Monday and Friday to the range !

[6pt-sika]

Monday I'll make a little trip to the range early !

I wanna try my handloaded 0 Buck loads in my Parker VH 12 gauge as well as my handloaded Lyman 525 grain sabot slugs . I'll shoot a load of buck from the right barrel check the pattern cover the wholes and repeat with the left barrel . Also wanna shoot a 3 shot group with the slugs from the right barrel then cover the holes and repeat in the left barrel . And finally with the 12 gauge I wanna shot a slug from the right and left barrels to see how close they are . All of this at 25 yards of course .

Also am taking my Parker GH 16 gauge to shoot buckshot patterns of handloaded #1 Buck from both barrels .

Whole deal shouldn't take more then 30 minutes mostly walking back and forth and taping up the holes .

I had wanted to load buck for bothe guns with Winchester Grex buffer but I didn't get around to it , so I'll use what I already had loaded . If these don't look okay I'll go back and load some with Grex later .

[gamekeeper]

I'd like to see the results, I'm always interested in anything "Parker"...

[6pt-sika]

Just got in the shop from the range etc !

Parker VH 12 gauge on #2 frame with 30" barrels choked full and fuller !
This is the gun I've shot at the Virginia State Trap Shoot the last two years . Put a KickEez pad on it a couple weeks ago it increased the LOP and changed the angle a shade .




The same VH in the bags and a GH 16 gauge damascus barreled gun I killed a deer with a couple years ago shooting #1 buck handloads . This one has 27" barrels that are light IC and lighter Mod . An inch has been cut from the barrels .




25 yard shots with the Lyman 525 grain slugs from the VH 12 !







50 yard shot with right and left barrel at 50 yards .



25 yards VH 12 with #0 Buck handloads .





And finally GH 16 25 yard patterns with handloaded #1 Buck , shot a pair of patterns with each barrel !









Think I'll go home later and load a both loads with buffer and see if it tightens them any , which is actually what I wanted to do to begin with but was a bit lazy yesterday .

[Grizz]

I'd say the slug loads look super good. 525g is my guide gun load, it's a doozie.

Not qualified to acess the shot patterns, what are your observations?

Just based on my poor knowledge base, I'd say that it's a better slug gun than buckshot gun, except for photo #7.

[6pt-sika]

I'd say the slug loads look super good. 525g is my guide gun load, it's a doozie.

Not qualified to acess the shot patterns, what are your observations?

Just based on my poor knowledge base, I'd say that it's a better slug gun than buckshot gun, except for photo #7.

Well based on the fact the buckshot generally shoots better out of IC rather then F I would say it's doing ok . But I am hoping the buffer will tighten it up some . Since I rarely use this stuff past 25 yards I'd be ok with buck or slug in the 12 gauge . In the 16 I've already killed a deer with that load .

[Batman1939]

I usually just put a short line through the holes (or circle them) with a felt tip after my initial shots. Seems quicker than putting tape on them. Just a suggestion.

[6pt-sika]

Just finished loading a dozen of the same buckshot load but with three 9mm cases of Win Grex buffer in as well . Perhaps in the morning I'll try and see if there's any difference !

[crs]

6pt - are you loading with shot cups with sleeves that keep the shot from touching the inside of the barrel?
I have read that without the sleeve, the outside shot of the shot string rub the barrel surface and begin to spin before exiting the muzzle; that spin can cause the pattern to spread.

[6pt-sika]

6pt - are you loading with shot cups with sleeves that keep the shot from touching the inside of the barrel?
I have read that without the sleeve, the outside shot of the shot string rub the barrel surface and begin to spin before exiting the muzzle; that spin can cause the pattern to spread.

I haven't so far tried it without using a shotcup . Not for the reason you state but to keep the shot from leaving lead smudges in the barrel . My Lyman home cast slugs are also in a shot cup and work very well without leaving smudges .

[crs]

6pt,
I also shoot Parkers and have a 12 repro that gets too little use (most of my bird shooting is done with 20 ga ) .
If you would be so kind to share your load data and internal and external ballistics, I would appreciate it.
I am very curious about the muzzle velocity of those 525 slugs of yours.

PS I like the way you use the shot cups with the slugs; good touch even with my chrome lined barrels.

[6pt-sika]

6pt,
I also shoot Parkers and have a 12 repro that gets too little use (most of my bird shooting is done with 20 ga ) .
If you would be so kind to share your load data and internal and external ballistics, I would appreciate it.
I am very curious about the muzzle velocity of those 525 slugs of yours.

PS I like the way you use the shot cups with the slugs; good touch even with my chrome lined barrels.

The Lyman 525 "Sabot Slug" was designed to be used inside a 12 gauge wad .

I've never run any of this stuff over the Chrony .

Last year I popped a butter ball spike on the next to last day of deer season in the adjoining county while we were doing man drives . The gun I used that time was a circa 1891 GH Parker 12 gauge with 28" IC/M barrels . Plowed the unsuspecting man eating whitetail at the astronomical distance of 26 yards . At the shot the little buck dropped on the spot and I lasered him with my range finder .



My load with both the buckshot and the slugs is a Remington STS hull , WIN or CCI 209 primer . 30 grains of SR7625 , a Claybuster copy of the WAA12 wad . The slugs go by themselves and with the buckshot it's actually 9 pellets with or without three 9mm case fulls of Winchester Grex . This is also the same charge I use for trap , skeet and live birds for all my 12 gauge guns . The velocity for birdshot is listed as something in the 8800-9200 pressure range with a velocity of about 1100 FPS . The listing I used was for 1 1/8 ounce of shot which is about 525 grains and not to far off on nine #0 Buck pellets .

This is the slug I cast from the Lyman mold of plain old wheelweights and later I filled the base with hot melt glue . Someone here or on another forum told me it would detract from the accuracy if you left the base empty as the shot cup would push itself into the base . I shot some without the glue and they were ok and then I tried some with the glue and they seemed to be a bit better . I try and hold shots with these slugs to about 35 or 40 yards at best . I usually hold my handloaded buckshot to 25 yards or less . So I think it's safe to say I am bowhunting with shotguns or atleast I hold myself to the same yardages I used to when I still bow hunted .

[6pt-sika]

You may wonder why I keep my powder charge at a level that should hover in the 1100 FPS range . For one it's to keep pressure down and for the other I load them all light as I have Damascus guns I shoot a lot . If I load one thing for each gauge the likely hood of shooting hot stuff that was loaded for the fluid steel barrels in the Damascus barrels by accident is eliminated .

[6pt-sika]

This VH #2 frame 12 gauge as I stated earlier has 30" barrels choked full and tighter . I've used it the last two years for the SxS event at the state trap shoot and have done so so .

I will continue to use the gun for trap on the rare occasions I shoot it anymore .

I recently however ran across a Parker VH #1 1/2 frame 12 gauge that's had it a little rough . The barrels are 27 7/8" and read about light IC and mod . The guns also had a Pachmayer pad added and the pad appears to have been one from the 60's . Anyway I am thinking if I can get it well enough this just might be turned into my skeet/bird gun . I added a KickEez pad to the VH #2 frame gun a couple weeks ago and it changed the pitch and LOP and my Jap Trap scores are now just about perfect . So I'm thinking if I can get the VH #1 1/2 frame gun I'll remove the old Pachmayer and add a KickEez with the same LOP and see how it goes . Actually if I get it I'll try it as is first before anything gets changed

While I'm no longer young , I'm not retirement age either . But I have been fooling with Parkers for about 40 years now . My intrest in them changes as it would in anything else , but there have been Parkers in this house as long as I can remember and they will stay as long as I am able (but then I would say the same thing for AH Fox and LC Smith as well as my Greener , Westley Richards and W&C Scott's ).

[6pt-sika]

I like the way you use the shot cups with the slugs; good touch even with my chrome lined barrels.

FWIW , I was shooting slugs in a Kerner drilling I have a couple weeks ago . All factory 16 gauge loads Federal , Remington , Winchester and Brenneke . After I was done I'd fired 30 of them total . None of these are in shot cups and the amount of lead on the inside of those two barrels was astounding . It took me about thrity minutes the next day to get them both lead free .

[6pt-sika]

My original non buffered loads had been with 12 pellets in the REM SP12 wad , the ones I loaded yesterday were in the Claybuster knockoff of the WAA12 wad and only hold nine pellets . So a few minutes ago I loaded some in the SP12 wad with buffer . Still wanna load some 16 gauge with #1 Buck and buffer today . Rain kinda killed my range trip this morning .

[6pt-sika]

This evening it was raining again so I exchanged the 12 gauge press for the 16 gauge press and loaded a dozen 16 gauge shells with 12 od the #1 Buck using the REM SP16 wad and three 9mm cases full of WIN Grex . After that I did the same thing using the Claybuster knockoff of the old WIN WAA16 wad .

Wanna try the 12 gauge stuff in my Parker VH and GH guns and possibly my VHE .

Wanna try the 16 gauge stuff in my Parker GH , AH Fox A grade and the Kerner drilling .

[6pt-sika]

Just got in the shop from going to the range and running errands !

The buffered loads in the Parker VH 12 looked good but not much difference in the Parker GH 12 . I also shot some more Lyman 525 slugs thru the VH and the groups were decent again .

Tried my circa 1930 AH Fox A Grade 16 gauge with factory Brenneke and Remington slugs as well as handloaded #1 Buckshot and this gun seems to be a decent slug shooter especially with the Brenneke slugs . Handloaded buck in this one was pretty decent with the SP-16 wad but not so great with the Claybuster knockoff og the WAA16 .

Tried my GH 16 gauge damascus gun with the buffered handloads of #1 Buck in the SP-16 wad and the Claybuster knockoff of the WAA16 wad . The WAA16 wasn't worth taking a picture and the bufferred load in the SP-16 was about the same as unbuffered .

Now my Kerner drilling really liked the buffered loads with the SP-16 wad . But not so much in the WAA16.

I'll post pics later today I hope !

[6pt-sika]

Well Friday I was at the range bright and early .

First I tried my circa 1930 AH Fox A Grade 16 gauge 28" IC/M .

[6pt-sika]

Next the Parker GH 16 gauge .

This first one is mismarked and actually the target for the right barrel .





Now we have the buckshot from the Kerner drilling and I thought it was awesome !

[6pt-sika]

The Parker VH 12 gauge #2 frame with buffered 0 Buck 12 pellets in the SP12 wad .





Parker GH 12





Parker VH 12 gauge #2 frame with the Lyman 525 grain home cast slugs again !





All in all I thought it cleared up a good bit !

12 gauge buckshot needs to be 12 of the 0 Buck in a SP12 wad with three 9mm cases full of Grex .
16 gauge buckshot needs to be 12 of the #1 Buck in the SP16 wad with four 9mm cases full of Grex .
The Lyman slugs are fine in the Claybuster WAA12 wad .

[6pt-sika]

I didn't mention this before , but with the 12 and 16 gauge loads of buffered buckshot I've found it's a good idea to lightly seal the center of the crimp with a touch of candle wax or the Grex finds a way to get out . With my 10 gauge loads I don't have this problem as I put a 10 gauge card wad over them and I suppose I could do the same with the 12 and 16's as well . I just haven't bothered to get or cut them for the two lesser gauges .

[6pt-sika]

I'm heading to the range in the morning .

Going to take my Parker VHE 20 gauge 28" M&F .

I have some european 20 gauge shells that are factory loaded with #1 Buck . Tonight I loaded a few #2 Buck shells . Rem SP20 wad 14 pellets and three 9mm cases of Grex .

Also loaded some #3 Buck , SP20 wad and 18 pellets of #3 Buck . Oh yes I used SR7625 in both loads .

[6pt-sika]

Made it to the range wednesday and just got around to posting my findings !
Wanted to try some different buckshot in my Parker VHE 20 gauge .



First I tried factory loaded #1 Buck !









It was soso not the greatest and not the worst either !

Next I tried handloaded #2 buck 14 pellets in a REM SP20 wad with 3 scoops of Grex and SR7625 powder . And this I thoght was pretty darned good .





I also tried #3 buck in the SP20 wad with Grex and SR7625 and they weren't worth taking a photograph . Next time I might try the #3 buck in the Claybuster knickoff of the WAA20 wad and see if theres a difference also lower the pellet count . I think in the SP20 I had about 18 pellets .