shotshell reloading

[Gabriel Law]

I suspect this subject has been covered in the past, but if you will indulge me, I'd like to ask a few questions myself.

I am the happy recipient of a Ponsness Warren shotshell reloading system, and all the components to make it work.  Second Christmas!!
I am wandering what shot loads you folks use for knock down power on the plates, in terms of velocity, shot size, and shot volume.  There is no info on reloading with black powder, in the accompanying instructions, either, so can someone provide some data on that too?

[Slowhand Bob]

I am loading on a PW 900 but am sad to say that the automatic presses lose much versatility when it comes to BP.  It is actually not the machines fault but, in my case, mostly related to the plastic wads available.  It would seem that the WW White wad is as good as it gets before needing to jump all the way to the old WW Red wad with no happy ground in between, and that is a gulf of missing space.  With the white wad you will need to pretty much go with a 7/8oz shot load and there will not be much room for much powder to move it without risking pop open crimps.  Going with the red wad will start you out with some ground shakers and no way to improve it without losing the presses auto advantage.  If someone know of a plastic wad that I am not familiar with I am listening also.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

There is a middle ground.

You do NOT need a lot of powder to knock down those pesky tin zombies that flop down. In fact, knockdowns should be set to fall with a regular 20 gauge load. I have found that about 60 grains of FFg, whatever you can get at a reasonable price, under 7/8 or 1 ounce of #7 or#8 will do the trick. As cases vary in capacity to some extent, you build a load to suit.

- Size and reprime
- scoop or measure the powder and pour it in. 60 gr., or even less might get the job done
-  Here is my trick to prevent plastic streaks in the barrel;- put in a 12 ga. card wad (Punch out a card from a cereal box with a standard 3/4 inch punch if you don't have anything else) Omit this step if you can deal with the "snot" by other means
- select a plastic wad for a 1 1/4 oz. field load (Try different wads; the Red wad might even work)
-drop enough shot to bring the load up to a level that allows a good crimp  (An adjustible shot measure helps (from LEE) and measure or weigh this so it can be repeated)

For BP you do not need to be a slave to a reloading table as long as you don't use a greater VOLUME of powder than shot, and can even go with less than this by up to 30%.  Generally less powder means a tighter pattern. "Less powder, more lead, make birds (or knockdowns) fall dead!"

One of my wad columns for some loads starts with a card overpowder wad, followed by enough (The scientific cut&try method) fiber wads to build up the desired height and topped with;
EITHER a cup-end from a plastic wad - cup facing up then shot to suit
OR, where a shot protector is required slip one in, cut off a regular wad, then shot.

For more advice there is a good thread in THE DARK ARTS

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[Red Cent]

I also load with a P/W 800 Plus. Love the machine.........most of the time.

Thick skin time. I am a SASS competitor. I use a M1897 and I load 'er light. I use Claybuster pinkies with one ounce of shot. I use 12 grains of American Select with a Winchester 209 primer. Soft shooting for fast shooting and shot to shot recovery. If I do my part it will take 'em all down.

I use American Select for all of the cowboy guns including the 1911 45acp for Wild Bunch. Very versatile powder. It is touted to be the cleanest burning around. And definitely cleaner that blck stuff

[Gabriel Law]

Thanks fellas.  I too am shooting a '97 Winchester.  My press is a PW Duo-Matic 375, so it's not one of the automatic type, and lends itself well to customizing my shells.  I appreciate the info, and suspected that the light loads would work.  I thought that you could not use plastic wads with BP though...just old fashioned fibre and card wads.  Some experimentation is in order.

[Fingers McGee]

55 gr ffg BP, Claybuster pink wad and 7/8 oz of reclaimed shot in an STS or Nitro27 hull is all I use anymore & have no trouble with the peskiest knockdown.

[Curley Cole]

I like feather lites. I clone them. couldn't get Winchester powder when I started so came up with this load with Clays

209 primer
WAA12L grey 7/8 wad (winchester)
15gr Clays powder
7/oz #8 shot

works in all our sxs, and my original 97

curley