I'm quite happy with my very low pressure load with 7625 which I had from 7-8 yrs ago. My last double I used RST so haven't loaded in a couple years. I'm down to a couple ounces left so I went to buy more- and found out it was discontinued in 2014! Soooooo glad I have a couple ounces left for hunting loads! But as I have a local shoot then the Southern this month, I need a replacement powder ASAP. The 7625 was 3000 psi for 24 grams of shot. Now the lowest I find is 700-x at 4200 psi. Certainly not bad, but it's the only powder I've found in the 4000's or lower. What are you gentlemen using for low pressure loads? Any other options?

To be honest, I don't think many folk load for pressures that low..I thought low pressure was around 7000 +/-..
Just curious, but why so low?...but I guess if you can find a 3 or 4000psi load that shoots your payload reliably..good for you & your gun
cheers
franc

I was looking at Mr. Hause's post about pressures from about 1900. The service charge for a 3 dram load was 5800 psi. My gun was built as a very light game gun (sub 6 lbs in 12 gauge), with 3 dram loads in mind I suspect. Of course it was proved higher, but if that was what it was designed for 150 yrs ago, I figured a safe margin would be to try to stay under 5000 psi. I'm no expert for sure, perhaps I'm being overly cautious

I have used 700x for years clean burning and light on the shoulder

Another vote for 700X --- with 3/4 oz shot Claybuster wads in Remington Gun Club hulls.

DDA

For low pressure loads, 7625 and Solo 1000.

SRH

I don't load anything below 8500 psi, but another fella could start with my favorite powder for light loads and experiment to his heart's content.


Verify this on the Alliant website:

Fed Hull
7/8 ounce
1150 fps
5360 psi
Cheddite primer
Claybuster 6100-12
15.0 grains Extralite

Reducing the powder charge even further would lower pressure without posing a safety concern. The lower limit would be determined by the user's belief that the performance/combustion was becoming erratic.

I use 7625 but I understand it is out of production. Clays is another powder I have used in damascus barreled guns. I'm talking pressures under 6000 in a 12 bore with either 7/8 or 1 ounce of shot.

In damascus barreled or older steel barreled guns as well I keep the shot weight & velocity down to protect the stock as well as general welfare of the gun. For the desired shot load & velocity I use the fasted powder that will keep pressures around the 8K mark & figure I am giving the gun the best load possible for it.
This is based on two factors, first cold weather Squibs soured be on low pressure loads with slow powder years ago. (This was with 7625)
2nd The faster powders hit their peak just a bit quicker than slower powders so the peak occurs where the walls are thickest, just makes sense to me.
What "Shoots a Gun Loose" is heavy loads @ high velocities, not pressure per se as long as the barrel walls are compatible with that pressure level.
A 1¼ oz load @ 1300+ FPS will pit a lot more stress on a gun than 1oz @ 1200 FPS even if both produce 10K PSI

What's wrong with 700X for everything within reason?

Nothing at all King.With the right wads,primers and cases it will provide 7/8 and 1 oz.loads in the 6000 psi range that burn clean in all temps,at good velocities,are economical,available, and smell good too....

Half-serious about 700X for "everything," Terry. Franc may have forgotten that he mentioned a favourite one-ounce 700X load many, many years ago which I think I found later in an IMR manual: Rem hull, 17.0, 1150fps, 5600psi. No worries ignition in any weather, finest kind over decoys, including geese. For those feeling macho: 1 1/8 ounce, 17.5, 1145, 7600.

When I first started loading 3/4 and 7/8 oz. 12 ga. loads I was using Red Dot with Claybuster CB0175-12 wads. You could get as low as 5750 psi using a 3/4 oz. load in a Remington Nitto, Gun Club and as low as 6800 psi using a 7/8 oz. load in the same hull.
I have now switched to TiteWad using 3/4 oz. loads and getting about the same psi as the others. A very clean and fast burning powder. From the chart, TiteWad is the #6 fastest burning powder, Red Dot is right below it around #8. Both of these powders and the loads are around 1150-1200 fps.

I hadn't been able to find Extralite, which is my favorite powder for low pressure 12ga loads--albeit not down in the 4K psi range--for some time. Recently picked up an 8# jug. Couple reasons I like it: I tried both 700X and American Select, and while both will give low pressures, the loads call for around 20% more powder (17 grains AS vs the 14.2 XL I use in my loads) per shell. And Extra-Lite is extremely clean-burning. Shot a couple rounds of skeet the other day, looked down my barrels. They were almost as free of powder as if I hadn't fired the gun.

Last count I had more than dozen different powders on hand for shotgun. Only four or five for low pressure. Primers, I have seven different brands, wads maybe 20+ different ones, hulls must be eight to ten different options in 12, less in small bores. Reloading is easy but it can get complicated real fast if you load for multiple guns, different games, different ga., even different shot sizes and pay loads.

7625 is still out there in some of the smaller gun shops. Bought a can two weeks ago but it was the last one they had. Loaded it up for a Lefever which loves it. $20 for the can which was not bad I thought.

I use PB a lot for low pressure loads. About two months ago I put out the call for any that was sitting around and ended up with four eight pound kegs. I paid from 140 to a high of 200 per keg( average of just over 160) and some will think that too much but I spent twenty years getting safe loads for any of my guns with that powder and had no desire to start over. That will run me for the rest of my shooting life I suspect.

Armslist, trap shooters.com, basic internet searches for forum threads about hard to find powder have all generated leads. I found one small dealer with a web site, on that he had a link to Facebook and who had a Facebook picture of .22 ammo and also showing PB sitting on the shelf in he background. Picture was recent, sent a email and sure enough they had two jugs. Wanted 230 each but ended up selling it for 200.00 each because the were getting out of stocking powder and this was on the shelf for two years or there about. Point is get creative and you might find a few pounds of powder still and that will run you for several more years. I'll keep an eye out for you if you want.

Good ideas! I've got a wanted ad up at a Michigan shooting site, and I've been calling around. I'll buy it if I can find it too. I still have just under a pound of PB too for a trade lol. But if I can't find any more, I think I'll give 700X a try, it's only $20/lb locally.

King B...shoot, you have some memory there mate...what wad n primer? Rem 209 & that green fig 8?
That was in my Cautious Early days of just getting into loading,as you say, a long time ago.
Im not shooting much these days due to lack of funds.
But if i were to start up..id be happy with 7000psi
best to all
franc

Remington hull primer 209P powder 17.0 grains of 700X wad CB1100-12 velocity 1150fps pressure 5600psi---I list it as "Franc's Load". Immortality!

FYI---We expect to have Kent bismuth 2 3/4-inch 1 1/16oz in Canada in June, velocity and pressure specs still unavailable.

When 700X first came out they recomended it for everything but 410. My brother in law has a set of skeet tubes that look like a snake that ate several mice. In my opinion it's one of the hotter powers.

bill