3/4 oz 12 gauge Clays

Simple Klawman.....shoot 3/4 oz loads - targets break, shoulders stay off the operating table a little longer, scores stay the same or GO UP, lead shot costs drop for reloaders

What's not to like?
 
Yes but I'd have to buy another shot bar. Waah.

I still shoot factory loads for skeet/trap/sporting clays.

I reload light 12 ga. shells for cowboy action shooting but the recipe I had called for a full ounce of shot so that's the shot bar I bought (the MEC came with a 1 and 1/8 shot bar.

The 3/4 oz load would be fine for the relatively short range static knockdown targets we shoot in cowboy matches.
 
7/8 ounce has become my standard load for 12 gauge. If I don't break a trap or skeet bird, it's my fault, not the load's fault.
 
I plan on using up my bags of 1 ounce and 7/8's before trying 3/4. I hope you liked the pretty charts. I think it is Claybuster that now markets a 3/4 wad.
 
Im cheap, so I shoot 7/8 loads in my 12's. Hard #8's at approx 1225 work well for clays and doves, and reliably cycle my Beretta gas guns.
 
Im cheap, so I shoot 7/8 loads in my 12's. Hard #8's at approx 1225 work well for clays and doves, and reliably cycle my Beretta gas guns.
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And that is an excellent load for all around use - I use the same for my sporting clays guns. My wife's A400 WILL work with 3/4oz loads as long as it isn't too cold. Considering the gun is set up for 3.4" shells, that is pretty remarkable. That load of yours is nice in that several powders will do it cheaply enough

If you want to shoot 3/4-oz then get a 28-ga and save about 40% on your powder when you reload.
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Ah, but Zippy, then you have $450+ for a new MEC progressive, more wads and hulls to inventory and then there is the price of a new 28 and the new safe to hold an extra gun, etc...:D! That extra powder is cheap in comparison, my friend!
 
Im cheap, so I shoot 7/8 loads in my 12's. Hard #8's at approx 1225 work well for clays and doves, and reliably cycle my Beretta gas guns.
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I use an equivalent load of 8.5s for all my clay shooting. I dropped to 3/4 oz for a while, but it wouldn't reliably cycle both my guns so I moved back 7/8 oz. Now when I shoot a box of promos, I can really feel the difference.
 
Ah, but Zippy, then you have $450+ for a new MEC progressive, more wads and hulls to inventory and then there is the price of a new 28 and the new safe to hold an extra gun, etc...:D! That extra powder is cheap in comparison, my friend!
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IINM, you're not allowed to shoot reduced 12-ga loads in 28-ga events. So, being an old school competitor, I already had the 28-ga tubes and reloading gear long before folks started downloading their 12-ga guns below 1-oz.
We hear a lot of folks say they use 3/4-ga and 7/8-ga 12-ga loads for trap and skeet. I'm curious, how many of them actually use those mouse loads in ATA and NSSA events? The only time I use less than 1 1/8-oz, in 12-ga events, is in Skeet doubles -- I can get on the second target quicker using a 1-oz first shot. As far as wanting to reduce the recoil, I've altered my guns, not my loads.
There are those who say, the international shooters are getting higher scores with the lighter loads. But they fail to mention that those shooters are typically shooting double taps. IMHO, the higher scores are because of the reduced recovery time between shots afforded by the lighter loads.
 
Sure - by changing a charge bar...and some different components ...its easy to develop some loads at 3/4oz or 7/8 oz for the 12ga....

but rather than fuss with all that.....I'll just keep my 12ga loads at 1oz, my 20ga loads at 7/8 oz ....and the 28ga loads at 3/4 oz ...and enjoy shooting the 28ga more....especially since 99% of the time, I just shoot for fun anyway...these days.

But I'm with Zippy on this one ...if I were serious about competition...there is no way, in a 12ga, that I would shoot less than 1 oz ..../ even if it was all in my head... I've lost a few tournaments over the years in sporting clays by 1 bird...and it sucked...and I wouldn't want to think I had not put my best equipment, best shell options or best effort out there ....
 
I've lost a few tournaments over the years in sporting clays by 1 bird...and it sucked
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Yep, my friend, as we well know: one target can make the difference between Champ and Chump. It doesn't take many extra pellets to turn a dusted "O" target into a chipped "X" one.
 
Absolutely - for tournaments, go with the right stuff, but for cheap practice, especially on a skeet, 16 yard line or similar, it saves money and recoil abuse
 
but for cheap practice, especially on a skeet, 16 yard line or similar, it saves money and recoil abuse
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Been there, done that -- it doesn't always work. You shoot a lot of practice with little guns (or super-lite 12s) and you get acclimated to them. Then, you switch to full load 12s on competition day and the heavier recoil comes as a big surprise. It's one aspect that makes 4-gun competition a challenge: If you practice with the big guns, you get sloppy and miss with the little ones. If you practice with the little guns, then the big ones seem to beat you up. That's why some of us use air units in our stocks. By changing the pressure, you can get all the loads to recoil about the same.
 
Can't bring up the link, but here's what I know....

I've used 7/8 oz reloads in 12 gauge for a decade or so. Sporting, trap and wobble, they do the job fine, even at Hail Mary distances.

For skeet, I could do 3/4 oz and not have my scores suffer. A good thing, I do not shoot skeet well. For longer shots though, 3/4 oz gets a trifle sparse out past 30 yards, especially with 7.5 shot.

For new,small shooters using the little NEF single (5 lbs, 9 oz) here, I load 3/4 oz at 1200 FPS using 8.5 shot to bring up the pellet count.

My load is right off the Hodgdon's website.It has enough moxie to bust trap singles with monotonous regularity and little kick, even in that Tinker Bell Special NEF.
 
I think Zippy's right ....especially from a competition perspective....

But once you've established the confidence that you can run 48 - 50 straight on Trap singles at the 16 yd line...and if you're just shooting for fun ...with your buddies...I'm not sure it matters...and you might as well cut your reloads down to 7/8 oz at least in a 12ga...and maybe drop them down to 3/4oz ...and keep your ego out of it - even when you just chip a few targets vs hitting them hard ... / especially if you shoot an O/U and don't have any cycling issues.

If the cost of shells was keeping me from shooting my 6 or 8 boxes a week ...then I'd drop my loads from 1oz down to something less in a 12ga ...like the author of the link suggests. I do the same thing in my handguns ...I shoot and reload a lot of 9mm ...and shoot way more 9mm ...than I do .45 acp ...( where I can shoot for under $5 a box in 9mm ...and .45 acp reloads are around $9 a box...) ...retail ammo in my area on 9mm is easily $10 a box ...and close to $25 a box for .45 acp.../ I had this discussion with some buddies again yesterday at lunch...we're all shooting a lot more 9mm....and at my shotgun club ...I'm shooting a lot more 20ga and 28ga...( and both are easier on my hands and shoulders ) ....
 
I dont think shooting reduced loads hurts at all. Probably help's due to less recoil fatigue and more shooting due to less cost. Ive never felt it was an issue at local/regional ATA, NSSF, or NSCA events.
 
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