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| < 16ga. Ammunition & Reloading ~ Load testing, Liability, and the Low Pressure Group |
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 Posted:
Mon Mar 23, 2009 11:10 am
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Member
Joined: 12 Mar 2005
Posts: 6535
Location: massachusetts
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| Charles Hammack wrote: |
It has been brought to my attention that clarity is in order here .
For you folks that are starting out , the VERY FIRST THING YOU DO IS GET A LOADING MANUAL .
Then in the front of the manual somewhere is the small print section , it gives you the FIRST COMMANDMENT OF RELOADING , data furnished here is tested and only to be used as a guide , approach all loads with a 10% reduction in charge weight and work up from there .
Other things are in the small print as well , it would do everyone to look at the disclaimers that the Manufactures place in their loading manuals .
Regards Charles
Regards Charles
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Some of your advice is dead on Nick. Anyone who reloads should first read the front chapters of at least one good reloading manual before diving in. However, for shotgun shell reloading, the listed recipes in the manuals are usually recommended to be followed exactly. Not doing so certainly negates any possible liability.
If the manual lists lower powder charges of a specific powder when using identical componants under lower pressure, lower velocity recipes, then that is always good place to start. However, assuming a powder reduction is always the correct way to go is not always true when dealing with some types of smokeless powder.
The 10% rule usually applies to rifle and pistol loading. Even then, it does not always apply when using some ultra slow rifle powders. Margin notes will explain that some magnum loads using these very slow powders must be assembled exactly as designed. Reducing the powder can cause detonation. The phenomenon exists but has yet to be competely explained as far as I know at this time.
However, I do not remember reading that detonation is a problem with shotgun loads. It could be. I just do not remember having seen any written advise here.
I've reloaded for decades, and except for one occurance, have never experienced any evidence of danger with any of my shotshell loads. I often manipulate powder charges to get more or less velocity or a more useful pattern. I simply use some intelligence when doing so. It makes perfect sense that if 15 grains of a specific powder used with a specific set of componants is safe as well as a maximum load of 18 grains, then any charge of that powder between these two charges will work safely as well.
I've found that by sticking with the lower end of a specific powder's charge range in any list of recipes using the same componants, it is possible to switch cooler primer types without getting into trouble. Even hotter primers do not tend to up pressure levels beyond acceptable ranges as long as the higher to maximum powder charges are avoided. I've often gone to hot primers for cold weather shooting to ensure good ignition in my milder target loads. I simply avoid doing so in near max to max loads.
Knowing that one powder is faster or slower than another is also useful information. Most manuals list commonly available smokeless powders by their relative burning rates. Knowing which is which can help a reloader find a more suitable powder for a desired load.
For instance, I learned long ago by reading the Alliant manuals that Green Dot is relatively faster burning than Unique and that Red Dot is faster than Green Dot. I found some older data listing 15.5 grains of Red Dot as suitable for some 1 ounce loads in the old fiber based 16 ga Remington hull with an R16 wad and a Remington primer. The problem was that the componants listed were obsolete. I also wanted to find a suitable 7/8 ounce load. I reasoned that 14 grains of Red Dot seemed to be a suitable reduced charge in a new style GL16 hull for my desired 7/8 ounce shot load. The problem was that 14 grains of RD did not fill the hull enough to get good crimps even with filler wads in the shot cup. I also thought the loads were a bit too snappy. So I tried 16 grains of Green Dot after checking with Alliant. The load worked out perfectly. Green Dot is not only slower than Red Dot, it is bulkier grain for grain. I got the 1150 FPS I was looking for in a relatively clean burniong load that crimped to perfection. Without understanding the relative burning rates I learned in a manual long ago, I could not been able to reason it all out safely.
I've since found that any charge of Green dot between 16 and 17 grains is perfectly safe for a 3/4 or a 7/8 ounce load with the same componants. The 3/4 ounce load has become a particular favorite of several folks on this site as well as mine.
Was I going into "no man's land" here? Perhaps. The load I came up with is not currently listed in any manual I know of at present, but further teating has proven it to be entirely safe as well as an excellen t performer. But I did not go into this matter blindly. I had certain knowledge and experience I learned from reading the various available manuals over several decades to guide me. i have a library of these old manuals and refer to them frequently.
My best advise is to collect and read the various manuals and then reason out things based on your knowledge and experience. Know your own limitations as well. Finally, be a man and accept responsibility for your actions as well. Nobody is forcing anyone to load their own ammo as far as I know.
One more piece of advice. anytime anyone decides to develope a load, be sure to use the strongest gun you can buy for shooting them. I always test any of my new 16 gauge loads in one of my Citori models. These guns are at least 5 times stronger than they need to be to handle the average shotgun load. Even a somewhat heavy overload will not destroy the gun. It concievably bruise my shoulder and cheek, but the gun won't feel a thing. I would not dare to try a new load in an old gun. |
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