Shotshell reloading question

[justwannano]

How much shot in a typical 12 guage trapload?

[Gil Martin]

Most of the 12 gauge trap loads that I use have 1 or 1 1/8 oz. of shot. Hope this helps. All the best...
Gil

[Rocky Raab]

It depends a bit on the event.

For "singles" or targets shot from the 16-yard line, many shooters are now using very light 3/4 oz loads to minimize recoil fatigue over many hundreds of targets.

Short to mid-handicap shooters are using a lot of 1 oz loads, while the guys way back on the 27-yard line tend to shoot the heaviest shot load allowed - 1 1/8 oz to fill their patterns way out there.

If you wanted to use one load for everything, a tight-patterning 1 oz would get the job done.

[fabsroman]

Yep, pretty much like Rocky said; however, I use a 1,200 fps 1 oz load from the 16 yard line and as my first shot in doubles. For handicap and my second shot on doubles, I use a 1,145 fps 1 1/8 oz. load. Both are in #8's.

When I first started shooting trap over 10 years ago, I used hot loads for about a month and then figured out that it was silly. Also used to use a full choke on the 16 yard line, but a couple of years later figured out that a modified choke would do just fine.

One of my friends shot really hot loads for several years and he finally figured out that you really don't need them. He even started shooting a 28 ga. for sporting clays.

[Catfish]

When shooting in a leage I use 7/8 oz. for the 16 yrd. line and 1 oz. for handycap. With a full choke gun I can grind the birds pretty good back past the 20 yrd. line with the 7/8 oz. loads. The speed of your shells doesn`t reall mea much as there is really not that much of an angle and you shot string will make up the difference between fast and slow loads. I once loaded some 1 oz, loads with Solo 1000. Loaded at what the book said I could tell there was something real bad. I cronoed them and they were running abt 875 fps. They poped like a cap pistol. Since I used to shoot with a bunch of guys that about all shot real heave loads I took them to acouple of shoot and would shoot for money with them from the 16 yrd. line. I forget how many time I went straight with them, but it seem like every time I shot them someone would say " That was a bad load. " to which I would reply, " why, it broke the bird didn`t it? " At the price of shot now I recomand you try some 7/8 oz. loads. Gave one to a friend of mine to try. He took a shoot from the 27 yrd. line. He knocked acouple of chips off the bird, didn`t grind it, but they all look the same on the score sheet.