*Disclaimer: This post contains shotshell load data derived
from published sources which proved safe in the author’s firearms. The author
assumes no liability for damage or injury resulting from use or misuse of this
data. Always use reloading best practices and consult a data manual. This data
is provided for entertainment purposes only and should not be as a reloading
guide. All posts are subject to potentially dangerous typos or errors.
A fine shotgun with a 2 3/4" chamber shouldn't be relegated to just the skeet range and upland field
Shotgunnery, like any other sport can easily morph into an
arms race where bigger and better is the name of the game. For field-shooting
this translates into larger gauges and longer shell lengths. Nowadays you can
not only get 3” shells in both 12 and 20 gauge and even 3 ½” shells in the 12
gauge. Much has been written about the unnecessariness of the 3 ½” 12 gauge
shotshell (some of which I disagree with) but I’d like to take this opportunity
to tout some of my favorite 2 ¾” 12 gauge loads. I do believe that over the course
of my lifetime I’ve shot more 2 ¾” 12 gauge than any other cartridge excepting .22
LR.
Can a man who wants to hunt everything with a shotgun get by
with a 2 ¾” chambered 12 gauge? Absolutely yes. Furthermore, some of the best
shotguns ever produced are unavailable in 3” chambers. The only real issue is
the use of steel shot for waterfowl. However, that can be overcome though I
have elected not to reload steel. Here are my reload and factory
recommendations for the cartridge based on application.
Heavy Target / Light Field
Reload:
1 1/8 oz No.
7 ½ shot at 1,300 FPS
2 ¾” 12
gauge Remington STS or Nitro 27 hull
Remington 209P
primer
25 gr Alliant
Unique power
Winchester WAA12 wad
8 point fold
crimp
Source: Alliant
Powder Reloader’s Guide
For years
this little darling has been my most-produced 12 gauge reload. 1 1/8 oz of high
antimony 7 ½ shot is my standard for sporting clays, dove, small furred game,
and bobwhites. Alliant Unique is an old, dirty powder and there are arguably
several other powders that are better for pure shotgun applications. However,
Unique is uniquely versatile and I keep it on hand because it is great
for loading pistol cartridges too—including my favorite the .44 Special.
Factory:
Remington
Nitro 27 Sporting Clays
1 1/8 oz of
7.5 shot at 1,300 FPS
Source: Recob’s
Target Shop
This factory
load replicates the exterior ballistics of the previous reload and does so with
a cleaner burning powder. The hard shot patterns well and the Nitro 27 hulls
are amongst the best for reloading. I have found that since Winchester switched
to the ‘new style’ compression-formed AA hulls that the Remington product is
superior. Plus, the gold Nitro 27 hulls just plain look cool. The price on
these loads seems highly variable. I’ve seen them anywhere from under $7 to over
$10 per box of 25 rounds.
Heavy Field
Reload #1:
1 3/8 oz of
No. 5 shot at 1,300 FPS
2 ¾” 12 gauge Winchester AA Compression-Formed hull
Winchester 209 primer
26 gr Hi-Skor 800x powder
Winchester WAA12R wad
Eight point fold crimp
Source: Hodgdon
Reloading Guide
This is where the rubber meets the road. The Hi-Skor 800x load not
only hits, but hits with authority. An utterly reliable pheasant and crow load,
with 1 3/8 oz of shot you have enough in the column to make use of No. 5 shot which
provides a great balance of pattern density and penetration. In a pinch, this
load has also sufficed for turkey.
Reload #2
1 1/8 oz of No. 6 shot at 1,530 FPS
2 ¾” 12 gauge Winchester AA Compression-Formed hull
Winchester 209 primer
34.4 gr Hodgdon Longshot powder
Winchester WAA12 wad
Eight point fold crimp
Source: Hodgdon
Reloading Guide
Do you want speed? Well by Jove you can have it in spades with this
load! I’ve used it to crumple pheasants and generally everything else that it
has been pointed at. I also can’t think about this load without thinking about the
time my buddy Andy and I ‘loaned’ an ultra-lightweight Franchi AL48 stoked with
these loads to a fellow member of our sporting clays team. The ka-chunk of the
long-recoil action system was noticeable and a battered shoulder was
unavoidable. Nonetheless, you sure don’t have to lead those birds very far if
you can tolerate the recoil in your upland gun.
Factory Load
Fiocchi Golden Pheasant
1 3/8 oz No. 5 shot at 1,485 FPS
Source: Midway
USA
Speed meets payload. These shells are beginning to get pricey (about $18/box)
but they are true hammers. What I particularly like about these shells is the
fact that the shot is nickel-plated, which resists deformation under recoil and
increases lubricity—thereby increasing penetration. Bonus points if you can
find a dusty box in a hardware store somewhere that has the retro-cool cock pheasant
portrait on the front!
Turkey
Reload
1 5/8 oz of No. 5 shot at 1,330 FPS
2 ¾” 12 gauge Activ
Winchester 209 primer
??? gr Winchester 540 powder
Winchester WAA12R wad
Eight point fold crimp
Source: out-of-print Activ data sheet
I’m not including complete details on this load since it uses both a
discontinued hull and a discontinued powder. But let me tell you, there were
something! The good news is that a factory load exists that
is only marginally slower.
Factory
Kent Ultimate Turkey Diamond Shot
1 5/8 oz No. 5 at 1,285 FPS
Source: Field
Supply
This is as heavy as you want to go in a 2 ¾” chamber. I’ve been very
impressed with both the effectiveness and relative economy of these loads compared
to premium turkey loads. I’ve successfully used them in the field and found
that they pattern tightly even out of a straight cylinder-bored Remington 870
Wingmaster that I happened to be carrying turkey hunting one day. If your
favorite turkey gun has a 2 ¾” chamber you will not be under-gunned with these magnums
loaded with very hard shot.
Kent's 1 5/8 oz load proven very lethal on this fall-harvested hen turkey even when fired from a cylinder bore
