12ga

ammo.crafter · November 11, 2009, 07:51 AM

Has anyone been sucessful loading with 2 1/2-inch 12ga loads?
Looking for lite recoil and do realize I can load down 2 3/4-inch shells but am curious what's out there in 2 1/2.
THX.

IllinoisCoyoteHunter · November 11, 2009, 08:20 AM

I have never had any experience with 2.5" 12 ga shells. But you spiked my interest so I did some quick research. You may or may not find it helpful. This was a post from another site, so take it with a grain of salt:

"Just be careful if you ever reload them. Many guns chambered for 2-1/2" or 2-5/8" were low pressure steel or damascus twist guns suited for blackpowder.

Originally 2-1/2"~2-5/8" guns used brass shells that didn't have crimped ends that needed room to open. Those brass shell loads were blackpowder. Today's 2-3/4" shells will fit into the shorter chambers because the shell length is measured prior to crimping. After top is crimped it is about 2-1/2". If you use one of those shells the hull wont have room to unfold and you could blow apart the barrel(s) right in front of the chamber."

Good luck and be sure to let us know how it turns out!

reloader28 · November 11, 2009, 12:06 PM

The nice thing about 2 1/2" is you can cut down youre worn out 2 3/4". Most are roll crimped and I dont think you can find wads locally. I couldnt anyway. Ballistics Products has all that stuff though. Check them out online. They send out monthly catalogs too. I cut some down about 6 years ago and was going to load them but didnt get that far. I needed roll crimping and skiving tools and just tossed the hulls instead.

BigJimP · November 11, 2009, 01:19 PM

I wouldn't fuss with it .....

Like you said - load a 2 3/4" shell down to 7/8 oz of shot at 1150 fps - and you'll be hard pressed to find anything softer to shoot. A 2 1/2" shell isn't going to give you an advantage .....and components are going to be really hard to come by ....so I wouldn't fuss with it.

ammo.crafter · November 12, 2009, 01:03 PM

Thanks, guys. I'll stick with my low pressure 2 3/4 loads @ 7/8 oz. After researching the tools and other necessary items, it just did not make sense.

November 11, 2009, 07:51 AM	#1
ammo.crafter Senior Member Join Date: June 25, 2006 Location: The Keystone State Posts: 1,970	12ga Has anyone been sucessful loading with 2 1/2-inch 12ga loads? Looking for lite recoil and do realize I can load down 2 3/4-inch shells but am curious what's out there in 2 1/2. THX. __________________ "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading". --Thomas Jefferson

November 11, 2009, 08:20 AM	#2
IllinoisCoyoteHunter Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2008 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 1,527	I have never had any experience with 2.5" 12 ga shells. But you spiked my interest so I did some quick research. You may or may not find it helpful. This was a post from another site, so take it with a grain of salt: "Just be careful if you ever reload them. Many guns chambered for 2-1/2" or 2-5/8" were low pressure steel or damascus twist guns suited for blackpowder. Originally 2-1/2"~2-5/8" guns used brass shells that didn't have crimped ends that needed room to open. Those brass shell loads were blackpowder. Today's 2-3/4" shells will fit into the shorter chambers because the shell length is measured prior to crimping. After top is crimped it is about 2-1/2". If you use one of those shells the hull wont have room to unfold and you could blow apart the barrel(s) right in front of the chamber." Good luck and be sure to let us know how it turns out! __________________ ~~IllinoisCoyoteHunter~~ ~NRA LIFE MEMBER~ ~NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR~

November 12, 2009, 01:03 PM	#5
ammo.crafter Senior Member Join Date: June 25, 2006 Location: The Keystone State Posts: 1,970	2 1/2 Thanks, guys. I'll stick with my low pressure 2 3/4 loads @ 7/8 oz. After researching the tools and other necessary items, it just did not make sense. __________________ "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading". --Thomas Jefferson

November 11, 2009, 12:06 PM	#3
reloader28 Senior Member Join Date: October 13, 2009 Location: nw wyoming Posts: 1,061	The nice thing about 2 1/2" is you can cut down youre worn out 2 3/4". Most are roll crimped and I dont think you can find wads locally. I couldnt anyway. Ballistics Products has all that stuff though. Check them out online. They send out monthly catalogs too. I cut some down about 6 years ago and was going to load them but didnt get that far. I needed roll crimping and skiving tools and just tossed the hulls instead.

November 11, 2009, 01:19 PM	#4
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I wouldn't fuss with it ..... Like you said - load a 2 3/4" shell down to 7/8 oz of shot at 1150 fps - and you'll be hard pressed to find anything softer to shoot. A 2 1/2" shell isn't going to give you an advantage .....and components are going to be really hard to come by ....so I wouldn't fuss with it.