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Cartridge Lengths


BigDave15
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Hi Iv been wondering for a while now, what is the difference between different cartridge lengths? I know some cartridges are chambered for different guns like 3"Magnum and some old guns can't take modern cartridges due to length ect.

But what are the advantages/Disadvantages of using longer or shorter cartridges when the same amount of shot and powder are used in both long and short types.

 

I have noticed this with some express cartridges I was given at Christmas they are the same as some cartridges I had left over from the last time I shot, they are the same shot size and both are 28 grams but one cartridge is longer than the other.Both are plastic wad so why long or short cartridges?

Sorry if this is a bit of a silly question but im a little simple you see! :*)

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Standard game cartridges are 2 1/2" (65mm).

 

Longer cartridges such as 2 3/4" (70mm) allow more propellant to be used, heavier loads, or bigger wads.

 

3" cartridges are used for magnum loads.

 

Some old, lightweight guns used 2" (50mm) cartridges. These are quite expensive to buy nowadays, and many guns originally chambered for 2" cartridges have had their chambers enlarged and re-proofed where possible.

 

Because of the higher pressures generated, and because of the size of the chambers, it is unsafe to use longer cartridges than your gun is chambered for.

 

Jake - putting more gun powder in cartridges did not always increase the energy the shot was ejected at because gun powder is slow burning, and once the shot has left the gun, any remaining unburnt powder will have no effect. That is why before modern smokeless nitro powders, there was a trend to make the gun barrels as long as possible to give the longest burning time.

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The propellant used in modern shotgun carts is NITROCELLULOSE, different manufacturers of this powder produce variable burn rates. Some manufacturers will increase the amount of nitro used to increase muzzle velocities (pressure), hence a longer case length.

 

Always make sure that the case length does not exceed the cone (chamber) length

of your gun.

 

 

Pointer

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I thought I would do a check as at the moment I have two different length cartridges in my bag.

 

They are Express 30 gram No 6,s at 65mm and Express 32 gram No 6,s at 70 mm.

 

Both have pretty clear cases so I put them side by side to see how they compared.

 

The first thing I noticed was that the amount of powder was almost identical to the eye and the most noticeable difference was a much longer plastic wad in the 70 mm shell.

 

The only other slight difference in length was taken up with the extra shot.

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Thanks Guys. It really had me confused I only really noticed it a few days ago but I couldn't find any information on the manufactures web site.

I knew that rifle cartridges were loaded with powder of different burn rates as I did some realoading with my uncle a few years back. But I didn't know this was the same in shotgun cartridges I suppose different manufactures have different preferences when it comes to this sort of thing.

I think express are loaded with vectan propellant from France I rember seeing this on a box of their cartridges once.

Do Shotgun cartridges have different types of primers, flash hole designs ect?

Sorry for all the questions! :rolleyes:

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I do a bit of reloading and whenever there is a change in weight of shot you usually find a change in powder ie.up to 28gm you may be using AS powder(fast burning) around32gm and you`d use A1(medium burn rate) and anything above A0(slow burn rate).However things get a bit iffy when you start using large shot(BB`s+)in 28-30gm loads,you then have to start using slower powders.Type of wad also comes into the equation,fibre wads need less powder but take up more room,however you can get plas wads that are v.long(usually clay carts)as they are used to soften the kick of a fast cart,and 3" plas wads usually have no "shock absorber"but tend to be long in the tube.Just to complicate matters there is a train of thought that says longer cones(just in front of the chamber)or even over bored barrels help withn patterning especially when combined with long chokes!the only thing to remember is don`t use a cartridge that is not suitable for you`re gun or you may get your gun unravell in front of your face :rolleyes::P:/

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Do Shotgun cartridges have different types of primers, flash hole designs ect?

Sorry for all the questions! :rolleyes:

again there are a number of differing primers for shotguns ,burnrate and tempretures varying for the powder used , im not too familiar with the powders used in the UK ,here i use REDDOT for my shotgun shells and hodgdon for my handguns

 

http://www.hodgdon.com/data/shotshel/index.php

 

the site here is a very good data reloading site you may wish to browse hodgdon seem to be the forerunners here for powder and data concerning reloading .

 

hope it helps you .

 

Martin

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seen a lot of guys who reload here ,some scare the Bjesus out of me ,flops and squaks from the gun jammed wads and no powder :D ,shoving sticks down the barrel or any long item at hand ,scary stuff, you end up knowing in a hurry who you want to shoot with trust me , i run a ponsness 800b and old m/c but a worker

i load a 1oz #8 for most of the birds at the range around 1250 fps pending tempreture .suits me for practice and i stick with the one load on it.

 

Martin

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i dont think it makes a diffrence realy :lol:

Very well thought out responce :lol: , how do you think your shooting partner (if any) will react to you shoving a 3" mag shell into a 2-3/4" chambered gun .

 

maybe you should endeavor to broaden your knowledge base on the shells you use, giving you a better understanding of the dangers of misuse.

 

im not being a snot, before you fly back at me,just trying to help and make a point.

 

Martin

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Last Engineer, look at his d.o.b. = 14 years

 

Tam.

Thanks Tam ,now i feel like a right old guy :lol: , i didnt look ,now regardless of your age, i hope you understand my posting napier, its at this stage of your shooting life that lessons learned become a book of knowledge for you to use and pass on,i did notice a lot of postings on pretty much every subject on site ,one hopes you pick up a tip or two :lol: .

 

 

Martin (the old guy)

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