doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Loading 2 1/2-inch 20-gauge shells

Found an old Ithaca 20-gauge double in fair shape this afternoon, and got it home, only to learn that was made in 1924 and must be a Flues with short chambers, chokes 4 left and 2 right. What sort of loads are you fellows putting up that are easy on these old sweeties, but hard on grouse and quail?

Bill, I'm using this load from Alliant's site, with a 2-3/4" hull

Rem.STS hull, 7/8 oz. lead, 1050 FPS, Rem. 209P, 13.4 grains Unique, Rem. RXP20 wad, 7525 PSI

I'm shooting this in my 20 gauge Damascus Parker, with short chambers, and it's a nice, lite, sweet shooting load, that breaks skeet just fine for me.

However, I'd love to have some low pressure, 2-1/2" load data.

Thanks Dave. That's a start. Are you roll crimping?

Thanks Dave. That's a start. Are you roll crimping?

Bill, at this point I'm not roll crimping them. They are still 2-3/4" long and I'm using the factory 8 point crimp. I planning on cutting the crimp off, and trying to roll crimp, but haven't yet.
I wish I had some new 20 gauge paper hulls to roll crimp.

Note that the 2 3/4" hulls, even with the proper loads should be used in the short chamber "ONLY" if it has the fold crimp. It should not be roll crimped unless shortened. There is a distinct possibility if the longer shell with a roll crimp is used the shell will fit up in the forcing cone "Prior to Firing" & put extra resistance to the crimp opening with a possible increase of pressure. All the tests I am aware of sanctioning the use of hulls longer than the chamer were done with fold crimp shells, whose loaded length was approximately equal to the loaded length of the shorter roll crimped shell for which the gun was chambered.

I have roll crimped a bunch of hulls. I had my 20ga. cut to 2 9/16". They sure look neat. I was using shortened plastic hulls and roll crimping with an old antique roll crimper.

Dave, what components did you use. I'd like complete info, if you don't mind? It will save me the trouble of figuring out what will fit in a shortened case. Do you happen to know the PSI and FPS? Thanks, Dave

You may want to consider Hartin crimping. Start with a once-fired hull--I use AA's. You will cut them off to 2 1/2" and load like you did before EXCEPT the last step is to place a card wad over the shot to hold everything in. It looks a little like a rolled crimp. I am using these in a 1st yr Model 12 with a short ejection port and chamber and they work fine. E-mail if you want more details. But I would definitely use a low pressure load in a 20 ga Flues, even more important that the length of the shell. Quailman85749@hotmail(dot)com

I used IMR powder 800-X, 18gr. Please, check that on the IMR powder booklet. Used, Rem.RXP wads in a Fed. plastic hull, Rem.209P primers and 7/8oz. of shot. These were to give 7600 psi and a fps of 1210 according to the book. I tried to use the Hartin crimp and unless I cut the hulls I little longer, it wouldn't work for me. Besides the roll crimp looks so cool, but the Hartin crimp is so fast to load, if it works for you. I used an over shot card for a 24ga. muzzleloading shotgun.