Alcan#5 shotshell loads

jimmcgeh@lisco.com

I have about 4 lbs of Alcan #5 and 500 cci 109 primers.I would like to use them in winchester AA hulls and WAA114F wads for 1 1/8 and
1 1/4 loads.Any info out there will be appreciated.I hate to use expensive powder for fertilizer.
Jim

cbyerly

AL-5 is a high energy powder intended for loading magnum type loads in 12 ga shells. It is appropriate for hunting loads only, not trap or target loads. The suggested charge is 31 gains of powder and 1 1/4 oz shot. You may have to use AA short wads instead of standard trap wads.

zimmden

My Lyman 1st Edition Shotshell Handbook from 1969 only lists a couple loads with Alcan AL-5 in plastic cases. For 1 1/4 oz loads with Alcan Flite-Max wad they use 31.0 gr of AL-5. It gives 1240 fps. For 11/8 oz load 28.0 gr of AL-5 produces 1175 fps at a safe pressure in AA hulls.

FWAddit

I have a sheet of reloading data from a box of Alcan wads. It includes no data for WAA114F wads. However, the load listed for the Alcan Flite-Max wad in AA cases suggests that the 1 1/8 oz. load given by zimmden is safe. Alcan recommends 29 gr. of AL-5, which is said to give 1245 fps.

The sheet does not list a 1 1/4 oz. recommendation for AL-5 with a Flite-Max wad in the AA case. Using plastic over-powder wads and a built-up wad column, it recommends 30 gr. for a nominal velocity of 1270-1300 fps, depending on differences in the way the column is built up.

The 31-gr. charge of AL-5 is recommended on this sheet only for use in Alcan and Federal (straight-walled) cases, not for AAs.

Years ago I used quite a lot of AL-5, and in AA cases limited its use to 1 1/8 oz. loads. The WAA114F was not available in those days, so I have no helpful experience with it.

jimmcgeh@lisco.com

Thanks for all the info.I tried both loads with 30gr alcan 5,with the
1 1/8 and 1 1/4 loads.Everything seems fine.
Thank You
Jim