Need 12ga Bunnie Bullets

[ButlerFord45]

Stopped by the local store yesterday with the intention of buying a couple of boxes of shells for rabbit hunting, nothing fancy just some 1 1/8 to 1 1/4 5's or 6's.  Holy Smokes, I'd forgotten how rediculious better shells were!!!  I wont pay it!  I can buy a bag of magnum shot and a bag of wads for the price of two boxes!!!!
Anyone have a good load already figured out?  I've got a can of Blue Dot already, but I've never been adverse to buying and trying a new powder.

[Graybeard]

I've loaded a ton of shot in 3-1/4--1-1/4 equivalent loads over the years. Most using #7-1/2 shot for crows. But I've loaded them with #9s for a money game we used to play and with #4s and #6s also. My favorite powder for this use is Green Dot and Unique is my standard back up powder. I used to prefer AA473 but they discontinued it on me.

If I recall correctly I think Blue Dot is mostly for heavy loads and might work OK for 1-1/4 oz loads. But I've not used it so can't offer you a recipe for it. If you decide on Green Dot or Unique I can give you some proven recipes there by searching my reloading logs. But I've always just pulled the load from the Lyman shotshell manual for the hull I was using at the time and either of the three powders mentioned above. Matter of fact I have about a clay target box full of them loaded up with my #7-1/2 crow loads rat now.

[ButlerFord45]

Bill, I said I had a pound of Blue Dot, and that's true, but my manual switches from Green to Blue after 1 1/8oz loads.  Since the current supply of Green Dot is at about 11 pounds :-) I'd love to heat your favorite "heavy" load!

[Graybeard]

Green Dot was one of the first powders I ever used for reloading. Even today I've loaded about as much of it as any powder. The old gun store where I used to hang out had a bunch of 8 pound as best as I recall cans of it and ended up buying all of them as I used one up I'd get another. Seemed like I was the only one buying it.

I've used it in old Remington RXP hulls as well as the newer Remington compression formed hulls and Winchester Double A hulls. I load from 21 to 23 grains of it depending on the exact hull and recipe. But since I think you're using AAs if memory is right I'll give you a couple recipes for that hull.

21.0 grains Green Dot, Remington RP12 wad and Win 209 primer gives 1200 fps and 9800 L.U.P. from an old Lyman manual.

23.0 grains of Green Dot, CCI 109 primer and Remington SP wad gives 1235 fps and 9200 L.U.P.

Both work well. Best I recall the CCI 109 differs from the CCI209 only in color of primer and I think one has a sealer to keep ball powder out of it. I've used them and the Winchester 209 interchangably for 30+ years with no problems so far.

I've probably loaded well over 100 pounds of Green Dot and likely closer to 200 pounds of it. It is my preferred 12 ga. 1-1/4 oz powder and works fine with 1-1/8 oz also. It is the ONLY powder I use in 28 ga. and my preferred 20 ga. powder. Works well in handguns also. It and Unique are perhaps the two most versatile powders ever made.

[Catfish]

For bunneys my favorite load is 1 oz. of 5`s. It only takes a pellet or 2 of 5`s and with 1 oz. loads you don`t have to pick out a bunch of shot. Just pick and 1 oz. load and use 5 shot. 700X, Red Dot or alot of others, stay away from Solo 1000 for 1 oz. loads though as it doesn`t burn well in lower presure lods.

[ButlerFord45]

Thanks Ya'll, I loaded a couple of boxes of GB's load this afternoon, I hope to give them a try sometime this week.

[Flash]

Graybeard, You sound well versed in shotgun reloading and definately much more than I. Could you please share what can be expected as a nominal pressure in a #6 or #7 1/2 field load and how the pressure is rated? I know that shotgun reloading has it's limits but I have no idea where that limit is.

[Graybeard]

Shot size is really not much if any consideration in pressures of shotgun loads. It's a combination of the hull, primer, wad, weight of shot and powder. Older cases with weaker crimps lower pressure and can affect performance even to the point of being a blooper which is a weak load barely getting shot out the end of barrel.

Normal shotgun load pressures will be in the 8000-12000 LUP range. That's lead units of pressue as opposed to copper units of pressure CUP normally associated with centerfire guns. The .410s run the higest pressures and some loads can push up into the low 13,000 range with them. Most field and target loads will run 8500-10500 LUP. You can alter this up or down as much as 500-1500 with a change of primer, wad or hull. But if you find a load that fits the hull properly and use a recommended powder and primer with the weight of shot you are using it's difficult to run loads to the point of being dangerously high. Can be done but you really have to work at it.

The most common high pressure situation is when someone uses the wrong powder in a recipe, using a much faster burning powder when a slower one is called for. You can blow up a shotgun that way just as you can a centerfire rifle or handgun.

[George Foster]

Flash,

Now days all the manufacturers of shells and your reloading manuals for shotshells go by PSI.  The following is a list of maximum allowed pressures for the various gauges.

SAAMI Shotgun Pressure Specifications (Maximum Average Pressure in PSI)
(All Piezo measurements unless specified)

Cartridge Maximum Average Pressure
10 gauge 11,000 (all)
12 gauge 11,5000 (all but 3 1/2" mag)
12 gauge 3 1/2" mag 14,000
16 gauge 11,500 (all)
20 gauge 12,000 (all)
28 gauge 12,500 (all)
.410 bore 2 1/2" 12,500
.410 bore 3" 13,500

[Flash]

Thanks fellas, I often wondered whether any slight deviation in wad pressure or shot weight would cause harmful results. I will reload my hulls in comfort now. I just got into shotgun reloading again after a 10 year hiatus and never really felt comfortable doing it back then. Thanks again.