Connecticut Preparedness Community Forums

What is your favorite 12 gauge trap loads. I'm loading 1 oz of 7 1/2 shot (going to get 8 shot next time) Win WAA12SL, and 21.5 grains of Green Dot.

I'm not sold on Green Dot.....What do you load? Any one use tight group, or Clays?

I load THOUSANDS of shells a year.
My wife and I are both ATA shooters and we shoot at least 3 times a week.
We have both won our class a couple of times with my reloads so I know that they work great.

Clays is my powder of choice. I shoot an 1100 so the cleaner burning Clays powder really makes a difference when cleaning my gun.
I also load 1oz of shot instead of 1 1/8oz. This gets me 400 shells per 25 lb. bag of lead, 45 more shells than if I loaded 1 1/8oz per shell.
When you shoot as much as we do, every little savings helps.
I load Remington hulls only and my choice of wad is Claybuster. Inexpensive and it does the job.
My primers I buy 5 thousand at a time and I always buy whatever is less expensive at the time.

My recipe:
1oz #8 shot.
Claybuster CB8100-12 (Remington TGT-12 replacement)
CCI 209 primer
18.6 grs. Clays

... I'll be reading this thread as well, seeing as I'm thinking about getting started in shotshell loading.

Not to be too repetitive, but the Old Saybrook Wal-Mart carries every item listed by LTB45, although I didn't actually check every p/n on the Claybuster wads on their shelf. Clays in 4 lb cannister only.

GreggAndrews wrote:... I'll be reading this thread as well, seeing as I'm thinking about getting started in shotshell loading.

Shotshell reloading saves about 0.50 cents to a $1 a box depending on costs of components.
Unless you shoot tons of shells it is more cost effective to just buy the value packs at Wally World.

The time involved to reload is much more than most realize. We just bought 7 flats of winchetser 1 1/8oz #8's at Cabelas because it was on their "Internet Sale" at $49.99 a flat.

That deal will save me DAYS in my reloading dungeon.

Good point... actually though, I am looking into loading slugs probably more than anything. I figure I'd make a couple molds on the Bridgeport with different slug profiles, see what the ballistic changes are (same weights, same diameter, different shapes).

I will get a lb of Clays to try. There might be something wrong with me but I enjoy reloading ! but it is getting harder to make the time.

Mike-Sid wrote:I will get a lb of Clays to try. There might be something wrong with me but I enjoy reloading ! but it is getting harder to make the time.

Nothing wrong with you for liking reloading. I love it!
It is my, get away from the "whole world time". In my "dungeon", Radio on and just making shells.


Great satisfaction with a huge pile of loaded shells that are ready for shooting!

Nice set up! It is really relaxing. Some day I'll try reloading steel. Now that will save a bundle! Ever reload for duck/goose hunting?

Hey Mike- Assuming your using Win AA hulls (wild guess there) and Win 209 primers, that recipe gives you 1300 fps, which I think is a little fast for 16 yard trap targets. That extra speed translates to extra recoil which imho is unnecessary. Green Dot is normally thought of as a handicap distance powder, but there's no law against using it at 16 yards. I would reduce it to 18 or 19 grains though, which should give between 1145-1200 fps- plenty fast enough.

Given my druthers, I'll load 1 oz, hard #8s to 1150 or 1200 fps. I like Clays, but it's a little more expensive than Red Dot, Clay Dot, or Promo, all of which I've used at one time or another. I do like the Win 209 primer (I've had bad luck with the import primers), but they are expensive. A lot of people claim the Claybuster wads leave too much plastic residue in the barrel- among the clone wads, I like the Dusters but they're not available locally that I know of. If you're going to be shooting in cold weather, try to use a load that generates decent pressure, otherwise you may get some bloopers. I picked up a pound of E3 to try this winter because it is supposed to work well in the cold- we shall see.

In all honesty, I don't think I'm missing targets because of the components in my reloads. My mistakes are much more fundamental than that. Most any published recipe for reasonable velocity will probably work just fine, but that doesn't stop us from looking for the magic bullet.

Mike-Sid wrote:Nice set up! It is really relaxing. Some day I'll try reloading steel. Now that will save a bundle! Ever reload for duck/goose hunting?

Thanks!
Not yet, the only bird hunting I do is Pheasant.

jtf650 wrote:Hey Mike- Assuming your using Win AA hulls (wild guess there) and Win 209 primers, that recipe gives you 1300 fps, which I think is a little fast for 16 yard trap targets. That extra speed translates to extra recoil which imho is unnecessary. Green Dot is normally thought of as a handicap distance powder, but there's no law against using it at 16 yards. I would reduce it to 18 or 19 grains though, which should give between 1145-1200 fps- plenty fast enough.

Yes I'm using WinAA hulls....how did you know???

Here's my theory/reasons for my current load please tell me if it makes sense.
My entire reason for trap shooting is to improve my shotgun skills for waterfowl hunting. Because of this I'm loading my trap loads to 1300 fps to stay near or closer to the speeds of my waterfowl loads. In my mind I think if I use shells of the same speeds it will help me hold or judge the correct leads for the waterfowl or trap, all in a splt second without thinking. Does this make sense? Is it a valid theory? I was using a Remington 11-87 Super Mag , but It is at Remington for repair
. I'm going to buy a Benelli Super Black Eagle II Friday to be my main waterfowl (and trap) gun. So recoil is not an issue for me at this time.

Just wondering if you are using a shell catcher while you are shooting Trap?
Some of the folks that I shoot Trap with would be pretty upset if anyone dinged their "High Dollar" guns with a flying shell while on the Trap line.

I either use a .25 cent rubber band which works 98% of the time. When a shell gets buy, it just pops out by my feet. My other method is this http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1310 ... 1100-11-87

Mike-Sid wrote:I either use a .25 cent rubber band which works 98% of the time. When a shell gets buy, it just pops out by my feet. My other method is this http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1310 ... 1100-11-87

My TS shell catcher works about as reliably (98%) as your rubberband....LOL