you want to beat your father in law.

 

[kudu]

Use what you have in 8s. It will do a good job for skeet targets. I generaly shoot 9s for skeet or 8.5s if I can find them, but 8s do fine in a nice moderate load of about 1175-1200fps. Drop a 1oz load or for real comfort try 7/8 oz load.

Most of my 12ga loads are usually 8s because I don't shoot much skeet with the big gun, 90% of my skeet shooting is with 20, 28, or .410 gauge guns.

Clays is an excellent powder for 12ga and when you get into lighter loads universal clays does a good job.

 

[FitchHall]

Thank you

Thank you for your replies. I appreciate the input. I'll experiment with some 1oz #9s and see how that works. I guess that this is part of the fun - trial and error leading to the ideal.

Thanks again and good shooting to you all.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Current skeet load is....

"Old" AA.

Win 209.

19 Gr Clays powder. This is close to MAX. Start off around 18.2.

Claybuster clone of the WAA12 SL wad.

7/8 oz of cheap 9s.

Good 24-26" spread, enough speed(WEG, 1250 FPS) to really shatter them, and little kick.

HTH....

 

[PJR]

I don't take issue with the soundness of any of the previous advice however I'd just stick with your trap load. It will be more than adequate for skeet shooting provided a more open choke is used.

Once upon a time, I had about half a dozen specialty loads for every situation and more often than I'd care to admit I wouldn't have the "right" box of shells in my bag for the given situation. I'm not sure how much it mattered in the final result other than to shake my concentration and confidence.

Now I have two target loads -- a one ounce #8 at 1200 fps that accounts for 90 per cent of my shooting. The other is a #7-1/2, 1-1/8 ounce at 1250 fps for trap handicap and really long sporting targets.

 

[art_vandalay]

#10 will work even better - if you can find it.

 

[FitchHall]

Thanks for your input

Friends in shooting,

Thank you for all of your input. I made it out to the Silver Dollar Shooting Club in Odessa, FL this past weekend. It was agreat experience shooting there. The staff was helpful and the other shooters were very friendly.

I went with 1oz of #9 (12ga) for skeet shooting through the HK/Fabarm Red Lion with Skeet Chokes. I went back to 1-1/8oz of #8 for 5-stand shooting with modified chokes because of the longer shots. For Trap shooting, I pulled out old faithful, my Browning Citori 12ga 30".

Thank you again for all of your input.

 

[TaxPhd]

I have really simplified my shotgun reloading. I have a load that is a clone of the STS light target in 1 oz of 8's for skeet and trap. For my bird hunting (except waterfowl), I just change the shot to 7.5, 6 or 5. Works great for everything from doves to pheasants.



Scott

 

[Darrin]

I'll be trying out #9 shot this Sunday for the first time.

Dave, 19 gr? I'm only loading 16.6 gr. (Everything else is the same as you mentioned) I wonder if I mis-read my loading chart.....

 

[TaxPhd]

darrin,

No, you are not misreading.. Use your charge, in STS hulls with the wad Dave mentions (WW12SL) and you are in shotgun shell heaven.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Darrin, I could go that light, and indeed may. I have one load in 7/8 oz that goes down to 16 gr of Clays. Again, 19 is nigh max and others should work up to it.

The higher velocity of this load was intended to offset the tight chokes I was using prior to the recent gift of a Remchoked barrel. ALl else equal, more speed equals more spread. It patterns nicely with the Skeet tube in the new barrel. I'll run out of old AAs in a skeet session or two, and probably will go to something like 16.5 or 17 for economy and less noise in the STS case.

I also may go to 8.5 shot just to simplify logistics. I use that in my summer load for 16 yard trap.