Any pressure testing one does is only going to give you an idea of the pressure in that lot. Nothing more.
The next lot may, or, may not be, completely different.
Anecdotally, it seems the lot numbers change far more frequently than they did, years ago. Not sure why that is.
Best,
Ted
Ted is 100% correct. And it seems like we continue to have new Threads at least a couple times a month here, where regulars and new guys have questions about factory or handloads that are appropriate for our vintage Double Shotguns.
This takes me back to the question I asked last week about why Ammo manufacturers provide data on the box such as velocity, payload weight, drams equivalent, but they don't tell us the pressure. Ted correctly notes that manufacturers frequently change lots, and they may change components or powders used in different lots. And you can bet that they test the pressures every time they change lots or components, and they keep the results of those pressure tests for liability purposes. It shouldn't be all that difficult or costly for them to give us actual peak or average pressure instead of the outmoded dram equivalent that goes back to days of black and bulk smokeless powders.
Shotgunjones noted that powder manufacturers frequently discontinue many of the better powders that can be used to create low pressure handloads. And even when we may have hoarded stockpiles of PB, SR7625, Green Dot, or some other decent powder, oftentimes we find that one or more other components for a given low pressure load is in short supply. So if we risk changing primers or wads, etc., we are right back to guessing, hoping, and wishful thinking...or sending out samples for pressure testing.
It occurs to me that maybe we have been voicing our concerns or questions to the wrong people. It seems like the Ammo manufacturers should know there is a market and a demand for low pressure loads. They must be aware that there are niche manufacturers like RST, B & P, Polywad, Salt Creek, etc. These small manufacturers of lower pressure shells would not be in business if there was no demand, and they are often unable to meet that demand. And there are plenty of guys on every other Shotgun and Firearm Forum repeatedly asking these same old questions.
That all makes me wonder if we would do better to put our heads together to come up with an effective way to communicate our needs and our demand for lower pressure ammo to the ammo and powder manufacturers. You would think their Marketing Executives would be bright enough to know what the shooting consumer wants and needs. But we all see how these highly paid marketing people have screwed up and lost Billions of dollars by making poor decisions. Look at how much Anheuser Busch lost by trying to market Bud Light Beer to transgenders, and how much Disney Inc. has lost by pushing "Woke" movies and products.
I'm thinking that perhaps something like an online petition that could be delivered to the Top Brass of companies like Winchester, Remington-Peters, Federal, etc. might do more good than complaining among ourselves. Guys here would certainly sign on, and the message with a link to a petition could be put out to every Firearms Forum on the Web. Perhaps some of you might have other ideas on the best way to accomplish something like this.
That might get the Ammo and Powder Manufacturers thinking. It can't be any worse than what we're doing now. The demand is here, and it is real. These companies already serve niche markets when they produce and sell low volume items like certain Non-Tox loads or even these Win. AA low recoil loads. And despite all the doomsayers who have been predicting for all the time I've been here that our guns are obsolete relics that no one will want or shoot, people are still buying them and shooting them. And if there were more readily available options for feeding them, that usage and demand would probably even grow.