.410 pistol loads

[f100cleveland]

I have a hand loader for the .410 ga. and have loaded up some 2 1/2" shells using the load data thats on the bag of winchester wads for 1/2 oz shot. With the short barrel length of a pistol is there a specific load that would work better? I bought some factory 410's that were loaded for pistols but they only had 7/16 oz of shot.

[Ranch Dog]

I have a hand loader for the .410 ga. and have loaded up some 2 1/2" shells using the load data thats on the bag of winchester wads for 1/2 oz shot. With the short barrel length of a pistol is there a specific load that would work better? I bought some factory 410's that were loaded for pistols but they only had 7/16 oz of shot.

Wish I could help but interested in the topic. Still thinking about a RG410.

[f100cleveland]

The factory load for pistol is only 950 fps and most other loads are 1200 or more. Is the 1200 figured with a long barrel and the 950 cuz of a short barrel? I'm sure the powder isn't completely burnt in a short (mines 10") barrel. To high of pressure to gain velocity will probably destroy the plastic case. I don't want to try anything that isn't a tested load but makes one wonder.

[Ranch Dog]

The velocity loss would be the differences in barrel length. If the boxes don't state the length used to determine FPS, the manufacturer's web site should. The manufacturer might use a different powder for their handgun shotshells vs. those for a scattergun, something that they have specifically tested for the handgun, but it isn't going to be able to make up the difference of the barrel length reduction.

Be very careful with your shotshell reloading, in my lifetime I've seen more shotguns blown up than any other type of firearm, all from mistakes at the reloading bench. These arms are low pressure devices and a little bump in pressure can have devastating results. A fellow on Shooter's Forum lost his hand from a mistake a couple of years ago.