Hi all, I got to the range today to try some different loads in the 16bore howda. I rigged up a loading block to load on the tail gate. I started with 20 gns of Pyrodex RS, used a filler till it was full, then seated a 810 gn bullet on top. The recoil was mild and the bullet hit way high on the target. I kept getting an error on the Chrony, probably because of the filler messing with the screens. I moved back but still had a problem. I tried 30 gns also, and it felt a little better, but I'd like to know what velocity I'm getting before going any further. I was thinking about putting the chrony behind the target so the target would stop the filler and let the bullet go through the screens. I don't want to shoot the chrony though. Any thoughts on how to clock this?

The Pyrodex sure made a mess of the barrell in short time. I picked up some XMP5744 at the suggestion of Accurate Arms. How does the pressure vs velocity compare to Black or Pyrodex? They suggested starting at 40% volume with no filler. Any thoughts on this?

My loading tool was a 2x4 cut 4" long with a .705" hole drilled lengthwise through it for the bullet to ride in. I then honed out one end to accept the case. After putting the primer under the pin, chargeing with powder and filler, I placed the case in the bottom of the block and put the bullet in the top of the block, then tamped down with a wooden dowel to seat it. A little crude, but it worked for today.

Pics here:
http://members.fortunecity.com/howda/howda.html