doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Caledonian 12 ga 2 1/2" shells

Thanks!

Bottom line:
I haven't seen any pressures quoted so can anyone say for sure these are ok in Damascus guns?
Jim

If they're British and CIP-approved for standard proof guns, they should be OK in Damascus in terms of pressure. However, higher velocity target loads might generate more recoil than you want.

I just picked up a couple flats of Rio 7/8 oz, 1200 fps. Made in Spain, carrying the CIP logo. I'm going to see how they work in a 6# Brit 12 today. My 7/8 oz reloads are in the 11-1150 range. But my usual target gun is heavier, and I expect they'd be fine in that gun.

I shot a couple of boxes of the 1 oz, 1200 fps Caledonians through my Damascus Charles Lancaster wristbreaker and the gun did not blow up. I was pleasantly surprised at how light the recoil was.

Dave in Maine, I just had a look at the Sellior & Bellot website; http://www.sellier-bellot.cz/en/ They are an old company and produce a huge range. Not a lot of that range gets to the U.K. but I have been using their stuff for years. The used to do a 7/8th. ounce 2 1/2 " paper roll crimp 6 1/2 shot felt wad load called the Practice & Vermin cartridge. I still have a few boxes left and they have taken a heap of rabbits over the years. Pity they still don't do them. They shot as sweet as a nut. Lagopus....

Slightly off subject but should be noted:

Here is the pressure information given to me by RST for 12 bore 2.5" loads:

Maxi-Lite, 1 oz. shot: 5700 PSI
Falcon Lite, 7/8 oz. shot: 5400 PSI
Ultra Lite, 3/4 oz. shot: 4400 PSI

Given the RST pressures and load variances, I would tend to choose these loads over other shells that "should" be ok.

I can't argue with you there, I think RST shells are great too. However, they cost $10.50-$13.50/box which is significantly more than $7/box for these Scottish made shells (Caledonian).

Yes, the price is good for the caledonians. I'd really like to see the pressure information for them. Otherwise, I'd rather buy the RSTs than a new set of barrels.

buzz, have you compared shot patterns of the Caledonians vs. other shells? The shells that are shown sectioned on their website do not have plastic wads with shotcups. I'm thinking they might give a more open pattern that could be useful in guns with tighter chokes. The $3.50 to $6.50 per box savings vs. RST's would quickly cover the cost of sending a few to Tom Armbrust for pressure testing. Thanks for the info.

They shoot fine in my Purdey and Atkin and Boss. I have used them in all three. Now I shoot the 7/8oz load. The 3/4oz load is even better.