This will be my first go at shot shells. I have Fiocchi 12ga 2-3/4" new/primed 20mm brass, brown tube. PT1232 1 1/8 lead shot wads and 7.5 shot. I am mailnly going to be shooting quail, dove, and maybe some clays. What powder should I use with this combination. What reloading manuals do you recomend? I was going to order the Lyman 5th edition, but most reviews were poor for this edition. Your help will be appreciated. Thanks.

Find a PUBLISHED load in your manual(s) and follow it exactly.
My most used 12 ga powder for 1 1/8 oz loads is Red Dot.

Stay with published load data like digger said. I find myself using mostly Hodgdon powders for shot cartridges, so I get my data off their web site. That said, Clays is my go-to powder for target loads.

I gotta ask, why 1 1/8oz. loads for quail, doves, and clays? Drop down to 1oz. and kill just as much stuff, plus then with 1/8oz. less shot, every eighth shot charge is free so to speak. Better yet, try 7/8oz.- trust me when I tell you the birds won't know the difference. With shot so damned expensive, lighter loads make even more sense. Personally I don't know any trap/skeet/clays/dove shooters anymore who shoot 1 1/8oz. loads, myself included.

Badley, my favorite for years is Green Dot..but like everything there is so much stuff on the market since I made my buys..Shooting 1 oz. loads for clays is fine, but for game I like the 1 1/8 oz. stuff..Never hunted Ok. but here ranges lengthen pretty quickly..For game I personally like a bit more shot..

Lyman's 5th is a must have for a beginning shot shell reloader. It's full of excellent info, and safe load data. IMO your should start with this book. Here are some links to the powder manufacturers online data. Free hard copies can also be found.

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/default.aspx

http://www.hodgdon.com/basic-manual-inquiry.html

Products from both companies are excellent. You may find as I have more available data from Hodgdon than Alliant. I tend to shoot more Alliant powders because of price, USA product, and availability.

I shoot a lot of clay targets and can't speak much to hunting loads. I will say that Clay Dot, Red Dot, Green Dot, Promo, and Pro-Reach have preformed great on the trap field. Presently, Clay Dot is my choice closer up with 1 ounce loads (7/8 for practice). Soon I will be trying Green Dot farther back with 1 1/8. Pro-Reach is my choice for really long range 1 1/4- 1 3/8.

I've also used Clays, Int. Clays, 700x, and Longshot. Great Hodgdon Powders I just tend to stick with Alliant offerings for the reasons stated.

No experience with the hulls you mention. You may find more data for the more popular available hulls. Remington's are my favorite. Load data and component availability are excellent. I shoot an auto so I prefer the one piece hull construction.
Here are some wad component sites, many are copies/clones and some come with data.

http://www.claybusterwads.com/

http://www.downrangemfg.com/

http://www.dusterwads.com/

Primers are getting tough to find but they are out there. Shot is going up and up. My last suggestion is to find what load(s) you like and buy in bulk. For 12 and 20 gauge this is the only way to realize savings.

Hope this is helpful and good luck. I've found reloading shot shells to be an enjoyable hobby.

Rob

1 1/8, because I dont know any better. When I buy wally world loads thats what I usually end up with. Im not aginst 7/8 or 1oz loads.

Like I said im new. I have only loaded once and that was when i was about 8 with my grand pa. We loaded some up for a turkey shoot. We both brung home turkeys and he won the pot. Those were his "bringing home the money" loads. He has since passed and I wasn't smart enough to learn from him while I had the chance.

Ill pick up a manual. So far there does not seem to be as much information available for shot shell reloading as there is for metalic cartridges.

Thanks for the info guys.

Like gnoahh and others posted, use published loads. Shotshell loading is not like rifle and pistol loading where you tinker with the loads to find the most accurate.

In shotshell loading you first decide what hull you want to load, the shot weight and velocity that you want, then you go to the published loads which tell you which wad, powder and charge weight to use. In loading over 200,000 shotshells, I have not found any noticable difference in brands of primers.

Also good advice on the 7/8 oz shot loads for 12 ga. I use them for Skeet, 16 yd and first shot in Doubles Trap, and for the closer Sporting Clays targets. I use 1 1/8 oz loads for 27 yd Trap, the second shot in Trap doubles, and for the longer Sporting Clays targets.

Many years ago when I first started loading 12 ga I used Red Dot for Trap loads, and Green Dot for hunting loads. later, I switched to 700x for Trap loads. Then I found that Hodgen Clays burns a lot cleaner than either Red Dot or 700x so I now use it exclusively for all of my target shooting. I also use Clays International for my 20 ga target loads, and Clays Universal for my 28 ga target loads. I load my .410 shells with Winchester 296.

I use Claybuster wads in most of my target loads, and the load data is listed in each bag of wads.

But, smart enough to ask questions first, so kudos on that.

As others have said, find a published load or two and try them out.

A simple google search with your hulls and "loads" should find you plenty to start with.

Also as has been said, look at 1 or even 7/8 oz loads.

I use 7/8 for almost everything (sporting clays, skeet, hunting).

Lots of upside (much more pleasant to shoot, save a bit on shot costs, kill/break birds just as well as my old 1 1/8 loads), and very little downside.

Have fun!

I load 1 ounce loads in the 12 gauge primarily for 16 yard trap for my youth squad but we use the same loads for skeet and 5-stand. I have used Hodgdon Clays since it came out in the early 90's but have recently switched to Alliant shotshell powders.

I use Remington gun club, Rem STS and Win "AA" cases. I picked a load that I can swith cases through my Hornady 366 progressive
loader with out having to change charge weights, wads or primers.

A variation by a few tenths of a grain in powder changing cases
is not going to have any issues except an increase or decrease in velocity.

I also changed from Hodgdon international clays for the 20 gauge an now use Alliant 20/28 for loading 20 and 28 gauge.

I get more loadings from the Remington gun club hulls than I do with the Rem "STS" hulls and there are much easier to find in the trash bins as range pick ups.

Doc

Basically a good post here! But when blasting at doves I afford myself 1-ounce loads of 8's in a 20gauge.

Hoever I agree that using 1-ounce or 7/8oz loads have their advantages too when less is more! I haven't shot quail here in woorsheengton state where I live, but we have lots of valley quail (usually in peoples' yards!), that the average distance shot at is 16-17-18 yards! (told to me by actual quail shooters) So methinks those 7/8oz loads would be plenty in those instances.

As for powders, I too prefer Hodgdon ball propellents - often choosing powders that also work well in my handguns.

As for manuals, I collect reloading data (to study and compare to other eras) and recommend [possibly] finding and buying 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions of the Lyman manuals as well as the 5th ed. My experience has shown me some editions are definitely BETTER than others! (better written, better edited or proof-read, better organized, etc., etc., ..... just "better" done and finished than other editions)

When reloading (more than 30yrs for me), I've found different powders "meter" (measure) differently than others too, and have chosen the ball or granular shaped powders much more often than "flake" powders.