doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Reloading 2 1/2"

Cobbhead, barring enlightenment by someone else, I'm going to file that one under BS.

I use 19 gr. Pb with 1 oz,and very pleased. Low pressure and low recoil.

Rocketman, your word's good enough for me! I'm filing as per your suggestion, quit worrying about chamber pressure of short hulls and go back to concerning myself with something important, like the enocomy!
Steve

Just a guess here on the "higher pressure in a short hull": I'm wondering if what they mean is this:

Pressures generated in a lot of 2 3/4" reloads are not suitable for guns with short chambers. Therefore, if you use the same formula in a short hull, that still leaves you with too much pressure.

Or maybe not.

But there are BUNCHES of low pressure 12ga loads out there for 7/8 oz shot which use 2 3/4" hulls and require no filler. I reload several different recipes for my short 12's--low pressure, 7/8 oz--and I don't use filler in any of them. That's one of the great things about reloading 2 3/4" 12's for 2 1/2" guns.

My Hodgdon hard cover "Shotshell Data Manual" printed in 1996 has a lot of info on loading short shells and tested 2.5 loads. You need to try to find one.
bill

I have some RST 2 1/2" empties if anyone could use them. Probably a couple of flats and RST empty boxes too. Sold my 2 1/2" gun so I don't need them. Email me at mark_gruber@comcast.net if you are interested. Don't know what they're worth, if anything.

If you roll crimp the shorter shell & fold crimp the longer one you will end up with similar internal capacity. However if you put the load checked out for the longer hull in a shorter one & still fold crimp, then you must give it a lot of extra compression. Since the wad was designed to have a certain amount of compression to take up the initial pressure rise of the burning powder I can see a potential for increasing pressure by taking up this "Slack" in the loading process rather than in the firing. Don't know, maybe we're speaking of two different circumstances.

Interesting thought, 2-p. I'll see if I can get some kind of estimate on it.

Well, I must say that I'm pleased with the number of responses to my question. They tell me that (1) I am not alone in my search for a light 2 1/2" load and (2) there really isn't one that I should have discovered in my search. Do I understand correctly that Ballistic Products has promised a new brochure on loading for old doubles? I hope so. The one they sent me has
2 1/2" loads but all too strong for an ancient gun. Rocketman, I have been bemoaning that fact that we don't have a Birmingham-like proof house where we can send home loads for pressure test. Is there such a place here? Cobbhead, I also wondered if I couldn't just use a recipe for a light 2 3/4" load in a 2 1/2" case on the assumption that pressure would be the same. I would certainly like to know the answer to that question.
I thank everyone for their response. Where would I turn if I didn't have this forum? In an email discussion of this subject with Tobay Barclay (from whom I just purchased the sidelever Army & Navy his is now showing) he suggested I pose my question on this forum. It was clearly good advice. Thanks Toby.

You could send shells to Tom Armbrust. He's tested a number of loads for me, and many other folks on here. He charges $5 per shell tested, and recommends 3 shells minimum.

Send me an e-mail (through my profile) and I'll send you his contact info and some instructions on sending shells for testing.