I've taken to using the 20 Ga as my primary upland shotgun for all birds I'm looking for a 1 1/8 Oz load to get about 1250'/sec or more.

Currently I'm using 800-X and have to weigh every load since the powder is so course that it bridges in the measure and drops short charges.

Anyone have a good load for 20 Ga hunting?

I think that you'll find that 1 oz of shot in a 20 gauge gives you as effective a load as 1 1/8 oz. The shorter shot string, higher velocity, and lower pressure all make for a better, more effective pattern that actually puts more shot in the target than an extra eighth of an ounce will.

My favorite "heavy" load in a 20 gauge has always been a WW AA hull with 1 oz of shot in a WW AA Yellow wad (F1) over the appropriate load of WW 540 or 571. Neither of those powders are currently available, but there are several others now that will do.

Assuming you're talking about a regular 2 3/4" load, it's hard to drive 1 1/8 oz as fast as 1200 fps in a 20 at acceptable pressures.

For the past 30 plus years I have used Herco in my 20 ga 1oz and 1 1/8 oz loads.

I have killed who knows how many ducks grouse and pheasants with these loads.

Back when it was still legal to use lead for ducks it worked very well with 6's. I still use it for pheasants. I see no differants between that and a 1 1/4 oz out of my 12.

Lyman puts out a nice book on shotgun shell reloading.Also for all your shotgun shells needs go to www.ballisticproducts.com all they deal in is for the shotgun shell reloaders. van

I used to push 20 ga loads a hard as I could until I started to kill birds with 7/8 oz loads in a 28 ga. I dropped back to 7/8 oz in 20 ga loaded hot skeet loads and they worked just fine up to pheasants. I keep my MEC 650 set up the same for 7/8 oz of 9s for skeet and larger for birds, usually 71/2s or 6s.

One ounce in the 20ga does give a more dense pattern I suppose, but I haven't had a problem with 7/8 oz after 15 years or so of use...if I'm on the bird, it's dead at any reasonble range...so does the 28 ga...I can't tell the differance and the 28 ga is really nice to shoot.

I've used the 28 Ga also for upland birds and I agree.....it does the job nicely and in a very light weight package. I use the 1" loads however in the 28 but once used 3/4 Oz and the pheasants hit the ground just as dead.

I think I use 15.5 gr (please check book) of Universal Clays with AA hulls and wads and Win 209 for 7/8 oz in the 20 ga.

13.0 gr (again check) of Univ Clays with 28 ga AA hulls and wad for 7/8 oz. Both loads work really well.

BTW, I got a Ruger 20 ga O/U last summer and I like it a lot. It killed doves as well as my Baretta and Win 101, but I can't stop using my old 28 ga 870....it carries and shoots so well!!

Some time back, they went to 7/8 loads in the 12 Ga to reduce tie breakers in competition. Turns out that the plan backfired and the average scores went up over all with the lighter loads and they had more ties to break than ever.

The Ballistic Products catalog I have has a comparison of a 7/8 and 1 oz patterns out of a 12 Ga and a target could never tell the difference.

I always used to shoot 3" mag 20 Ga 1 1/4 0z loads for everything. Then a friend gave me some Federal and WW AA 7/8 oz loads for dove hunting. When I put the pattern on the birds, they come down just fine from surprising distances. More shells fit in my vest pocket, they weigh less, and they have a lot less recoil. I'm shooting better than ever with the lighter loads, which I can buy cheaper than I can reload them on sale...Rusty.

Rusty,

Back in 1971 I was real serious about shooting skeet and had hocked my soul to get a Browning 4 barrel set with a leather case. I broke an ejector on my 20 ga barrel and just as my squad was called for 12 ga I dropped the 12 ga barrel and dented the bottom tube at the muzzle. I had no choice but use the 28 ga barrel for the 12 ga rounds. Abunch of guys laughed at me, but I shot a 98 for the first time in my life because I knew I had to really keep my mind on breaking birds. Concentration breaks birds (or killls em) not the gun you are shooting.

Vapodog,
I wish I could help you. I don't think I have ever seen a 1 1/8 oz load in a 2 3/4" hull. I have my loader set up for 3 gauges (20, 28 and .410) and change the tooling plate when I want to load a different gauge and never even mess with anything other than skeet weights other than the size of the shot. When I go pheasant hunting I "reload" by slipping into Sportsmans Warehouse and buying a flat of the high priced spread.

Lowrider: Granted, you have to hit the target to break or kill it. And it's the shot that breaks the target or kills the bird. The fact you were able to compete favorably with the people shooting 12s with a 28 gauge and considerably less shot speaks well for you and your gun.

The point I was trying to make is light loads can be very effective, which you may have made much better than I did in your example. You didn't give the charge weight of the 12 Ga loads being used. Were they the standard 1 1/8 or 7/8 oz loads?

If it was a 3/4 oz load competing with a 1 1/8 oz load, going 98 out of 100 is really impresive. Most people consider the 12 to be superior because of less shot being in bore contact compared to the lighter gauges, even with their lighter pay loads, so the 12 is king of the hill in popularity. I'm not saying that's the way it should be, it's just the way things are. To most hunters, gauge is an important consideration...Rusty.

I use to load a 20 ga 2 3/4 "load I called maxi blaster load.It was 7 1/2 hard short in a aa wad.I used winchester 571 powder .I loved that load.It sucks that 571 is no longer.

quote:

Originally posted by Customstox:
Vapodog,
I wish I could help you. I don't think I have ever seen a 1 1/8 oz load in a 2 3/4" hull. I have my loader set up for 3 gauges (20, 28 and .410) and change the tooling plate when I want to load a different gauge and never even mess with anything other than skeet weights other than the size of the shot. When I go pheasant hunting I "reload" by slipping into Sportsmans Warehouse and buying a flat of the high priced spread.

Chic thanks...I hear ya well there....I've been using estate's load that is about as good as I can find....I just like reloading and love the 20Ga......I really don't like buying ammo but at times it's the thiong to do.....

Vapodog: I don't think you are going to find anything with that kind of velocity in a 1 1/8 oz load in a 20 Ga 2 3/4" shell.

Alliant lists 1,175 fps for Fiocchi 2 3/4 hulls behind 23.5 gr of Blue Dot with a 1 1/8 oz charge of shot, with the Rem. SP 20 wad. Pressures vary depending on primer used. Fed. 209 - 10,700 psi,
Fio. 209 - 10,000 and Win. 209 - 11,400 psi.

In 3" hulls, loads with 1 1/8 oz of shot go as high as 26.0 gr of blue Dot, 1 1/4 oz loads top out at 25.5 grains of Blue Dot. Blue Dot meters well, doesn't take up much space in the case, burns clean and is readily available as it has pistol and rifle applications.

Winchester and Remington hulls don't show more than 1 oz loads with this powder. Federal hulls show a 1 1/8 load of 1.175 fps at 10,900 psi with 23.0 gr. of Blue Dot, Again with the Rem. SP 20 wad.

Dropping back to 1 oz loads and increasing the powder one grain will get you to 1,220 fps with the same componets according to Alliant. I hope this is of some help to you...Rusty.

Upland birds and the 20 are a great combo. Goes right along with the 7/8th oz. loads. If you want 12 ga loads carry a 12, but the birds aren't going to be any deader. Just to show how contrarian I am, I load 7/8th oz loads for my 12. NEVER going back either...I don't shoot ducks btw.

I agree with Dan, not only are the lighter loads usually more than adequate to get the job done, but they also usually pattern better than heavier loads do.

The high velocity loads also often have patterning problems and are not really needed because shot is such a poor balliatic missle.

Start a # 6 shot out at 1,330 fps and it will loose 53 percent of its velocity by the time it gets to 60 yards. Start that same # 6 shot out at a velocity of 1,220 fps and it will be doing 605 fps by the time it reaches 60 yards, only 25 fps less than the 1,330 fps load.

The difference in time of flight isn't enough to affect lead angles - a couple of inches as compared to the 30 inch width of your pattern at 40 yards - and hardly worth the extra cost, noise and recoil...Rusty.