Building a Buckshot Load

[scottg]

Maybe this is a little silly but, I wanted to build a buckshot load using one of the clear shotgun hull available. I enjoy reloading and (here comes the silly part) I consider what I’m doing an art of sorts, and I like to be able to see my work of art. There, I said it. Therefore, I had decided to try the Fiocchi clear 2 3/4 inch hull. I know Cheddite and Federal both make clear hull but when I was ordering the hulls Fiocchi were the only 2 3/4 inch hull available at the time.

As it has been a while since I have reloaded shotgun shells I had no wads so I ordered a number of different ones including, Federal 12SO (1 Oz), 12S3 ( 1 1/8 Oz), Winchester WAA12SL - Pink (1 – 1 1/8 Oz), Winchester WAA12 – White (1 Oz) and Remington RP12 (1 – 1 1/8 Oz).

I also ordered some buffer for my buckshot load from BPI their Mix 47.

Feeling optimistic that I would be able to work something up with this I began my experiments.

My goal was to mimic 9 pellet #00 buckshot loads offered by Remington, Winchester and others. I did not have any buckshot loading data but, I did a bit of measuring of a dissected store bought 00 buckshot shell and quickly learned that each #00 buckshot pellet weighs about 1/8 of an ounce and 9 pellets is about 1 1/8 oz. So I found some shot data for 1 1/8 Oz loads and began working from there.

My powder choices were Unique and Blue Dot simply because those are what I had on hand that would work for shot shells. Checking the Unique powder charges for some of the 1 1/8 Oz I settled on about 25gr of Unique powder.
At this point I have a starting place to produce a mild buckshot load traveling about 1,250 fps for which I should have all the components.

So let the work begin.

The first thing I learned with any of the wads was that #00 buckshot can only sit 2 side by side when using a wad. If I tried not using a wad, then I could set three side by side and create three stacks. Very quickly I learned I could only get 8 pellets in all the wads (stacked 2-by-2) and still have room for a crimp except for one and that was the Remington RP12. I learned too that with the RP12 I could get one more stack giving me 10 pellets. Okay, I can live with that but I had to rethink my powder a little bit so, I went back to the charts and tables a learned I could use the same charge of Unique for 1 1/2 Oz loads.

After settling on a 10 pellet #00 buckshot load, I quickly learned the RP12 did not keep the powder contained. There was powder creep around the wad which was very annoying and because I am going for the artistic aspects here I found that unacceptable. I learned too this happened with all the other wads as well. The Fiocchi is a straight walled hull, unlike others like the Winchester AA hull which is tapered which a lot of wads seem to be designed for.

The solution to my little problem, and I don’t want to start a discussion war here because I know it’s “coloring outside the lines” a little but, I found if cut some round disks from some brown paper towels just large enough to wrap up around the cup of the wad, it would keep the power in place (plus it looks kind of cool).

When it is all said and done, I’m pretty proud of my load. As expected, it was a mild recoil load with great patters at 20 yards. I am currently loading up some buffered and non-buffered loads and plan on testing them at various distances for patters and consistency.

So in summary here is what I’ve got:

Hull: Fiocchi 2 3/4 in
Primer: Fiocchi 209
Powder: Unique 25.6 gr (Lee Dipper 2.8)
Wad: Remington RP12 with single ply brown paper towel disk on bottom
Lead: 10 #00 Buckshot stacked 2-by-2 for 5 rows

[jmort]

I like both Unique and Blue Dot a lot. I like clear hulls, but order what I need regardless of color. I like the 3" brown Fiocchi's but I too wish they were clear. As I mentioned in your other thread, get the right GS for your hulls. Nothing wrong with art for art's sake. This is the place.

[Hogtamer]

Art indeed! I traveled the same road as you Scott. The artyness to me though is a beautiful target, punctured with a great pattern! As has been pointed out, not all buckshot is created equal. BPI nickel plated OO weigh only 47 grns each, not the 54 grns of most lead OO. 10 of those over a charge of Longshot in a federal hull and your wad gave me the fastest, tightest pattern I've been able to achieve, one that outperforms every factory load I could find to test, and that's @ 50 yds! (2 - 3 pellets in 12" circle). Always looking for better, though, and just last night loaded 9 in a trap commander wad. Will fire today and hopefully will produce a work of art!!

[scottg]

Hogtamer, I like your definition of art. I've been casting my own buckshot using the Lee 00 buckshot mold and have found those to be a little on the light side as well. I'm looking forward to getting out and testing how well they work.

[scottg]

I appreciate finding a group of people that appreciate all the aspects of the shooting sports. I'm glad I've found y'all.

[Hogtamer]

Scott, some of these Yankee fellows on here use Cream of Wheat (COW) for a buffer. Don't listen to them! You know all proper southern boys use grits, yellow & stone ground!

[RMc]

Scott, some of these Yankee fellows on here use Cream of Wheat (COW) for a buffer. Don't listen to them! You know all proper southern boys use grits, yellow & stone ground!

Some of us Southern boys know just how good slow cooked grits can be, but still prefer Precision Spherical Buffer with our buckshot!

Notice that "Southern" is always capitalized!

[scottg]

Yee Haw! Do I cook them first? (just kidding)

[dverna]

Scott, some of these Yankee fellows on here use Cream of Wheat (COW) for a buffer. Don't listen to them! You know all proper southern boys use grits, yellow & stone ground!

About the only good use of grits is for buffer. Never understood the attraction to eating wall paper paste. LOL

BTW, I was traveling with our Southeast Regional Sales Manager (Frank) one time and we stopped at Cracker Barrel for breakfast. I ordered my meal and told the pretty young thing (PYT) I did not want grits. Well Frank says "Whoa!!, You don't wand grits?" I said, "No they taste like and look like wall paper paste".

He replies, "You just don't know how to season them." Looking at the PYT, he says. "Bring the man his grits"

The grits come and Frank makes a great show of adding butter, pepper and salt to them. Gives the mix a good stir and with a goofy smile on his face says, "Here! Try them NOW!"

I tasted them, looked at him and he says, "What do you think?"

I answered, "They taste like wall paper paste with butter, pepper and salt"

He muttered something about "Dumb Yankees"

Don Verna

[Hogtamer]

Now that you fellows have exposed your poor taste, maybe there is still something you can help me with to redeem yourselves! The sprue on buckshot has to be a detriment to accuracy. I read somewhere that if you placed a quantity of shot in a steel container and rode around with it in your truck for a while it would round off the buckshot. Anything to that or is there a way to lose the sprue that may be a little more scientific?

[jmort]

Not scientific, but end cutters and a file or end cutters and a rotary tumbler.

[Hogtamer]

Here's a hunting load with great pattern @ 50 yds from FC 870, 28" brl: Fed hull, 209 primer, 33.5 gr Longshot, x12x OP wad from BPI, Remington SP 12 w/10 BPI 00 nickel plated pellets, buffer, OS card, crimp. Caution: weigh your buckshot from different manufacturers! Standard lead 00 weigh about 54 grns but these 00 are smaller and weigh 47 grns!

Here's a light load with 5 a great pattern!!! Straight wall 2 3/4" hull, 209 primer, 19 grn CLAYS, PT 1265 wad from BPI http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Non.../products/395/
8 - 00 lead pellets, buffer, OS card, crimp.

I have loaded 12 pellet 00 boomers that actually didn't perform as well as either of above.

One big load that really shines is a straight walled 2 3/4" hull, 209 primer, 37 gr Longshot, x12x OP, thick Mylar wrap inserted with a 16 ga nitro card dropped in, 6 - .375 lead balls (0000 buck),
Grits or COW buffer, OS card, crimp.

All of these give best results out of full choke in my guns.

[dverna]

Now that you fellows have exposed your poor taste, maybe there is still something you can help me with to redeem yourselves! The sprue on buckshot has to be a detriment to accuracy. I read somewhere that if you placed a quantity of shot in a steel container and rode around with it in your truck for a while it would round off the buckshot. Anything to that or is there a way to lose the sprue that may be a little more scientific?

I read somewhere that one fellow would put cast buckshot in a rock tumbler to level out the sprues. You could add some ball bearings to help with the polishing action and speed the process up - then use a magnet to separate the bearings out.

I don't think grits would cause much "polishing action" - but at least grits would sift out easily - LOL.

Don Verna

[35remington]

"one that outperforms every factory load I could find to test....."

Hogtamer, the depressing part is handloaded buckshot will never outperform FliteControl wad loaded factory ammo, so you must not have tried those, 'cause those will beat whatever you can make.

But I do make mine a lot cheaper than Federal sells them for!

[randyrat]

I just made some buckshot loads up today and shot them, FUN. I went the other way, light and slow....16 grains of 700x under about 1 1/8 ounces of buckshot/ AA Win hulls. Even though these were wimpy I wouldn't want to get tagged at 50 yards with them. The mean milk jug full of half frozen water ( water freezes fast when it is chilly) didn't have a chance.
Close range they are devastating. This buckshot had the nasty sprue's sticking out of each buckshot, added devastation.

[dverna]

RR

I am going the same direction. I want low recoil loads for close in work. They are also a lot more fun to shoot if you are not getting beaten up with every pull of the trigger. These loads will be used to train my girlfriend so another reason for lower recoil.

Don Verna

[Defcon-One]

....I read somewhere that if you placed a quantity of shot in a steel container and rode around with it in your truck for a while it would round off the buckshot. Anything to that?

I have placed some in a steel container and rolled it around for a while and seen a marked improvement. Sort of a mini ball mill.

I heard of a guy who layed them all out in a cookie sheet and rolled them with a steel plate while pressing down formly. Took only a few minutes to round them up.

Oh, and I like grits!

[trapper9260]

Now that you fellows have exposed your poor taste, maybe there is still something you can help me with to redeem yourselves! The sprue on buckshot has to be a detriment to accuracy. I read somewhere that if you placed a quantity of shot in a steel container and rode around with it in your truck for a while it would round off the buckshot. Anything to that or is there a way to lose the sprue that may be a little more scientific?

I did a test with 410 load with 00 shot and i cast my own from the mold of Sharpshooters and what I did and use the same data to load regular shot.Just replace it with buckshot .What I did is after i cut the spur off and load that the 4 balls went all over the place and then when i roll them .That is I have a roller that i got way back from Dixe gun works for when i cast my own balls for ball and patch and after i did that i load the same way and then tested them and had a patten at 20 yards I had a 7" patten and then at 15 yards I had a 5" patten.What i found out that for the cut on the spur will change on your patten and how you will shoot.Hope this will help someone .

[Net_Ranger101]

grits are awesome i also love polenta
i place my 00 buck in a mason jar and shake the hell out of it for about an hour. works extremely well also add a pinch of graphite to keep them from sticking Just don't overload the jar!!

[Randy C]

I see you found the right sight to buy from and get books or load info. If you click on load of the week you should be able to go back through the archive's. I've bought from them and ask for loads for the hulls I bought and they would email me all kinds of info great to work with and they make a lot of cool tools for custom loading I bought 300.00 worth last month again. I have most of there books If you don't find what you want here I can look some up in my Buck shot Manuel, but its my bed time I will check back when I have more time.