Shotshell Wad "One Rem SP12"

[ants]

Good point. All my shot is hardened (sometimes the bag says magnum chilled shot). It just patterns better, especially when I have a stout load of powder accelerating it.

Nearly all of my hunting loads are 1-1/8oz, actually chronographed at 1250 fps or slightly better. My shotshells get less velocity than the published tables claim (same with rifle/pistol loads for that matter). So I load a half step upward to get my speed.

BruceRDucer, when you add the extra weight of shot in your 1-1/4oz cup, you slow down the velocity. It sounds easy to just add more powder, but you'll exceed your pressure too easily. Extra velocity not only helps the shot kill cleanly, but you don't have to lead a fast bird so much and the shot string drops less over longer distance.

Also, don't forget that to fit the extra 1/8oz shot in the wad, the wad cushion is shorter and is less effective at cushioning the shot to prevent deformation upon initial discharge. 1 oz wads are the ultimate in cushioning at the expense of shot count. That's why 1-1/8 is so popular, especially with hardened shot.

 

[_DMC]

When I went dove hunting for the first time in September, I was getting hits like crazy, feathers flying everywhere, but birds wouldn't drop.

Shot size makes more difference in killong power than MV or weight of charge.

 

[nitroexpress]

By now you are more experienced and have sorted out your 1 1/4 oz load. A 3 3/4 dram equivalent load of 1 1/4 oz of #2 shot with a SP12 wad is one righteous load, there is no way a skunk, feral cat or raccoon is going to come out the winner against that. Shotgun reloading is a moving target, components and recipes come and go. This is not a real issue with trap and skeet loads but try and load #2 lead for vermin control. The Remington SP12 and RP12 are very good wads, pattern well with magnum loads. Just kidding about the 3 3/4 dram crap, anything at 1200 fps or a bit more is great. Hoarding components is a sideline of mine, new Blue Magic hulls, Lage Uni-wad wads, 97* primers, me bad.

 

[snuffy]

Wow, a 4 year old thread! Nitro, perhaps you should check to see if the OP is still around?

BruceRDucer BruceRDucer is offline
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Oh well, a bit of nostalgia in reading that old thread, no harm done,,,---I guess?

 

[nitroexpress]

These threads live a happy life in the search worlds of Google and others. I landed on this particular thread because it was the best match for my search criteria. Therefore these threads are a resource, and as such, a little update is a good thing. Some projects are a bit long, I started this particular load quest in 1999, and it's roots go back to the seventies, when discussing vermin control, shotguns and shot size. The consensus was, from experience that #2 lead performed the best on vermin up to and including foxes. #2 lead has the power to kill reliably up to 90 yards, I personally have smoked a feral cat at 70 yards with #2 lead, a 1 1/4 oz reload. BB's have too thin a pattern and if you load enough of them you have a heavy recoiling load, #4's lack the range. When lead shot was still in vogue, buying suitable ammo was easy, now it's not available unless you buy the designer shells with bismuth, tungsten and tin. Those are an alternative, but I'm after a good, inexpensive load that I am confident in using. When I settle on a load, I'll load a bunch, as component availability comes and goes. #2 lead is not that easy to find anymore. As the components that I have come from the 80's, perhaps this thread is newer than we think. Anyways thanks for reading and taking the time to reply. I hate to put all this effort into my replies and be the only one that knows the post exists. My pet peeve is the for sale items that are 3 years old, they get your hopes up and then you look at the post date. I delete all my old ads.

Sincerely, Nitro....