Heaviest load for a 'normally' proofed 12g?

[Nial]

I've got an old Lanber with 2 3/4" chambers that I presume isn't proofed for higher

power powder/ heavy loads /steel?.

 

What's the heaviest load I can use?

 

I was offered 24g steel cartridges at a clay ground, are these OK?

 

 

Thanks for any pointers,

 

Nial.

[Macperc]

42g lead is usually the max for 2 3/4.

 

Not sure about steel though.

[MC]

Fire what you like through it as long as the chosen cartridge does not exceed the pressures that your gun is proofed to.

 

2 3/4" guns used to be proofed to 3 1/4 tons per square inch or 900 bar. Check your proof marks and the cartridge box.

 

24gr steel will be fine

[casts_by_fly]

1 1/2 oz is the normal 'magnum' charge for a 2 3/4" gun. That's a 42 g load. However, those are pretty stout loads recoil wise and the shot isn't moving terribly fast (1150 is a quick one). I used to shoot them for turkey when I only had a 2 3/4" gun.

 

Realistically for any volume shooting or frequent shooting I wouldn't go much about an ounce and a quarter, or about 36g.

 

Thanks,

Rick

[MC]

The actual load is irelevant, it is the pressure devloped by the cartridge.

 

I use a 3 1/2" chambered gun for wildfowling and the cartridges are only 1 3/8oz but they are high velocity and high in pressure.

 

You cannot pick a cartridge just by it's load.

 

As Rick says if you are shooting any ammount then stick to 1 1/4 or less.

 

Why do you need a heavy load anyway?

[stuey]

in the same vein as this thread, what is the heaviest/most appropriate non-toxic load available for geese in 2 3/4 chamber configuration?

 

cheers

 

stu

[MC]

Shot size is more important than heavy load.

 

32g of 1's or 2 's in steel will do the job. If you can find BB's all the better.

[clayman]

A heavy load really only has the affect of increasing pellet density within the pattern. This is relevant if you are shooting large pellet sizes , say nos 3- 5, at longer ranges. A 32g will have less pellets in it than a 42g no 5, and at 50yds the quarry may not be hit by enough pellets to guarantee a kill in the lighter loads with bigger pellet sizes. 6 pellets on the target is considered a minimum, and in any pattern, regardless of load, the centre of the pattern will have that density. Extra pellets only really help on the outer parts of the pattern by filling in what otherwise might have been gaps in the density. Steel has better pellet distribution than lead, and a more defined edge to the pattern, so there can be an argument for using steel rather than more lead if a shooters accuracy tends to rely on edge of the pattern rather than the centre cloud.

 

If you are wildfowling bigger quarry at range, the heavy loads may have some relevence, but 30g or 32g no 6 is going to be effective for 90% of game work. If you are not bringing them down with the std game load, its more likely to be technique than cartridges thats to blame - although correct choking for the range is also important. 3/4 or full for distant work is probably more important than extra pellets in the load.

 

The downside of big loads is fatigue, knocking out a few 42g loads will rattle your dentures and can be quite uncomfortable after a few shots. Any-ones ability to shoot accurately is affected by your ability to concentrate, and if you have a bruised cheek, shoulder and a head ache, all those extra pellets are likely to be wasted anyway. Theres a great vid of Digweed taking out clays at 100yds +, and no, he is not using heavy loads, just putting the lead he's got where it counts. I use 24g 7s for rangy ( clay) work, and they work happily at 70 yds on 3/4 choke, I just see no reason to buy and waste more lead. The pattern size is determined by the choke, not the load of the cartridge, so if I fail to get a hit its my error, and increasing the load is unlikely to have made any difference

[George1990]

Hi Nial

 

You mention the gun is old, so it might not be proofed for steel. Not because it causes higher pressure or is heavier, but that it is is much harder than lead so can damage your barrels. It should have some sort of marking to say it is safe for steel. Often, chokes aren't proofed for steel or there is a limit to the amount of choking which is safe.

 

What views do other people have? This is just info I have come across - i have never shot steel myself.

[Nial]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

 

I'm asking because last week when I was out with Henry_d he threw me a few 36g 3's 'just in case'.

There were a few skeins of geese about, in places they were flying at tree top height.

 

I just wondered what sort of load I an fire without worrying about it too much.

 

Hi Nial

You mention the gun is old, so it might not be proofed for steel. Not because it causes higher pressure or is heavier, but that it is is much harder than lead so can damage your barrels. It should have some sort of marking to say it is safe for steel. Often, chokes aren't proofed for steel or there is a limit to the amount of choking which is safe.

What views do other people have? This is just info I have come across - i have never shot steel myself.

 

 

I was offered 24g steel cartridges at Cluny Clays but am not sure if I'm safe using these. I know it's

a light load but I've got 1/4 and 1/2 chokes in the gun and am not sure how these would handle

steel.

 

 

Nial.

Edited November 25, 2008 by Nial

[henry d]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

 

I'm asking because last week when I was out with Henry_d he threw me a few 36g 3's 'just in case'.

There were a few skeins of geese about, in places they were flying at tree top height.

 

I just wondered what sort of load I an fire without worrying about it too much.

Nial.

 

Honest mate, I wouldn`t have given you them if I didn`t think they were well within the limits of your gun. Jim uses 42gm through his aya and his old spanish master and apart from a difference in the kick neither has been damaged and the old spanish master has had many heavy loads through it including a double discharge of 36gm 5`s...........I had to pick him up after that one though

[njc110381]

As said before you need to have a look at the markings on your gun and figure out what pressure it is proofed to. 36g isn't heavy though really, I think you can be certain it will be ok with them

 

The 42g loads sometimes push higher pressures, so it's worth checking the gun. I'd say the chances are it will be ok for them too, but better safe than sorry. If you're not sure how to find the pressure markings on the gun, let HD have a look for you next time you're out

[clayman]

The longer the chamber length the higher the pressure its proofed for. This is a convention inherited from black powder days when a heavy load needed more bulky black powder, and therefore a longer cartridge and chamber to accommodate it.

 

Cartridge manufacturers give a cartridge length on the box today, that equates to the chamber proofing it is designed for. The declared length is either the actual true fired cartridge length, or the "pressure" length it needs the fired case actually opens shorter.

 

So, if the gun say 70mm, but the cartridge box says magnum, even if the cartridge fits it will produce pressures above the proof rating and should not be used. Ignore the actual measured length of an unfired cartridge, always go by the manufacturers declared length.

 

If your gun is 70mm and the cartridge is a 36g declared as a 2 3/4" 70mm it is safe. If its declared as a 3" magnum, it isn't.

[Big_Sam]

36g works fine in all my 2-3/4" guns.

 

I always carry some 36g #1 in case I meet a fox.

[starlight32]

36g-42g fine in a 2 3/4" gun....Providing the gun is in d sound condition. As for steel you won't be using anything bigger than 32g in 2 3/4" as otherwise 36g will be on a3" case. Steel is lighter by volume than lead so it is just the old dandy of it won't fit.

 

Tried many a time it just don't happen.

[dazco2121]

It is also advisable to use 1 / 2 choke as a maximum, to prevent the risk of the shot load bulging the choke. Steel shot is actually soft iron and is harder than lead, consequently it does not have the same give when it encounters the choke so less restriction is advised. Because of its lighter weight steel shot does not retain its energy to give as long a range as conventional lead rounds. To overcome this a couple of things can be done: firstly, the shot size can be increased. For instance where you would perhaps shoot a 5 shot lead load, use 4 or 3 in steel.

[henry d]

It was lead shot as we are shooting in Scotland and not over wetlands/areas that flood periodically/HWMOST etc.etc.

[njc110381]

You mean you have sensible laws on lead shot there? How unfair!

[clayman]

36g-42g fine in a 2 3/4" gun....Providing the gun is in d sound condition.

 

Nope, I don't think so....

 

A any load of 75mm magnum in a 65mm or 70mm chamber is dangerous, but a 42g 70mm in a 70mm is fine.

 

The safety is not in the weight of shot, it is in the cartridge length. As the cartridge declared length increases, the proof pressure of the chamber increases, and both high pressure magnums on a light shot load ( very fast) , and heavy load shorter cartridges for 70mm and even 65mm chambers are made. The latter have lower pressure ratings for the lower proof, and will be comparatively slower than the magnum equivalent.