Back to the Drawing Board

[ButlerFord45]

I would have been a Black Powder shooter much earlier in my SASS career had it not been for Shotgun.  I fussed and fumed, fumbled and fooled with those shell's for nearly three years.  I know for fact that 80 grains of FFF and 1 1/16 ounce of 7 1/2 shot will fit into a 2 3/4" 20 guage.  I know too, that this particular load from my shotgun will blow a hole in the center of the pattern that you could drive your pick-up through.  I know ya'll have said that the shot volume and the powder volume should be appx. the same, Ok, How much is that???  I've measured the height of the desired column and interior diameter of the shell, found the volume, subtracted wad and cup thickness divided by two, should be simple, huh??!!   Those measurements don't account for the dished out base in the hull, which in it's self makes a 1/16 oz. difference. So, which charge bushing does that equal???  Who knows!!??  Ya have to measure the volume of each bushing, now to make a measure for the powder, no problem!!!  With an abundance of vetrinary syringes around here, I'll just cut one off at the appropriate mark!!  Yeah, right! Not even close.   So after much trial and error and emptying my Lee Load All countless times, one charge at a time, I finally found the combination that worked!!!!  EUREKA!!! 57 gr of FF, and 7/8 oz 7 1/2 shot, no problems with the knockdowns and the pattern tight enough that clay pidgons don't escape!!!  With the right powder bushing, the right shot bushing, I loaded my last 25 wads in under ten minutes, and that included time for a short "Happy Dance" after each shell was loaded.  Life is good!!!!   Went to pick up a new bag of wads  WAA20F1, guess what!!  Found out that WAA20F1 has been discontinued.  WAA20  7/8  or 1 oz, Remington's SP20 1 oz are not the same, don't work, not even close.
I really don't want to go to over powder card, wad, shotcup, then over shot card, too many more things to get and do.  
I didn't even fool with the WAA20's, there's just too much coushion column, I did give the Remington's a go, they looked quite similar to the F1's, but the similarity stopped at looks, 35 grains of powder and 7/8 oz shot is the best I could do with them.  I haven't tried them yet, but  they sound a little wimpy, just looking at the numbers. I use more powder than that in my pistols, for Pete's sake!!  I thought I'd send them to P. Roost Slim to go along with his "Gamer" 45's  :wink:   This is the wrong direction for me, I'd rather enjoy the buck and roar, fire and brimstone than hit the target, if I have to make that choice.
Oh, well, I guess it'll keep me off the streets and out of mischef for a while longer.
I AM open to suggestions!!!    

[Pigeonroost Slim]

Hey!  I resemble them thar remarks!

Sounds like you done gradyeeated frum the skool of backwards thinking.  For load developement, get in mind what amount of powder and shot ya wants to use and then adjust yer wad to fit.  No, yer not gonna get a full 12ga load into a 2 3/4" 20 hull; unless ya go to cards and roll crimping and yes yer gonna get a lousy pattern, punished shoulder, and loose shotgun action if'n ya do!

It helps with BP reloading if'n ya use straight walled hulls (Reiffenhauser type).  Activ, Cheddite, Fiocchi, and BP sell those brand new and primed.

It helps to stay with traditional loads (the old timers knew what worked as they gradyeeated frum the skool of hard knocks).  2 drams of ffg under 7/8oz in 20 ga is a good load.

I like card and fiber wads with thin overshot cards, even the tyvec type.  Can make them up in any height needed.  If ya must have a shot cup, then consider mylar wraps or shop around for a combo wad/cup that fits (the G/BP sporting 20 short #072sg20s) is a very close match to the old ww20faa.

I dislike taperd hulls.

The Lee adjsutable shot/powder dipper is a real boon for load developement  Lee-90973.  Its marked in equivalent volume of shot from 7/8oz up to about 1 7/8 oz -- telescopes out to get bigger.  Less than 4 bucks!

It is hard to load fiber  and card wads on a LoadAll, but EZ on a Mec Sizemaster.


My 16ga loading has shrunk from a 3 1/4 dram, 1oz load to my current 2 1/2 dram 15/16oz load; not to be gamey; but 'cause my old Elsie needed a lighter charge and my shoulder did too.

Hope that info about the substitute wads helps ya out.