[quote=Owenjj3] I took it to the trap range and shot some 1 1/8 in 2 7/8" hulls for a functionality test which it passed. It's 14.5" lop is too long for me so I am going to send it out to a gunsmith to have a different pad put on it and get the lop to 14". Given it's 8.5 lbs I am thinking I will handload some 3.5" shells with 1 3/8 oz of bismuth using Longshot. If those are not too bad in recoil I will up it to 1 1/2 ounce and see how it goes.
It would be interesting, and quite possibly eye-opening, to pattern it with the 1 1/8 loads and with the others you plan to use. If indeed the gun was built for 1 3/4 oz. loads you might be surprised to find it does not regulate with much lighter ones, especially like the 1 1/8 you mentioned. Cross firing is often the result from using lighter, and higher velocity, loads than what the gun was built to regulate with. This from personal experience.
