Loading Down Longshot

[Thomasss]

You know shotgun powder is still non existent around Wisconsin, however, a friend did acquire some Longshot.
And Longshot can be loaded in 1 1/8 ounce loads. 1) But, anyone ever load it down to 1 ounce loads?
If so what was your recipe and do you still have all your extended limbs?
2) Another thought in loading Longshot is in 1 1/8 ounces loads for trap is whether anyone has
drop the load some to reduce the velocity?

 

[sparkyv]

Wow, I didn't realize LS was a shotgun powder!

 

[GooseGestapo]

I’ve “modestly” downloaded it in 9mm and 20ga shot shells. At approximately 85% of most starting loads, it still performs well. I’ve loaded 7/8oz 20ga loads with 15.5gr and it performed well.

I wouldn’t recommend going any lower.
With a shot shell, column height, crimp, and gas volume is really important. Insufficient gas volume will cause short cycling with a semiautomatic shotgun and can cause the base wad to be expelled from the case and cause a bore obstruction.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

You know shotgun powder is still non existent around Wisconsin, however, a friend did acquire some Longshot.
And Longshot can be loaded in 1 1/8 ounce loads. 1) But, anyone ever load it down to 1 ounce loads?
If so what was your recipe and do you still have all your extended limbs?
2) Another thought in loading Longshot is in 1 1/8 ounces loads for trap is whether anyone has
drop the load some to reduce the velocity?

I’m guessing mail order is not an option for some reason? There are a good number of shotgun powders available online, mostly in the larger quantities. Powder Valley even has Unique if you want to get traditional. Unfortunately not in the larger bottle.

Alliant Unique Smokeless Gun Powder

Alliant Unique Smokeless Powder, since 1899 is good in all popular pistol calibers and great for 12, 16, 20 and 28-gauge loads.

www.powdervalley.com

 

[Nipty]

TAOFLEDERMAUS on YouTube. Jeff does a great job(in my opinion) loading and shooting all kinds of stuff with longshot. Recommend if your in to that kinda thing

 

[Howa 9700]

Longshot has it's place, and 1 oz loads for clay targets isn't it. Last place I used it was under 10 pellets (1 1/4 oz payload) of #00 buckshot, moving along at around 1,300 fps when it leaves the barrel. That is where it belongs.

If anyone is wanting to put together 1 oz loads for clay birds, there are at least 6 or more powders currently available online. Some in the $35 per pound range, even from Midway.

But even at that, on the shotgun forums, guys who can get powder, shot and primers, and have equipment like a MEC 9000 progressive to load it will argue they can't load blammo ammo as cheap as they can buy it. So rather than cobbling together some off the chart load using Longshot, they would tell you to buy flats of loaded ammo instead. Save the Longshot for the day when you can't buy loaded ammo at any price.

 

[Random 8]

https://recobstargetshop.com/product/competition-8-ramshot-clay-target-powder/ This would be a much better alternative, from your friendly neighborhood Recob's target shop. In stock and reasonably priced.

To the original question, I have not tried downloading Longshot, and would not given the published pressures of known data. It is specifically designed to maximize velocity while keeping pressure low. On the low end of published data, you're getting close to the No-go range of shotgun loads with modern plastic cases and wads where you'll fail to properly obturate the wad and get bloopers and burnt cases/wads. IF you wanted to get really silly and put together some old waxed felt/nitro card naked column loads in paper cases, I suspect you could safely go as low as you wished with this powder and get some really mild loads with very little blast and recoil.

I did run some 1 1/8oz grouse loads at the starting listed charge for the wife to shoot. Fiocchi hulls, WJ wad. They were in the 1400 fps ballpark according to data, so not very close to normal trap load speed yet. Started showing signs of too-low pressure in very cold weather, so I was getting close to no-go territory.

 

[Rule3]

Wow, I didn't realize LS was a shotgun powder!

Yes, many of the powders used for handguns are also "shotgun" powders.

 

[Random 8]

Wow, I didn't realize LS was a shotgun powder!

A very interesting one if you want to push 1 1/8 oz of lead at rather stupid fast velocities and sweep gamebirds from the sky like lightning bolts!

 

[entropy]

You know shotgun powder is still non existent around Wisconsin, however, a friend did acquire some Longshot.
And Longshot can be loaded in 1 1/8 ounce loads. 1) But, anyone ever load it down to 1 ounce loads?
If so what was your recipe and do you still have all your extended limbs?
2) Another thought in loading Longshot is in 1 1/8 ounces loads for trap is whether anyone has
drop the load some to reduce the velocity?

No, I don't know that. Shotgun Willie's has plenty of most of the powders I use, except Red and Green Dot. I wouldn't recommend loading Longshot down. There's a reason it's an Annie and meat shoot powder.

 

[243winxb]

Longshot

https://www.shotgunworld.com/threads/where-do-i-start-powder-reduction.546218/#post-4686839

IMO- Not down loadable.

The wad will need changed to fill the extra space by the missing 1/8 of shot & lower powder charge. The change may produce pressures to low for the powder to burn correctly?

Go to Hodgdon data and pick a combination that produces the highest pressure. Reduce load till you get bloopers. Check barrel after evey shot for a wad in tne barrel.

 

[Palladan44]

I only use LS in 10mm, never downloaded it though.