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Joined: 08 Feb 2009 Posts: 1310 Location: Western WA

The club had a couple lonely jugs of Longshot on the shelf at my last visit. My use of Longshot has been heavy non tox loads, for which it excelled.

Does anyone have any positive experience to report on Longshot for light 7/8 oz loads, i.e. for skeet etc? It doesn’t seem to me that it would be an ideal fit, but maybe it might work in a pinch.

TIA
B.

Joined: 01 Oct 2007 Posts: 962 Location: Minnesota

I’ve used it extensively in heavy loads, for years. Have not heard of it being used in lighter loads.

Joined: 28 Aug 2014 Posts: 924 Location: Eastern Tennessee

I use longshot for 1-1/8 & 1-1/4 oz loads in lead. I’ve used it for 1 oz in non toxic. All of this was with pretty good success (though it likes a hotter load). I wouldn’t consider it an ideal candidate for sub 1 oz loads.

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3438 Location: Illinois

This powder was made for high velocity/heavy payload shells----maybe buy a jug and trade for Unique/Universal?????

Joined: 06 Jan 2021 Posts: 89 Location: Florida

I have used it in 1/2oz-11/16 oz 2.5” 20 gauge baby loads I made for my wife/kid. It makes a very very light recoil load and patterns better than .410.

It is very dirty though, but I don’t worry about it as it’s being shot out a pump or break gun.

I have used it on 7/8 oz loads. There are a few recipes from BPI, I found them to be a little hotter than published solely based on recoil so I dropped the charge a bit.

It is definitely not as clean as others, but it works. I do intend to use it more often, and may try some 3/4 oz loads, but right now I have a good store of cleaner powders to use for target loads. Not that it matters much because I clean after every shoot.

Joined: 16 Jul 2015 Posts: 2126 Location: Hudson,Wy

It's not the best choice for light loads unless you want them really fast. My advice is to find someone to trade with. I've done a lot of this lately. Longshot is at its best when you give it a heavy job to do. With light target loads, you will have to use a lot more of it to do the same job as you could with a faster more appropriate powder, which results in far fewer loads per pound. Trading for something like Green Dot will net you more target ammunition for your dollar. If you lived closer, I would trade you some SOLO 1250 or similar for it. I have a lot of "target" powder these days.

Joined: 07 Aug 2021 Posts: 4 Location: South Dakota

I shoot skeet outside hunting season, and I have 20-30 flats of once-fired purple Herter (cheddite straight-wall, I understand) hulls. Because 16-ga target shells now seem to run $15 to $18/box everywhere, I’m looking at buying a MEC 9000G reloader so I can keep shooting my 16 gauges at skeet. For hunting, I buy factory loads. I already have an old 12-ga 9000G, so I’m not new to reloading, but I quit reloading 12-ga for trapshooting about 20 years ago when the price differential for buying versus reloading wasn’t much. I’m recently retired, so I have more time now to reload.

My preferred skeet load is 1 oz shot, anything around 1150 to 1250 fps, but I can live with 7/8 oz. In addition to the Herter hulls, I currently have 8 and 9 shot, Win 209 primers, and a bit (1/2 lb at most) of Universal Clays powder. I can get either sg16/sg16s or CB0100-16 wads online, and I just located 1 lb of Longshot powder.

Does anyone have data for a workable skeet load using those components (especially the Longshot) they’d share? Also, which wad works better with the Herter hulls (less powder migration, easier to flare the powder rim)? I know the Longshot isn’t ideal for skeet loads or straight-wall hulls, so if I had my choice I’d stick with Universal Clays or another powder. But for now these components are all I can find. Any info will be much appreciated.

Joined: 21 Mar 2019 Posts: 523 Location: Texas

Kevin: brownells has 572 you may wanna check it out.

Member Joined: 15 Mar 2007 Posts: 601 Location: Virginia

Hodgdon has data for Longshot in the 16 gauge using 1 and 1-1/8 oz shot. Velocities are up there, but speed isn't always a bad thing.

Joined: 07 Aug 2021 Posts: 4 Location: South Dakota

Thx Dan & RG!

Hodgdon only listed loads for Cheddite hulls using Universal powder, that I found. I previously stuck with published load formulas when I did 12-ga. Had AA hulls and components were easy to get back then, so my comfort level with swapping components isn’t high.

I also just found the Win 572 on Ballistics Products. Hodgdon does not list 16 ga loads for Cheddite hulls with it, but they list some 1-oz loads for Winchester Polyformed Plastic Game Shells:
- Win 572 | Win 209 | CB 0100-16 | 19.5 grn | 6,500 PSI | 1,165 fps
- Win 572 | Win 209 | CB 0100-16 | 21 grn | 7,500 PSI | 1,220 fps

This seems more in my comfort zone since I’d only change one variable (hull). My thinking would be to load some at 19.5 grains to test fire (have chrono access) and pattern, then if all seems well (velocity, recoil, pattern) try the 21-grain load. It’s not ideal, but it might be that or only shoot 12-ga for skeet again this year. Even if it was hard on the Cheddite hulls, I could still get by for at least a couple years or more, even at 1 reload/hull.

Am I missing something in thinking that should be a relatively safe procedure? I know I could probably load some test shells and send them for pressure testing, but I shoot 1-1/8 oz, #5-shot field loads (1300 - 1400 fps) in my Citori & A5 16 gauges during hunting season. I’d agree speed isn’t always a bad thing, but I doubt it’s important at skeet yardages. Might reconsider if I decide to try loading for Dove later on. I suspect those field loads generate higher pressures, but I’m not sure about burn rate effects of the factory-load powders versus the load test data.

If anyone has more info, please let me know, and thanks again!

Joined: 21 Mar 2019 Posts: 523 Location: Texas

Kevin: send me your email in a pm. I will email you 572 loads.

Joined: 21 Mar 2019 Posts: 523 Location: Texas

Email in bound.

Guest

Keven, the Winchester-Poly hulls are indeed Cheddite hulls, so the hulls/data are interchangeable.

Precision Reloading right there in South Dakota shows 572 in stock.

Joined: 07 Aug 2021 Posts: 4 Location: South Dakota

RG, I received the load data. Thanks. I’ve bought some Win 572 and a MEC 9000GN to reload my 16-ga shells. That will at least get me started. Still going to be expensive, but I think it will be better than $15 - $17/box for new target shells.

Precision Reloading has some Cheddite 209 primers available, but I don’t see those listed for the polyform hulls and 572 powder in the table. I also don’t see 572 listed for the Cheddite loads table. Am I missing something on the table?

I should get more wads and Ballistics Products has both the CB-0100-16 and the SG16 available. Is either of those better with the Cheddite hulls and 572 in anyone’s experience?