doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Impressive pattern

I've had a box of c. 1930s 2 5/8" 12g Peters Victor that the desert finally dessicated to nothingness SO for fun thought I'd pattern a shell.



Quite some time ago Tom Armbrust tried to pressure test some old loads and found the results to be too inconsistent to be meaningful, felt to be from deterioration of the primer rather than the powder. He did note an increase pressure of some shells possibly from hardening of the wads and case.

I fully understand one pattern from an 80 year old shell means little, but here 'tis at a pheasant whacking 30 yds. through the .030 choke of my 1906 00 Smith which has been glasbedded. I thought the recoil was less than a 1 1/8 oz 3 dram trap load.

1 1/8 oz. 3 1/4 dram @ 1255 fps (?). 116 4s/152 = 76%



For comparison, also 30 yds. B&P MB Classic 5s. 1 1/8 oz. 3 1/2 dram eq. @ 1330 fps. 171/191 = a very dense 89.5%



Maybe there is something to them newfangled shells

And BTW if someone would like the remaining 24 shells to fill up an empty vintage box, I'll give them to you. Send me a PM.

Say Goodbye Mr. Rooster!

The first pattern looks a little like the constellation Eridanus, complete with The Great Void.

Interesting that 80 year old shells still function.

Have there been any reports of old shells becoming dangerous due to instability of the old powder and primers?

I'd guess the plastic wad has a lot to do with the tighter B&P pattern.

Remaining shells have a taker.