Warning on older Alliant Steel Powder Shotgun reloading data!

I don't want to start over again if I don't have to. I have many pounds of Steel Powder that I can use if I get a load that tests under 11,500 psi. There is not much data out there for 3" 1-1/2 oz loads of Hevi-Shot or 12g/cc tungsten alloy shot.

A 1200 fps load of Rem HD BB shot will work fine on coyotes or with HW13 #2 shot on geese.
 
Hw13 1.5 oz loads in 3 inch are around the 36 grain area, so more or less where you were but using chedite cases over here.
Most seem to use RSI wads or CGR 300 wads.
But none of these are any use in this application as they use older A steel. You are on your own at the moment i am afraid with these new lots.
I would back it down to 29grain from your 31 grain and see how it patterned it will probably be well down into the 12s in the fps but surely by then you will be on for 11500 std 12ga PSI.
 
I just loaded up 3 more different loads to be tested.

3" Fiocchi 1-1/2 oz Rem HD BB load with 29.5 gr of Steel powder.

3" Fiocchi 1-1/2 oz load of FHW #2 15g/cc load with 30.5 gr of Steel Powder.

3" Fiocchi 1-3/8 oz load of HW13 #4 shot with 31.0 gr of Steel powder.
 
Those loads look like they will get you some where near, you loading propellent charge to correspond with the density of the shot types and payloads.
you could may be scrub off a little PSI with exchanging the Fiocchi hulls for Chedite ..Multi Hull 76mm. It will only be very slight though probably not worth the effort.
Are you getting these tested again or just going to run with them.?
 
Originally Posted By: jaseHave you any data back yet on these reduced loads please. ?
Just interested to see how they turned out.

I will post the test results when I get them. I just checked the UPS Tracking and the test loads are supposed to get there on Monday the 31st.
 
I just got the test results back on the three loads that I sent off for testing.

3" Fiocchi 1-1/2 oz Rem HD BB load with 29.5 gr of Steel powder averaged 10,707 psi with a 1257 fps average. BPI's old load data was 35.0 of Steel Powder at 10,800 psi at 1375 fps. I had to go down 5.5 gr of Steel Powder to get a safe 3" load.


3" Fiocchi 1-3/8 oz load of HW13 #4 shot with 31.0 gr of Steel powder averaged 10,922 psi with a 1327 fps average. BPI's old load data was 38.0 of Steel Powder at 9,600 psi at 1390 fps. I had to go down 7.0 gr of Steel Powder to get a safe 3" load.

Alliant's web-site shows a 3" 1-3/8 oz Hevi-Shot load in a Federal hull and a Fed 209A primer with 40.0 gr of Steel Powder at 10,300 psi at 1372 fps. After having three different batches of shells tested with steel powder I don't see how Alliant's 40.0 gr load of Steel Powder could even come close to only being a 10,300 psi load with the newer lots of Steel Powder.

Be careful with Steel Powder!
 
It is what i expected judging from what you posted up previously, in fact i think it did well to achieve the speeds it did in those loads.
Some i know in wildfowling over here seem to be reporting similar results with the newer lots, yet some are still loading to old data or claim to be more close to the truth i suspect.
At least you know you have data that is in the safe parameters now. If you think about this its a sad day when a chap has to spend his own time and money developing safe ammo.
Thank you very much for sharing your test results here, i am sure many others appreciate this the same.
 
Thanks jase!

I was happy with the 1257 fps 1-1/2 oz load. I was glad to see that the speed didn't drop down closer to 1100 fps.

I have at least 500, 1-1/2 oz loads and 150 1-3/8 oz loads to take apart and put back together with less powder in them.
 
You are welcome to that job , i hate unloading shotshells, sometimes you can get the wads out but some cases and wads they are tight to get past the fold edge area, i have 50 A381 loads in 89mm chedite hulls i have the shot out of, but still want the powder and would like to save the hulls and wads if i can.
i have eased the crimps out neat, yet poking my finger in the wad is moving nothing past the old fold, its looking like i will be destroying a good %age of them before i am done.
 
I have a plastic funnel that is tapered and it just fits into the hull. By pressing the hull against the funnel while turning the hull it opens up the crimp fold area pretty good.

Most of the wads pull out with needle nose pliers. If the wad doesn't want to come out I grab the wad petal across from the one I pulled on first and most of them come out.

I did have some TPS wads that would not come out of 2-3/4" Federal Gold Medal hulls so I cut them open with a cheap PVC pipe cutter right above the brass so it didn't damage the wads.
 
The wads in the Chedite Hulls are Indeed TPS wads, i will try the pliars see if i can draw them out. they were loaded with ITM and were stripped for 10ga loads i know Gamebore used A 381 in the ITM at that time but needs more adding to it to make effective steel loads, or i would have just added steel and crimped them back down . Nothing is ever quite that simple though is it.
 
Originally Posted By: jase Thank you very much for sharing your test results here, i am sure many others appreciate this the same.

Likewise! Thank you VERY much for going to the trouble and expense and then sharing it for the benefit of everyone. I sure appreciate it! And, I'm going to act on it, too. I'll be disassembling my Hevi-shot BB/Steel loads and re-doing them.

- DAA
 
Thanks for this, I still have a couple bottles that I bought when Steele first came out. I used to load 4x6 duplex for ducks and #1s for geese in 3" 12ga. hulls. I have the original PRI data that they put out. Used to shoot these through the original Patternmaster choke tube that ol Mike S. machined. Lots of good memories on the middle Potomac with a yellow lab, 870 express and these loads.
 
All of my Steel Powder reduction or shot weight lowering on all of my denser than lead loads should be done tomorrow.

Today I weighed out the last 93 shot charges and sized and primed 93 Gold Medal hulls. I am not sure how many loads I started out with but I will end up with 2,221 completed shells. It took me 4 months at a slow and steady pace to get it done.

Most of the loads I pulled the shot, wads and powder and put them back together with 5.5 gr to 7.0 gr less Steel Powder. Some of the loads I just pulled the shot out and lowered the shot charge by 1/4 oz.
 
derbyacresbob said:
All of my Steel Powder reduction or shot weight lowering on all of my denser than lead loads should be done tomorrow.

Today I weighed out the last 93 shot charges and sized and primed 93 Gold Medal hulls. I am not sure how many loads I started out with but I will end up with 2,221 completed shells. It took me 4 months at a slow and steady pace to get it done.

Most of the loads I pulled the shot, wads and powder and put them back together with 5.5 gr to 7.0 gr less Steel Powder. Some of the loads I just pulled the shot out and lowered the shot charge by 1/4 oz.
Click to expand...
It's hard to believe that was over 7 years ago already!
 
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