16ga.com ~ View topic

The WW 28 ga hull does not have the room for 24 grains of 2400 and 1 ounce of shot no matter how the PC wad is modified. The Fiocchi hull does. I think the Cheddite hull might too, but I've never tried it.

The PC 28 ga (blue) wad has the deepest and roomiest shot cup of all the various 28 gauge wads available. It will almost hold 7/8 ounce of #9 shot and holds about 3/4 of a full ounce of #6 shot. So it protects that long shot column while its in the barrel very well.

I simply cut away the shot cup and the wad base from the mid section to shorten the OAL column enough to stuff everything in. A thin .025" thick 28 ga overshot card wad between the shot cup and the base controls any possible powder migration the fine grains of 2400 might pose. The card wad also provides the perfect column height to allow a very good, firm crimp, which is manditory to get reliable and consistant performance with this reload.

The 2400 powder is slow enough so that no cushioning or expansion section is needed. it performs in the 28 ga 1 ounce load about the same as it does in a .410 1/2 ounce load. I get a bit over 1200 FPS which is about what the old .410 skeet load hits. Peak pressures are at about 9300 PSI which is low enough for excellent patterns out to 40 yards.

The load is a true 28 gauge magnum load and stretches the little 28 gauge up to 20 gauge performance. You should not need a full choke either. I find a tight modified or loose imp. mod 28 ga choke tube is all the choke you'll need. I had a 28 ga full choke tube opened by .005 points and it works beautifully out to 40 yards. I think the full choke tube is just too much for #6 shot out of a 28 gauge bore. The same conditons seem to apply to the 16 with #4 shot. So It has to do with how well a maximum size pellet flows past the constriction in a minimum bore. The biggest useful pellets in any bore size seem to need less choke to give nice and even full choke patterns. too much choke makes the gun pattern patchy.

If built correctly and with some care, my load will outperform the Winchester 28 gauge 1 ounce load hands down. The Winchester 1 ounce load has no shot cup. It uses that damned thin plastic shot wrapper and solid wads under it. That wad system is archaic in a small gauge load. The Winchester 28 gauge one ounce load has never performed consistantly for me. One load will pattern very well. The next will scatter shot all over hell. I came up with my load to get the consistant performance a good, deep shot cup always provides for a long shot column. The PC shot cup does just that. It allows my load to pattern a full 1 ounce of hard #6 shot beautifully and consistantly out of a 28 gauge bore. I doubt anyone could get the pattening performance my load gets without that shot cup. I've yet to see it.

I strongly suggest weighing both powder and shot charges for uniformity if anyone wants to try this load. Crimps must be both firm, flat, and a bit deeper than the usual .050 to .055" deep. I go for .060" to get the resistance needed to obtain consistant powder burn. I also insist on once fired hulls as well. I also use a very sharp exacto knife and use care to trim the wad down with precision. I will spend an hour or two every other season to cut a decent supply of these modified wads. 50 will last a couple or three years, so its no big deal time wise. I take pains to make sure the shot cup base and the top of the wad base are trimmed both flat and square. Miscut wads are rejected. Why risk a clean kill on a fine game bird to save a few seconds of time and effort.

This is not a load to knock out on your average progressive press. You must hand build them on a single stage one at a time to ensure close tolerances and fine performance. I really doubt you could stuff enough 2400 into a 28 ga hull along with a full 1 ounce of shot to get in trouble pressurewise, but you might get spotty performance. However, a 25 round box or two of these crushers will last you at least one season.

These loads are also not recommended for pheasant past 35 yards. I've made two confirmed 40 yard plus kills with them, one at damned near 50 yards. I've also fringed a handful of birds past 35 as well while testing the limits. So I now limit the range to ensure clean kills on the bigger birds. However, I'd also wager the load has the power to dump grouse out to as far as I can hit them. They'd make a helluva sharptail load I'd bet. The 28 is well past usefulness with any shot size bigger than #6 so forget trying #5 shot to extend the range. the 20 ga will barely handle #5 shot or bigger with any consistancy. If you need #5 shot, take the 16 or the 12. Leave the little gauges at home says I.

I'd also not recommend these magnum loads for use in very light weight 28 ga double guns or any automatic either. They are for pumps and stoutly built 28 ga O/U and double guns only. I shoot them in my Citori 28 ga. guns without a problem. Felt recoil is about the same as a 1 ounce 16 gauge load. It is there, but it is managable in a 6.75 pound gun. I don't think it would be much fun to shoot these crushers in a 6 pound or lighter gun though. It might wear to much on these little extra slim doubles to boot. So match the load to the gun and use some common sense please.

Good luck with your efforts to any who might want to try a box or two. Do the work correctly, follow my tips, and I know you will not be disappointed. I've used them for over ten years now. So do a couple of friends from inside Alliant. They did the pressure testing for me over a decade ago and love the load. Liability and common sense does not allow me to disclose who these folks are. You will not find the load listed in Alliant's handbook either. The modified wad and their legal department prevent this. I also will not take any responsibility for anyone's results. I have no control over how carefully anyone might load these shells or what modifications or substitutions they might try. So you are on your own just like I am here. Just use care, common sense, and some intelligence, and you should be a happy camper. Good luck and enjoy.

Guest

If you are using reloading data from a KNOWN good source, there shouldn't be any problem with Longshot or any other powder in cold weather. Happy shooting!!

Awesome-Thanks!
Rizzy