Vintage 12 gauge DBL

Vintage 12 gauge DBL , I don't know the specifics of the shotgun I have not seen it. The boys wife inherited it recently. It's not a damasks twist but it is a very early gun. They have had it to the gun Dr and he passed it as very shoot-able,BUT. He said to only use very light low brass shells in it as a precaution. LOW PRESSER!! OK I found this load: Rio 2 3/4 #600 hulls,Fio 616 primers,AA12L gray wads,19.5 gr Hodgens Clays powder,7/8 oz #5 nickel plated shot and an over shot card with a 8 point crimp.The velocity is 1200 fps and the presser is 4000 psi. ( thats about a third of what we normally shoot). I loaded up a box but I'm a bit afraid to test them in there gun. I DON"T want to be the one to split it down the middle.The factory "LIGHT LOW BRASS" shells run about 6000 psi, It should be OK.RIGHT? I'm going to Test , test them in my 870 it'll eat anything you can stuff in it and will pattern most stuff very well. Any one ever use this load will it even push the load out the end of the barrel?

Call me chicken

"D "

As RD said. The books all list loads for 1200 fps because of speed regulations for trap. Nobody says you can't shoot 950? I load some real weak black powder loads for an old 1850's shotgun I have. I have shot a fair amount of rabbits and pheasants with it.

IMR PB is a real low pressure powder.

If you don't mind cleaning you could always use Pyrodex or 777.

DD

Factory AA loads are not low pressure loads. Not the lowest at any rate! More like moderate!

Easy to build sub 7,000 psi 7/8ths loads with 700x or INTERNATIONAL Clays, which is a different burning rate than Clays.

Go to 7/8ths load around here is a mec #22 bushing with 700X and grey Win or claybuster wad in a one piece case. W209 primers. They clock about 1050 and are plenty. This is in a 9000g loader which throws a bit lighter charge than a single stage press. Use much less and the powder/wad/shot column is too short to get good crimps.

Within sensible shotgun ranges 1000 to 1050 fps is very nice. This load will not cycle an 1100 action. An old family Win lever action shotgun has digested this load for years with not a worry. This assumes your s/s has 2 3/4 chambers as mentioned above.

If I am not mistaken, their are some Parkers that are very fine shotguns. Does it have any ingraving on it?

Wing master

Parkers were great shotgun.

Assume that the one you have is "hammerless"?

All are worth money, some serious money.  You can identify them from the barrel markings.  early were makered Parker or Parker Hardware.  the best ones form late 1890-1925 were marked Parker Brothers..  other names  were also sued.  After the depression they went out of business selling the company assets to Remeington.

Good info at   http://asoac.org/bulletins/90_parker_parker.pdf

Bear is on the money. If it's a real Parker it could be worth thousands instead of hundreds. I believe the reproduction! Parkers are 3 grand or so now.

Impossible to know the fps but if it crimps tight and you can't hear the shot rattle in a loaded round and you're throwing 18 grains of Clays I'd bet north of 1200 for 7/8ths.. Send me a handfull of the cases you use and I'll load them up and chrono for you. I've got the other stuff around here.

No problem to make up that load here with ww209s or Chedite primers and AA or Rem cases, maybe some Fiocchi too if I look. Cases can make a big difference. I can stick the chrono out the back door and clock a few if you want.