I'm just getting in to loading for steel shot. I have been loading shotgun shells for nearly 40 years but am now just looking in to this. A few questions for those who have experience in steel.
In the manual, it says that I need to use a different charge bar for steel shot. I don't understand why. If I used to load 1.5 oz of lead, and use the same charge bar, I understand that steel is much lighter, but wouldn't the volume in the shell be the same? So instead of it still being a 1.5 oz load, it may only be 1.25 or whatever the ratio would be. I understand different wads are needed, and it says to only load the steel shot to the top of the wad, but isn't that more based on volume as opposed to weight?
Also, shooting factory steel I shoot 3" 12 ga. I don't see any recipes that would duplicate the velocity of factory loads. Typically they run in the 1500fps range and all the recipes are closer to 1300fps. Should I load 3" or can I get the same ballistics with 2 3/4" shells?
In the manual, it says that I need to use a different charge bar for steel shot. I don't understand why. If I used to load 1.5 oz of lead, and use the same charge bar, I understand that steel is much lighter, but wouldn't the volume in the shell be the same? So instead of it still being a 1.5 oz load, it may only be 1.25 or whatever the ratio would be. I understand different wads are needed, and it says to only load the steel shot to the top of the wad, but isn't that more based on volume as opposed to weight?
Also, shooting factory steel I shoot 3" 12 ga. I don't see any recipes that would duplicate the velocity of factory loads. Typically they run in the 1500fps range and all the recipes are closer to 1300fps. Should I load 3" or can I get the same ballistics with 2 3/4" shells?