doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 20 Ga Reloads using 800 - X

I normally use 20/28 for my lower pressure 3/4 oz 20 ga reloads but see that Hodgdon has reloads listed using 800-X, which I have never used but can find locally.

Has anyone used 800-X for 20 ga reloads? Mike

I wish I could find 800X in Mich. Soft shooting, low pressure, but somewhat dirty

Yes, I did and am pleased it is gone

It is slow burning and leaves a lot of residue in the
barrel, low pressure, you bet, but very dirty

But I only loaded about 2000 20 gauge hulls with 800-X.

Though it worked well in my 20 gauge Flues

Mike

I used it years ago with rxp wads and aa hulls. Don't remember any issues. Never had a dud and a lot of quail and chucker died.

Yes, Have used a fair amount w/good success & patterns I might add. I honestly cannot understand the 'issue' with residue; my practice is to clean my guns after use.

I don't shoot BP, but my understanding is that cleaning after use goes back further than the invention of smokeless powders.

Hup(!) Easy there; I'm just pushing a coupla buttons, that's all ;-);-)

Hi, while I don't reload 20ga, I do reload 12 & 16 using 800-X. I myself love it for low pressure loads.

800-X does have metering problems, can't just toss some in the bottle and go to town, you'll get poor results.

Here's a method that works (taken from a post on the 16ga forum):

I use 800-X for all my low pressure loads. Good powder in cold weather, but it is hard to meter. I got this method from a gent on SGW, it works. If you read this post it will give you step by step instructions.

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=369862&start=0

The guy who came up with the method is Spydyr, so look close at his posts.

Good Luck!

greg

How timely! I just bought my first bottle of 800x.....nothing I use seems to be available, yet. Finished loading 6 boxes of 7/8 oz. with GunClub hulls and waiting for a buddy to get a day off for Sporting Clays. We'll find out.

Steve

Thanks to all for the input.

Mike

800X, in my opinion, is a miserable powder. There are so many other better choices, regardless of gauge or application. Think about it - there is a reason, in this period of powder shortage, that 800X is still on the shelves. As has been noted above, it is loud (kind of like black powder, it gets the dogs stirred up) and dirty. More importantly, because it is a large flake powder, it meters poorly, especially when using small orifice powder bushings required for small gauges.

Mike
STAY AWAY! I tried it and gave away most of an 8 lb. can, it would be a last resort before I used it.

bill