Looking for 20ga Garden Gun Load

[SayNo2NWO]

Can a 20ga shotshell be loaded way down to maybe 400-600 fps for pest control inside a barn type application?

[anyracoon]

Get your self a 410 insert

[SayNo2NWO]

Even a 410 is loaded too hot. So then down load a 410 shell out of a 20ga? Can't a 20ga shell light loaded work?

[RandyD]

If you reload, you can experiment with loads to create what you want. The only issue is your load may not work in a semi auto shotgun.

[rg1]

I'd say it's not a good idea. You'd likely get blooper loads and even the possibility of a wad stuck in the barrel? I've read some bad results shooting shot or bullets inside a barn with shot coming back at the shooter.

[SayNo2NWO]

I'm looking for help in accomplishing this goal or pointers to anyone who may have already gone down this path. If it's impossible to get a quiet, light loaded 20ga recipe somewhere in the neighborhood of 400-600fps, that's one thing. But if it can be done, I'm seeking help in doing that.

[RandyD]

I'd say it's not a good idea. You'd likely get blooper loads and even the possibility of a wad stuck in the barrel? I've read some bad results shooting shot or bullets inside a barn with shot coming back at the shooter.

I would not be too concerned about getting a wad stuck in a barrel, it is easy to push out with a dowel. The concern about shot coming back at the shooter will depend upon several factors; distance and what materials is he shooting at.

OP, the go to cartridge, for shooting in a barn, at my grandparents ranch was .22 Long Rifle birdshot. It did not pierce the metal siding and roofs in their buildings, and there were no ricochets that damaged property or injured anyone.

[PoorRichRichard]

Get your self a 410 insert

[PoorRichRichard]

OP, if you decide to go the inset route, they are not very expensive. This was my firs hit on a google search for “20 gauge to 410 adapter”

https://www.gunadapters.com/20-gauge-to-410-45-colt-scavenger-series/

[SayNo2NWO]

To get velocities as low as I'm wanting, I'm going to have to roll my own whether it's in .410 or any other gauge. And I'm already set up for 20ga.

Anybody heard of or have experience with 9mm Flobert?

[3006]

If you have a center fire pistol you could load shot shells my 44 mag works good at short range it's not super quite though.

[anyracoon]

Just a FYI, I load my standard 410 load with 14gr of W296.

[SayNo2NWO]

Probably 9mm Flobert would work, but has to be smooth bore. So looking to adapt what resources I have on hand, 20ga loaded down to 400-600fps. The trick seems to be keeping enough back pressure to allow a complete burn?

[NapalmCheese]

To get velocities as low as I'm wanting, I'm going to have to roll my own whether it's in .410 or any other gauge. And I'm already set up for 20ga.

Anybody heard of or have experience with 9mm Flobert?

I have no experience downloading the way you want but how about a thought exercise?

If you have a 3/4 oz load of lead shot in your 20 gauge shell you'll need to overcome a fair bit of inertia to push it out. That means you need enough powder and pressure to launch that load. If you want to use less than 3/4 oz you start running into problems with your wad/stack height and getting appropriate amounts of compression on the hull/wad/shot column. You can cover come this with extra fiber/felt/cork/card wads all over the place but that complicates loading. Just remember that if you don't build enough pressure quickly enough you'll just have a ton of unburnt powder mucking up your bore.

However, if you take a straight walled pistol case and load it with a touch of Unique, Universal, Red Dot, or the like, a fiber wad, a bit of #9 shot (light for caliber, i.e. less than 125 grains of shot for a .357 case) and cover it with an overshot card that's glued in place with Elmers you might be on to a decent pest load.

If you're feeling plucky dropping a mylar sleeve into the case before dropping your shot might improve the pattern from a rifled barrel.

[SayNo2NWO]

Yeah ok, I like where you're going with this NapalmCheese! Maybe even utilize the 44 case for the big rats. Now you've got me thinking. If I could overcome the rifling twisting the shot pattern, that could be the ticket. Wonder what could be utilized in a cartridge case to effectively defeat the rifling's job of twisting the load? If CCI could get that figured out, how much more effective their pest loads would be. Can you explain what is a mylar sleeve?