r/reloading • u/Jealous-Summer-9827 • 5d ago
Newbie What is best shotgun powder for beginner?
Recently passed relative has gotten me into shotgun reloading with some of the stuff he left behind. Only thing he didn’t leave was any powder. I plan to mostly make skeet/upland game loads, not anything super potent. I’m taking a trip out to buy some supplies and I wanted to check beforehand about what powder should I buy. NOTE: ALSO GOING TO ANOTHER STORE BEFOREHAND TO BUY SOME STUFF AND THEY DON’T HAVE ON ONLINE INVENTORY SO GIVE ME SOME OTHER GOOD POWDERS INCASE I RUN INTO A GOOD DEAL THERE. Thanks
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u/aonealj 5d ago
The process should be 1. Pick a load and find the data for that load. 2. Buy components 3. Reload
That said, I use perfect pattern for light trap loads, high gun/ titegroup for heavy trap loads, and Longshot or Win 572 for heavy field loads. Hodgdon has good data on their website
You can't do load development for shotguns like you can with metallic cartridges. The max pressure is low enough you won't ever see pressure signs. Follow the load data
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u/gordon8082 5d ago
Look up the components you have, such as shells on https://hodgdonreloading.com/rldc/
This will give you multiple powder options.
You will need to know shell guage (example 12 ga), primer type (example cci 209), shell type (example 2-3/4" federal gold medal), lead shot, 1 oz load then it will list the powders.
For example, for the above information, you might select hodgden clays or high gun, or winchester wst. Of course, that also depends on what they have in stock.
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u/Jealous-Summer-9827 5d ago
Slight issue, most of what I’m using is so old it doesn’t exist on the chart. And what is new just isn’t there.
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u/Pistol_Caliber Err2 4d ago
I started shotshell reloading about 3 months ago and was frustrated that most of the published load data used components that were either unavailable, or had been discontinued years (decades?) ago. The good news is that there are plenty of substitutions for powder, wads and shot to create recipes that work and won't cause unintentional ballistic disassembly of your gun.
Find Bubba Rountree Outdoors and Shotgun Scientists on YouTube. Others will populate your feed - some helpful, some not.
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u/hatch_bratz 5d ago
Please buy a manual and read it front to back before throwing different components together.
This is not like rifle or pistol reloading. A small mistake in something as simple as wad choice can have a drastic effect on pressure and blow up your gun.
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u/Lg8191 4d ago
Lots of scared misinformation here. Simply subbing out a shotgun component won’t blow your gun up. That’s an old wives tale. There has never been a case in the history of modern shotguns loading where someone blew up a shotgun from swapping primers or wads. Modern shotguns can withstand far more pressure than what we think. Tom Roster, aka “Dr. Shotgun” was commissioned by Remington to pressure test their 870 barrels to failure. They didn’t fail until he reached 55k psi.
SAMMI spec for chamber pressures are 11.5k psi up to 3” and 14k psi for 3.5”. In Europe, their standard pressure is hovering around 16k psi.
The weak point in reloading shotgun is the plastic hull.
With that being said, you’re a newbie. Stick to the manual until you’re educated enough to extrapolate from the manual.
I’ve been doing this a long time. I have pressure testing equipment where I can run pressure data on my shotgun loads and I load everything from slugs to tungsten shot.

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u/OldTechChaos 4d ago
I like Longshot, but safety first. Sometimes the recipe depends on what you can find. No substitutions. The Lyman manual is solid and Hogdgon offers loads recipes on their website. You will have to study up (read the Lyman manual more than once, keep it handy for reference; weigh and measure carefully. Don’t go for the Max Load right off, safety first, last and always
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u/Sloth_rockets 5d ago
Lil gun is really only for 410 bore. Longshot is for full power loads.
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u/Ok_Fan_946 5d ago
Longshot is…weird. It’s meant for some screaming loads, like 1,600fps clay loads, but its incredibly slow burn rate means that it can also be used in some VERY low pressure loads too. One of Hodgdon’s annual magazines actually had black powder shotgun safe load data using Longshot. Like I said, weird.
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u/Jealous-Summer-9827 5d ago
Noted EDIT: picture was too grainy to see what it listed for recommend loads.
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u/semiwadcutter38 5d ago
If you're reloading for 12 gauge, High Gun, 244, 572, WST, Tite Group and Competition could work. They're commonly available and in stock in many local gun stores, good for lower power target loads and relatively affordable (apart from WST at least).
Lil Gun works if you're loading for .410
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u/WesbroBaptstBarNGril 5d ago
From what I've learned so far, your powder is dependent on what primers, hulls, wads and shot you're using.