Looking for 20ga Garden Gun Load

[SayNo2NWO]

Can a 20ga shotshell be loaded way down to maybe 400-600 fps for pest control inside a barn type application?

[anyracoon]

Get your self a 410 insert

[SayNo2NWO]

Even a 410 is loaded too hot. So then down load a 410 shell out of a 20ga? Can't a 20ga shell light loaded work?

[PoorRichRichard]

Originally Posted by anyracoon

Get your self a 410 insert

+1 on this idea out of a 12 or 20 gauge break-action or pump gun.

Load your .410 hull with 10-11 grains of H110 or Win 296. My guess is that the added diameter of the 12 or 20 gauge barrel would help dampen sound if your insert is one of the little shorties like I have. I’m intrigued now! Gonna test this theory with my .410 insert in SxS 12 gauge sometime in the near future.

I have shot this load out of small 18” single shot .410 with a fixed Mod choke, and they are quiet. Sounded like a kid’s cap gun. Should be good for pest control out to about twenty or so feet, as I’ve observed them landing about 20-30 pellets on a soda can at about 10-15 feet. Not sure of the FPS, as I’ve never run this load through a crono.

OP, if you have any questions about the above ideas, shoot me a pm, and I’d be happy to BS with you about it.

Good luck.

[RandyD]

If you reload, you can experiment with loads to create what you want. The only issue is your load may not work in a semi auto shotgun.

[rg1]

I'd say it's not a good idea. You'd likely get blooper loads and even the possibility of a wad stuck in the barrel? I've read some bad results shooting shot or bullets inside a barn with shot coming back at the shooter.

[SayNo2NWO]

I'm looking for help in accomplishing this goal or pointers to anyone who may have already gone down this path. If it's impossible to get a quiet, light loaded 20ga recipe somewhere in the neighborhood of 400-600fps, that's one thing. But if it can be done, I'm seeking help in doing that.

[RandyD]

Originally Posted by rg1

I'd say it's not a good idea. You'd likely get blooper loads and even the possibility of a wad stuck in the barrel? I've read some bad results shooting shot or bullets inside a barn with shot coming back at the shooter.

I would not be too concerned about getting a wad stuck in a barrel, it is easy to push out with a dowel. The concern about shot coming back at the shooter will depend upon several factors; distance and what materials is he shooting at.

OP, the go to cartridge, for shooting in a barn, at my grandparents ranch was .22 Long Rifle birdshot. It did not pierce the metal siding and roofs in their buildings, and there were no ricochets that damaged property or injured anyone.

[PoorRichRichard]

OP, if you decide to go the inset route, they are not very expensive. This was my firs hit on a google search for “20 gauge to 410 adapter”


https://www.gunadapters.com/20-gauge...venger-series/

[SayNo2NWO]

To get velocities as low as I'm wanting, I'm going to have to roll my own whether it's in .410 or any other gauge. And I'm already set up for 20ga.

Anybody heard of or have experience with 9mm Flobert?

[NapalmCheese]

Originally Posted by SayNo2NWO

To get velocities as low as I'm wanting, I'm going to have to roll my own whether it's in .410 or any other gauge. And I'm already set up for 20ga.

Anybody heard of or have experience with 9mm Flobert?

I have no experience downloading the way you want but how about a thought exercise?

If you have a 3/4 oz load of lead shot in your 20 gauge shell you'll need to overcome a fair bit of inertia to push it out. That means you need enough powder and pressure to launch that load. If you want to use less than 3/4 oz you start running into problems with your wad/stack height and getting appropriate amounts of compression on the hull/wad/shot column. You can cover come this with extra fiber/felt/cork/card wads all over the place but that complicates loading. Just remember that if you don't build enough pressure quickly enough you'll just have a ton of unburnt powder mucking up your bore.

However, if you take a straight walled pistol case and load it with a touch of Unique, Universal, Red Dot, or the like, a fiber wad, a bit of #9 shot (light for caliber, i.e. less than 125 grains of shot for a .357 case) and cover it with an overshot card that's glued in place with Elmers you might be on to a decent pest load.

If you're feeling plucky dropping a mylar sleeve into the case before dropping your shot might improve the pattern from a rifled barrel.

[SayNo2NWO]

Yeah ok, I like where you're going with this NapalmCheese! Maybe even utilize the 44 case for the big rats. Now you've got me thinking. If I could overcome the rifling twisting the shot pattern, that could be the ticket. Wonder what could be utilized in a cartridge case to effectively defeat the rifling's job of twisting the load? If CCI could get that figured out, how much more effective their pest loads would be. Can you explain what is a mylar sleeve?

[NapalmCheese]

Originally Posted by SayNo2NWO

Wonder what could be utilized in a cartridge case to effectively defeat the rifling's job of twisting the load? If CCI could get that figured out, how much more effective their pest loads would be. Can you explain what is a mylar sleeve?

For reloading certain things and to tighten up patterns before the modern shotcup people used to use various thin films or papers above the cushion wad and 'wrapped' around the shot. This protected the shot from the bore of the shotgun and lessened deformation of the shot due to scrubbing. Since the modern shotcup has been designed the need to do such a thing has been reduced, but for people with fixed choke guns it's one method of potentially tightening a pattern. People will use various things, but Tyvek or Mylar seem to be popular. Mylar is a pretty slick and thin plastic (think of those shiny balloons shaped like fish and stuff), Tyvek is even slicker IIRC. So, my thoughts were by 'wrapping' your shot in Mylar or Tyvek you might prevent it's engaging the rifling and get a better pattern.

Now, I say 'wrapping' in quotes because you obviously aren't actually wrapping the shot up in a film. Instead, you cut the film to the right dimensions, roll it up, and plop it into the shell over the cushion wad and before you add the shot. It'll unroll itself (might need some help) inside the hull and expand to fit against wall. From there you pour your shot in.

[3006]

If you have a center fire pistol you could load shot shells my 44 mag works good at short range it's not super quite though.

[anyracoon]

Just a FYI, I load my standard 410 load with 14gr of W296.

[SayNo2NWO]

Probably 9mm Flobert would work, but has to be smooth bore. So looking to adapt what resources I have on hand, 20ga loaded down to 400-600fps. The trick seems to be keeping enough back pressure to allow a complete burn?

[Elgatodeacero]

Here is one option:

https://www.airgundepot.com/gamo-vip...r-shotgun.html

[Dragginpanda]

What pest do you want to kill? Rats are tough. I’ve put many a pellet thru one and they still ran.

Pellets work best with slower speed and hunting pellets.

I’d go for 22 short out of a lever action.