Reinforced 12 gauge Magnum cartridges

In a number of parameters, 12-gauge cartridges outperform other calibers, which is why they are very popular among owners of smooth-bore firearms. Their charges have sufficient weight and many accessories. Most firearms enthusiasts are familiar with heavy-duty 12-gauge Magnum ammunition. For what purpose they are produced and what specific advantage they have over other cartridges can be found in this article.

"Magnum" in English means something big and strong. This designation is given to charges and guns designed to fire reinforced charges. Not every gun is designed to fire the Magnum cartridge. Such a weapon should have a reinforced locking mechanism and a reinforced barrel.

Main differences

The main difference between the 12-gauge Magnum cartridge is the length of the cartridge case, which is 76; 89 mm. Such cartridges were intended for shooting at waterfowl. They make it possible to shoot over long distances.

Strengthened cartridges helped equalize the charge speed readings when replacing lead shot with steel shot. Many developed countries have long switched to such charges when hunting waterfowl, since scientists believe that shot that falls to the bottom sooner or later ends up in the stomachs of birds. By collecting food from the bottom of a reservoir and swallowing metal, they become poisoned, which can lead to their death.

Details and execution[edit]

.357 SuperMag[edit]

Based on the .357 Magnum cartridge, a revolver or single-shot pistol designed for the .357 SuperMag can also fire .357 Magnum and .38 Special cartridges.
The .357 SuperMag cartridge is essentially the same cartridge as the .357 Remington Maximum, later called the .357 Remington Maximum, which was jointly developed in 1982-1983 by Sturm, Ruger & Company and Remington. The brass .357 Max is only 0.005 inch shorter than the .357 SuperMag brass, but identical in all other sizes. Ruger as well as Dan Wesson introduced revolvers chambered for this cartridge, and soon Thompson/Center in their single-shot Contender.[1] From Due to flame cutting of the top strap of revolvers when firing cartridges loaded with 125 grain bullets, Ruger discontinued its revolver with this cartridge after a short production run. Dan Wesson provided customers with a second barrel, but this did little to assuage customer concerns, and the cartridge remained popular only in the T/C Contender. Remington then stopped producing this cartridge, although brass for rechargers is still produced every few years. .357 SuperMag Dan Wesson eight-inch barrel

.375 SuperMag[edit]

Based on the .375 Winchester rifle cartridge, this custom cartridge was intended to fit between .357 and .445, but is no longer produced.
It had a conical body, which, after firing, could get stuck in the cylinder. .375 SuperMag Dan Wesson eight-inch barrel

.414 SuperMag[edit]

Based on the .41 Magnum cartridge. [1]

.445 SuperMag[edit]

Based on the .44 Magnum cartridge, the revolver, designed for the .445 SuperMag, can shoot the shorter .44 Magnum, .44 Special and .44 Russian.
[1] Characteristics

Ballistic characteristics

.445 SuperMag Dan Wesson with 10, 8 and 6 inch barrels

Caliber equalization

The characteristics of the 12 gauge Magnum cartridge are no different from the 10 gauge charge. This fact is another reason for the popularity of reinforced cartridges. So, for example, a 20-gauge Magnum cartridge will have the same characteristics as a 12-gauge cartridge with a regular charge. Such indicators are made possible due to the length of the reinforced cartridge. If you need a small load, for example, when hunting small game or when shooting at close range, you can use a 20-gauge shotgun with a regular cartridge, and, for example, when hunting large game, use an enhanced Magnum load.

So, when shooting with steel shot, in order to equalize the performance with a lead charge, the size of the shot must be increased by two numbers, which, in turn, will reduce the number of pellets in the charge. The length of the 12-gauge Magnum cartridge makes it possible to equalize these indicators and give the hunter the opportunity to switch to steel shot while maintaining the characteristics of the charge.

Problems with 12/89 caliber weapons

Weapons of 12/89 caliber came to Russia long before the birth of the Beretta A391 3.5 Xtrema shotgun. First of all, these were products from Benelli (Italy) and Browning (Belgium), such as the semi-automatic Benelli Super Black Eagle, Browning Gold Hunter 3.5 and the Benelli Nova pump-action shotgun.

It is necessary to understand where the problem of creating the 12/89 cartridge came from. This problem primarily appeared in the USA. American hunters were unobtrusively asked by their legislators to shoot waterfowl with steel shot for environmental reasons. It is clear that the use of steel shots, especially larger ones, requires solving certain technical problems. This is the creation of special wads-containers that can reliably protect the bore from the effects of steel shot, this is the creation of special gunpowders that can provide proper internal and external ballistics of the shot, the creation of a primer that can work effectively with this gunpowder. The American company Federal Cartridge Co began to solve all these problems in 1987. According to the company's manager for new product development, Bob Kramer, many experiments were carried out with brands of gunpowder, but none of them gave satisfactory results. Federal eventually had to create a new powder for the 12/89. It must be remembered that we are talking about ammunition with steel shot.

What is being done in Russia to create a 12/89 cartridge with steel shot?

We are working on creating ammunition that allows you to shoot game with small and large steel shot, shot loads up to 30-32 g using Sunar 35 gunpowder, with a 70 mm cartridge case. The main thing is that a container has been created, the material of which allows you to reliably protect the barrel bore. But Sunar 35 gunpowder is a fast-burning gunpowder, it cannot be used for weighing large steel shot in 45 g. A container that is suitable for using small steel shot is completely unsuitable for large steel shot. And the difference here is not only in the size of the container. Large steel shot must be oriented in a certain way in the container. Of course, you can create a container for a steel shot projectile weighing 45 g, using Sunar-Magnum gunpowder. Placing large steel shot (diameter 00; 000) in a thick-walled plastic container when using Sunar-Magnum gunpowder can lead to the case being rolled not in the “star” way, but in the usual way. The overall length of the cartridge will increase, and problems will arise with feeding it from the under-barrel magazine in semi-automatic and pump-action pumps, both imported and domestically produced. It may be necessary to create a new powder that takes up less volume in the case. It is known that a steel shot projectile is practically not deformed at the initial moment of the shot. How will Sunar-Magnum gunpowder behave in this situation, what will the pressure be, and how will the intra-ballistic process inside the barrel proceed? In a word, there are problems, and considerable ones. It will not be possible to solve them quickly, and why should they, because in Russia, thank God, no one forbade shooting with lead shot. Maybe someday they will ban it, I don’t think it will be in the next year or two; During this time, they will probably create a reliable Magnum-class ammunition with steel shot.

What does our ammunition industry now offer to owners of 12/89 shotguns? The choice, frankly speaking, is small. Of the domestic manufacturers who are concerned about the problem of owners of 12/89 shotguns, let’s name two factories: the Krasnozavodsk Chemical Plant, which produces Record-Leader cartridges, and the plant named after. Sergo Ordzhonikidze, producing Pozis cartridges. Owners of MP-153 shotguns of 12/89 caliber are mainly trying to purchase ammunition from these factories.

But both cartridges, “Leader” 12/89 and “Pozis” 12/89, are loaded with lead shot. The pressure developed by the Leader 12/89 cartridge with a Sunar-Magnum powder weight of 2.7 g and a shot shell weight of 55 g is quite comfortable - 750 kg/cm2. But at the same time, the sleeve rolled in the usual way has a length of more than 80 mm, which makes this cartridge unsuitable for use in semi-automatic and pump-action weapons. The Pozis 12/89 cartridges show good sharpness at a distance of 35 m, but sometimes they suffer from partial destruction of the plastic wad-container at the base with a clear breakthrough of powder gases. It is difficult to analyze the characteristics of these cartridges, since each next shot is different from the previous one. True, this is the only domestic 12/89 caliber cartridge that allows its use without restrictions in both imported and domestic weapons with an 89 mm chamber. Those hunters who use a self-roller with Sunar-Magnum gunpowder must remember that the mass of this gunpowder to the mass of a lead shot projectile from 55 g to 64 g is 1.20.

But, despite obvious problems, primarily in the field of cartridge production, imported weapons of 12/89 caliber continue to arrive in Russia. And the semi-automatic A391 3.5 Xtrema is complete confirmation of this. This gun is far from the first example of a hunting weapon chambered for 12/89. It was primarily intended for American hunters, but from a technical point of view it is a very interesting weapon.

Design features of the gun

Model A391 3.5 Xtrema is a completely new gun in terms of many technical solutions. The possibility of using 12/89 caliber cartridges required a thorough revision of the design of its components. This primarily concerns shooting with 64 g clad lead shot shells intended for hunting North American turkey. After all, for shooting waterfowl, cartridges filled with steel shot are used, the mass of which does not exceed 45 g.

The long and wide chrome-plated barrel shank immediately catches your eye. The main purpose of such an unusual shank is to provide greater rigidity to the receiver, made of an alloy. For the first time in a gas-operated semiautomatic device, a rotary bolt (rotary combat cylinder) is used to lock the barrel bore. The barrel is locked using two lugs. The trigger mechanism (trigger mechanism) is mounted on a polymer frame. The use of polymers for the manufacture of USM parts was first tested in the AL391 Urika model. The practice of its operation confirmed the correctness of the decision made. The bolt group receives impulse from the gas piston rod through two rods (previous models had one rod). The bolt return spring in the semi-automatic A391 3.5 Xtrema is located not in the stock, but on the tube of the under-barrel magazine. This design makes it easy to maintain this unit. On the other hand, the desire of designers to improve the balance of the gun forces them to make the spring as light as possible, and therefore somewhat weakened. This places increased demands on cartridge calibration when reloading cartridges. With a poorly calibrated cartridge case, the cartridge may not be loaded into the chamber. There are no problems with new sleeves. The shutter return spring is housed in a special plastic casing. If you remove the bolt handle, the bolt itself, the rods, the return spring and the gas piston rod can be removed as one. For disassembling and cleaning the gun in the field, this is a very significant point, as it helps prevent the loss of these parts.

The gas unit of the gun has undergone minor changes. The dimensions of the gas piston have increased, since in this model it is located on the tube of the under-barrel magazine. At the same time, the design of the piston is such that it eliminates the direct impact of powder gases on the wall of the under-barrel magazine. This makes it possible to make the magazine tube from a light alloy, which has a beneficial effect on the weight distribution of the gun. Naturally, the dimensions of the gas chamber, damper valve and its spring have also increased. A special spring has been introduced into the design of the gas piston, which is designed to self-clean the gas chamber from powder deposits. Everything else is as before. Automation is used with a long stroke of the gas piston rod, and excess gases are discharged into the atmosphere through a deflector in the front part of the forend.

Design elements designed to reduce recoil

The designers also took the problem of reduced recoil seriously. When shooting 12/89 cartridges loaded with 45 g steel shot, no problems arise. But the use of cartridges with 64 g lead shot causes discomfort for the shooter. Although the weight of the A391 3.5 Xtrema gun is 3.6 kg. There's nothing new here.

Research conducted by specialists from the American companies Mossberg and Federal when creating 12/89 ammunition and weapons for it clearly confirms that in such a situation, recoil is most effectively counteracted by the mass of the gun. But weapons chambered for 12/89 were primarily developed as an alternative to highly specialized and heavy 10-gauge weapons chambered for steel shot.

In the A391 3.5 Xtrema model, to reduce recoil, the internal diameter of the barrel bore has been increased (Optima Bore bore drilling) and a special weight (recoil absorber) is located in the stock. Simply put, part of the recoil energy is absorbed when moving the load, but most importantly, the recoil impulse is extended over time. Most recoil absorbers weigh between 200 and 300 grams and reduce recoil in shotguns by an average of 15 to 20%. It is probably necessary to include a muzzle brake in the design of the A391 3.5 Xtrema shotgun. A similar device in the form of a replaceable choke tube is used in the new model A391 3.5 Xtrema Camo Realtree Hardwoods HD Turkey Special, and it is called EOC Plus (Extended Optimachoke Plus). The buttplate of the gun is equipped with a Gel-Tek silicone-filled shock absorber, and the rear of the receiver is equipped with a recoil buffer absorber.

Replaceable choke tubes

The design of the interchangeable choke constrictions has also undergone certain changes. First of all, this concerns the wear resistance of the new Optima Plus nozzles; they can withstand much more steel and tungsten shot than their predecessors, the Beretta Optima nozzles.

The internal geometry of the Optima Plus nozzle is different in that the angle of transition into the choke itself has been changed (it has become flatter).

Western experts explain their fascination with longer choke constrictions with a gentle transition by the fact that they provide a more uniform shot pattern. But there is another reason. The widespread transition to steel shot when hunting waterfowl forced designers to take a different look at the geometry of choke constrictions. After all, steel shot, even with a muzzle constriction of 0.5 mm (half-length), provides the maximum values ​​for the accuracy and uniformity of shot discharge at a distance of 35 m. The dynamic impact of steel shot in the transition zone from the barrel bore to the muzzle constriction forced this transition to be smoother and longer . Otherwise, apparently, it was impossible to avoid ring-shaped swelling of the barrel in the muzzle.

It will be difficult for a Russian hunter to realize all the capabilities of this weapon. First of all, due to the high cost of imported 12/89 cartridges. The quality of domestic cartridges, as mentioned above, leaves much to be desired. To reliably feed a cartridge from the under-barrel magazine into the barrel, it must be no longer than 80 mm. In factory 12/89 cartridges, when sealing the case neck using the “star” method, destruction of the wad-container body is sometimes observed during a shot. Increased deformation of the lower layers of the lead shot shell cannot be avoided in this ammunition. Therefore, for shooting at extreme distances, it is necessary to use the hardest shot (antimony content 6–8%) and sprinkle it with dry starch. When loading cartridges yourself, problems will arise with the standard UPS due to the increased length of the cartridge case. It must be remembered that Italian weapons do not like Russian primers, especially the KV-22 and KV-21. Even listing these few features that a hunter may encounter when operating a weapon chambered for 12/89 makes one think about the advisability of purchasing it. If you nevertheless bought a weapon chambered for 12/89, then it is probably most advisable to use 76 mm long cartridges in it. When rolling a 76 mm long cartridge case in the usual way, this cartridge can completely accommodate a 50 g lead shot projectile. When sprinkling the shot with starch, the total mass of the projectile will reach 54–55 g. The situation can be improved to some extent by the creation of a new high-density progressive burning gunpowder.

In general, the A391 3.5 Xtrema shotgun is not a universal weapon for a hunter. Rather, it is a highly specialized gun, largely intended for hunting waterfowl, as evidenced by the camouflage options, namely Realtree Hardwoods, Advantage Wetlands, Advantage Timber.

For some reason, some people think that purchasing a gun with an 89 mm chamber will solve all the problems associated with prey hunting for goose, wood grouse, etc. In Russia, the problems of confidently hitting game at extreme shotgun ranges (50–60 m) are solved by other methods, and not with a gun with an 89 mm chamber. And, as world experience in creating ammunition shows, there are other ways to solve the problem of confidently hitting game at such a distance. You can probably take a closer look at the experience of Italian specialists from the Zanoletti company in creating new ammunition; a very interesting idea, the main thing is that a 70 mm sleeve is used with a shot load of 50–52 g, the sleeve is rolled in an ordinary way.

But for confident shooting of geese, a different approach is needed. The main thing is that they do not interfere, that there is a desire to understand the essence and rules of this hunt, to learn how to use a decoy well; Of course, you have to be a good shooter. As for the cartridges for this hunt, for us, ordinary Russian hunters, ordinary starch will solve all our problems for a long time. When cartridges appear that will be capable of confidently hitting a goose at 50–60 m without starch, then we will shoot them; I would like their price to be no more than self-equipped ones. In a word, 12/89 weapons are generally not needed in Russia before the arrival of magnum-class ammunition with steel shot on the market; 12/76 will suffice.

Dmitry Kopaev

Where are they used?

When choosing a cartridge charge, information about the area in which you will be hunting will help and, of course, you need to pay attention to the time of year. Magnum cartridges provide visible results when shooting large shot at long distances. Because heavy charges can store energy over a long distance. Small shot at a distance of 30-40 meters will be ineffective; its speed will only be enough to wound the animal.

When hunting a goose from extreme distances, a 12-gauge Magnum loaded with large shot or buckshot will make it possible to fire a shot from a distance of 45-60 meters, which is 1.5 times more than a conventional charge with the same shot number. For hunting wild boar or wolves, buckshot with a Magnum attachment is used. This allows you to increase the number of buckshot in the cartridge and lengthen the killing distance. When hunting a hare in the fields, where the hare is often at a distance of 50 meters, the Magnum mount will also be effective, since at such a distance a conventional projectile will lose energy to kill. When hunting for capercaillie, which takes place in the early hours in gloomy light, the distance for a shot does not always correspond to the desired one, and the bird itself is tough to wound, so using reinforced Magnum cartridges on such a hunt is quite advisable.

Caution: Magnum cartridge!

Photo by Anton Zhuravkov

Almost from the first years of hunting, hunting literature provided a lot of useful information, which, as a guide-mentor, taught everything related to hunting. The correct choice of a gun, its care, safety precautions when hunting, especially during a manhunt. Making a good cartridge, selecting the best charge and projectile, etc. Over the years, my own experience has accumulated, and I began to treat some articles in the hunting press, even if there is a well-known surname under them, with doubts.

Some authors somehow “abstrusely” give advice, sometimes life-threatening. At the same time, they are not confirmed by experience, but are based on assumptions and reasoning. Such advice creates confusion in the minds of hunters. Here is one example. Hunting cartridge "Magnum". It tickles the nerves of not only young hunters, but also quite mature ones. In the hunting press we can read how a master of sports, a trainer or an experienced hunter describes the Magnum cartridge (only on the positive side: it is long-range, suitable for hunting goose, wood grouse, fox and wolf, it does not cause wounded animals, today it is the most effective, etc.) and it is recommended to use it in heavy guns with Sunar-Magnum gunpowder. The recommendation on the manufacturer's form is 2-3.5 g of gunpowder and 42 g of shot. There are no questions about the brand of gunpowder and the weight of the charge and projectile, but I cannot agree with the overall weight of the gun. And in this regard, I want to express my personal opinion.

The weight of a gun, in my opinion, is a loose concept. Here you need to pay the most serious attention to weight (for a double-barreled shotgun, barrels chambered for the Magnum cartridge must weigh at least 1,700–1,750 kg) and to the internal size of the barrels. Magnum cartridges come in 70 mm and 76 mm sleeves; they must strictly correspond to the dimensions of the chamber in length and width. The length of the conical slope of the gun must be at least 15–17 mm. More is better. The bore diameter itself is at least 18.8 mm. Our mass-produced shotguns, especially Izhi, do not have such size data. Although the guns are heavy, their weight is 3.2 kg and more. True, the minus also has its advantages, as they say, their chambers are 76 mm long, although the stamp on the block is 70 mm. The conical slope of the “Izhi”, according to Izmatinsky, with an angle of 3°5″–5° and a length of 4–6 mm. The internal diameter of the trunks is 18–18.2 mm. Drilled to the extremes.

This is what happened to the hunter Zakhar and me. He had an IZH-27 gun. Many owners of IZH shotguns, including him, with a bore diameter of 18 mm, complain that during the time they used the shotgun, they almost never achieved a clean kill of animals and birds with one shot at a reasonable distance, i.e. at 35–40 meters. After the shot there was either fluff or feathers, but no trophy. And after such results, friends always send all sorts of jokes at the loser. Zakhar was completely tired of all this, and he, of sound mind and good memory, having read various positive tips about the Magnum cartridge, decided to surprise his comrades in passion by obtaining trophies without wounded wounded animals and at long distances. He knew that his gun weighed more than 3.2 kg. But I decided to find out the exact weight and, unfastening the shoulder strap, went to the store. The store manager, having weighed the gun, said that it weighs 3.55 kg. Zakhar was very happy: it means that the Magnum cartridge can be fired. I went to the region to a hunting store and bought Sunar-Magnum-42 gunpowder. I loaded a used brass case according to the instructions on the form with 2–3.5 g of gunpowder and 42 g of shot No. 1. I put a plastic plug on the shot, which (also as recommended) was placed on Moment glue. He never calibrated the brass cartridges, as they dangled in the chambers.

After the powder, four friends went hunting to chase hares and a fox. In general, Zakhar is a calm, taciturn man, a goofball, but this time, while they were walking to the winter crop field, where you can find hare tracks, it was as if he had been replaced. He joked a lot and assured that now he would not return home without a trophy.

At the corner of a winter field, a dog wagged its tail, untangling the fatty night trails of a hare. We approached and began to help the dog. There were many tracks; the hare was not the only one fattening. Next to the field there is a forest area of ​​1520 hectares with a ravine. One hare trail went there. Having directed the dog on the trail, we quickly began to disperse around the perimeter of the stake. But two shots rang out from Oleg’s side. A miss, and the hare went through the ravine into a large forest. But the dog continued to voice without leaving the peg. This means that there was more than one hare, which means that the first one was a noise one. The dog raised “his” oblique, who, making a semicircle, wanted to follow the entrance trail, but there he was met by a hunter who, making some noise, made a doublet from an unreasonable distance. The hare, abruptly changing direction, began to walk away through the ravine towards a large forest. Zakhar chose a good position and walked into a small shelter.

The hare appeared unexpectedly, reaching the trail of the first one. He sat down, listened to the dog, and, sniffing the trail, ran along it. Zakhar was 25–30 meters from the trail. But he did not shoot, he wanted to hit him at a distance of 40-45 meters, relying on his Magnum cartridge. The hare, meanwhile, was approaching the intended landmark with every second. Finally a shot rang out - very loud, with some kind of crack. The first one near Zakhar was Oleg. Waving his arms, he called to us. It is unlikely that anyone has ever witnessed such a scene. Zakhara was spinning. With his left hand he held his right shoulder. The right one was hanging, blood was dripping from the middle finger. The right cheek was swelling by leaps and bounds, turning blue with every minute. Zakhar shook his head and coughed up blood. The eyes were bulging. At first we were at a loss, not knowing what to do. The gun was lying in the snow. We reassured our comrade as best we could: they say, his arms and legs are intact, and thank God, and the rest will heal.

The guys raised their guns. We decided that it doubled when fired. We tried to spread it out to blow through the barrels. Did not work out. We noticed that between the block and the breech of the barrels there was not a gap, but a hole.

The victim was brought home by the arms and laid down. They offered to take him to the hospital, but he refused - he was afraid that the police would take the gun away. The wife was crying. We calmed her down and explained that something had happened to the gun. We agreed to come the next day, visit a friend and sort everything out.

The next day, after visiting Zakhar, I went to the garage, where my friends were already trying to find the cause of what happened. I asked the victim's son to bring a cleaning rod. And when I started wiping the barrels from the muzzle side, I noticed that the cleaning rod went into one barrel more and deeper, and into the other less. And then it dawned on me: the gun “didn’t double” - the left barrel was loaded! Before this, they twirled the gun as they wanted, knocked on it, each of us stood in front of the barrels several times, and it never occurred to anyone to check whether it was loaded or not. At first, no one understood why my face suddenly became covered in cold sweat, my hands trembled, and I could not say a word. I still don’t understand why the gun didn’t fire. And then…

The first step was to remove the loaded cartridge. We succeeded. The fear subsided and it became easier to breathe when we saw that the cartridge had misfired. We unloaded it, and after that we tried to shoot from another gun so that the primer would work, but it was silent. Having cut the sleeve, we learned that the primer was “chewy” and defective, and that it was missing an anvil. This is rare, but it happens. Thanks to the manufacturer for the defect: thanks to it, a tragedy was averted.

Now about the gun. Why didn’t it open even through the knee? The brass sleeve in the right chamber was so swollen and expanded that it, together with the splined bushing (it turns out that the Izhi’s chambers are lined, and the bushing is seated on small splines) came out beyond the breech of the barrels. It took a very long time to remove the spent cartridge case. Finally, by hook or by crook, it, completely disfigured, was removed from the splined sleeve of the chamber. We made a tetrahedral block of oak, placed the barrels vertically on the threshold of the garage, placed a forty board on top, and with a heavy hammer hit the block, drove the splined sleeve into the chamber. The bushing never got into place. They adjusted the locking frame, knocked in some places, and sharpened with a file in others. The shaft, both longitudinal and transverse, is large. A plate was made from the moving contact of a GAZ-52 distributor for the front support hook. The hole between the block and the barrels turned into a small gap.

As they say, everything is fine with the gun, but for some reason the owner has no desire to hunt with it. The Magnum cartridge requires a special gun, i.e. a certain weight so that the internal dimensions of the barrels correspond to heavy shot shells - bullets from 42 g and more. Before you start shooting from your gun, be sure to study it, find out the internal dimensions of the barrels, and then it will be easier for you to select a cartridge, and a charge and a projectile for it.

Nikolay Rogachev May 2, 2012 at 02:06 pm

Ammo for large game

12 gauge Magnum bullet cartridges are produced today by all well-known brands. The effectiveness of this charge has been tested by time. If the gun allows you to shoot reinforced cartridges, then using them when hunting a bear or large elk will not be a bad idea. A 16-gauge shotgun can become equal to force 12 due to the increased charge, and when hunting large game, such an increase will be effective. The basic rule is that the gun must be designed to fire reinforced charges. This condition affects not only the wear and tear of the gun, but also the safety of the hunter.

What are the conclusions?

12 gauge Magnum cartridges can be equivalent to 10 gauge in terms of charge strength. The use of such cartridges is justified for certain types of hunting. Reinforced cartridges can only be fired from guns designed for such pressures. This can be determined by the passport attached to the gun, and by the characteristics of the cartridge, which are indicated on the packaging - this is the length of the cartridge case and the pressure when the cartridge is fired.

These charges are mainly used in countries where shooting game in water bodies with lead charges is prohibited. Magnum is also used in small calibers to increase the charge if necessary.

12-gauge Magnum cartridges receive positive reviews from hunters; they highlight the fact that using this charge for all types of hunting is impractical: it has a high cost and strong recoil. But for certain types of hunting, such a charge brings the desired result and is an effective method of increasing sharpness and combat range when used correctly.

Hunting and fishing in the Tver region

1. It is impossible to answer the question regarding “how much gunpowder” without answering “what kind of gunpowder.” The fact is that for MAGNUM equipment it is unacceptable to use gunpowder designed for equipping conventional cartridges. Moreover, for this purpose (at least in Russia) the corresponding gunpowder is not even available for sale. The trick is the burning speed of the gunpowder, which must push an increased amount of shot (projectile) without creating critical pressure in the bore. When loaded with ordinary gunpowder, such a cartridge will cause the charge to burn close to explosively, with all the ensuing consequences. When purchasing the appropriate gunpowder, you must strictly follow the recommendations for weights reflected in the instructions for a specific batch, which is usually pasted on a specific box/can. Tolerances for deviations from the required weights must also be treated with all possible care.

2. According to the conventional classification of hunting ammunition by power, they can be divided into “sports and special” (with a projectile weight of 24-28 grams) - hereinafter I give approximate weights based on 12 gauge, “regular” (with a projectile weight of up to 35- 36 grams), “HALF-magnum” (up to 42-46 grams, respectively), “magnum” (up to 52-56 grams) and “supermagnum” (but that’s a completely different story).

3. Currently, as far as I know, there is domestic “Sunar-Magnum” gunpowder on sale, intended for equipping “HALF-Magnum” cartridges. There is no gunpowder available for sale for a full-fledged magnum. There are imported ones, but they are legally imported into the country only in the form of loaded cartridges. This type of gunpowder is also called “progressively burning” or less commonly “slow burning”.

4. By and large, the cartridge’s equipment has only an indirect relation to the length of the cartridge case (with the exception of the “supermagnum”), since the length of the cartridge case was calculated for optimal equipment of the cartridge with a given load. In fact, as I personally have tested several times, factory-made cartridges, for example, are sold in 70-mm cartridges, and, on the contrary, ordinary equipment in 73-mm and even 76-mm cartridges. The existing height of the sleeve is easily compensated by the height of the selected wads and the rolling method. It is simply believed that a gun with a 76 mm chamber should properly “eat” magnum cartridges. But that doesn’t mean you can’t shoot cartridges in shorter case lengths.

5. If you do not have sufficient experience, my sincere advice is to start with equipping conventional cartridges and achieve perfection in this. By the way, in many cases this turns out to be more effective in practical shooting while hunting. It is better to buy a real magnum from a factory, preferably from serious manufacturers like Rottweil/Dynamit Nobel; Fiocchi; as a last resort, Sport-Active or Mirage/Clever, but in any case not Record and the like, if you value your health. True, these prices are different, but I assure you that it’s worth it if your wallet allows it. And then you’ll figure it out for yourself.

Gunpowder "Sunar-Magnum" Gunpowder "Sunar-Magnum" refers to progressive (slow-burning) gunpowder, used for equipping hunting cartridges for smooth-bore shotguns with a high shot load. The main calibers in which it is used are 12, 16, 20. According to the recipe, Sunar-Magnum gunpowder refers to single-base gunpowder, that is, its basis is a substance such as pyroxylin. The grain shape of Sunar-Magnum gunpowder is a cylinder with a channel. Geometric dimensions of the grain (in mm): Thickness of the burning arch - 0.18-0.28 Diameter of the grain channel - 0.10-0.20 Length -0.70-1.00. Bulk density (kg/dm3) - 0. 55-0, 75. To slow down the burning rate, a combustion phlegmatizer - camphor - is introduced into the surface layers of gunpowder. Slowing down the combustion is necessary to reduce the pressure in the cartridge case at the initial moment of the shot and, as a result, reduce the deformation of the shot in a projectile with an increased mass of shot. Reducing the deformation of the shot at the initial moment of the shot leads to an improvement in the parameters of the shot pellet: accuracy and uniformity, which is very important when shooting at extreme distances. Initially, Sunar-Magnum gunpowder was conceived as gunpowder for equipping semi-magnum class cartridges, with a shot weight of 40-42 g in 12 gauge. The developer of the gunpowder, the Kazan Scientific Research Institute of Chemical Products (KNI-IHP), guaranteed a pressure in the gun chamber of 65 MPa (average) and 70 MPa (maximum) with a shot load of 40-42 g and a gunpowder weight of 2.2 g (according to instructions) and use wad container. Such characteristics allow the use of Sunar-Magnum gunpowder in 12-gauge shotguns with a 70 mm chamber. Of course, it is desirable that the weight of the gun be 3.4-3.5 kg so that the recoil is tolerable. “Sunar-Magnum” gunpowder is also used to equip Magnum class cartridges with a 46 g shot load. In this case, the gunpowder weight increases to 2.4 g. Accordingly, when fired, the pressure increases to 900-950 Bar. Such cartridges, of course, can be used in weapons with a 76 mm chamber (Magnum). As shooting practice shows, Sunar-Magnum gunpowder is sensitive to the method of rolling the case. When rolling the sleeve using the “Star” method, the pressure increases, while the shot speed increases slightly. Thus, in the “Nitrogen-Magnum” cartridge, with a weight of Sunar-Magnum gunpowder of 2.4 g, a shot weight of 46 g and the sealing of the cartridge case using the “Zvezda” method, the pressure reaches 900-930 Bar, which corresponds to the norm for ammunition of this class. The pressure was measured using piezo sensors on a special installation by specialists from NPF Azot. When testing the Record-Leader cartridge, in which the Sunar-Magnum powder was 2.7 g and the shot was 55 g, the 89 mm long case was rolled in the usual way, the pressure did not exceed 756 kg/cm2. The pressure was measured on the ballistic barrel using the crusher method. Of course, it is necessary to take into account both the type of wad containers used in the cartridges and the type of primer. But the difference in pressure is obvious. However, it should be noted that a sleeve 76 and 89 mm long, rolled in the usual way, cannot be used in any imported semi-automatic machine, since there will be problems with feeding it from the magazine into the barrel. The only semi-automatic that can cope with such cartridges is the domestic MP-153. When loading cartridges with Sunar-Magnum gunpowder, it is necessary to use the appropriate igniter primers, this is especially true when loading cartridges for winter hunting. For equipment, capsules such as “Zhevelo-Powerful” are suitable; “KV-22”, F-615 “Fiocchi” (Italy), CX-1000 (France), F-688 (Italy) When loading 16- and 20-gauge cartridges, use the following weights of shot and Sunar-Magnum powder: : 2.1 g of gunpowder and 30-33 g of shot for the 16th caliber and 1.8 g of gunpowder and 25-29 g of shot for the 20th caliber. In addition, “Sunar-Magnum” gunpowder is used to equip bullet cartridges of 12-, 16-, 20-calibers, the bullet speed of which increases by 10-15% compared to cartridges equipped with “Falcon” and “Sunar” gunpowders.

Once again about MAGNUM shotguns

In the last decade in Russia, in addition to talk about magnum shotguns, fairly affordable serial magnum shotguns began to appear. Therefore, many hunters, especially beginners, began to have more practical questions on this topic than before. Once again, briefly about the features of such guns, the following can be said: Magnum shotguns have a longer chamber (76 and even 89 mm, that is, 3 and 3.5 inches) and are designed to use more powerful cartridges with larger amounts of gunpowder and shot. European hunters usually consider their use unsporting, but with a massive (often forced, but generally environmentally beneficial) transition to steel shot, they are forced to switch to a longer chamber, for which international standards, mandatory for all countries of the Brussels Convention, provide for increased test pressure. Serial production of IZH-27M-M and IZH-18M-M shotguns of 12″magnum caliber with a 76 mm chamber has also begun at the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant. Izhevsk 12 magnum caliber guns differ from the same regular 12 gauge guns, firstly in the length of the chamber, and secondly in the increased pressure of the powder gases when testing the gun for strength. Abroad, many companies obtain the “magnum” modification by simply lengthening the chamber and increasing the test pressure. This is possible if the gun previously had a sufficient margin of safety. Naturally, after such modernization, the guaranteed hit rate with magnum cartridges, compared to conventional guns and cartridges, drops sharply (when firing magnum guns with conventional cartridges, it increases just as sharply). However, the hunter gets the opportunity to use magnum cartridges in addition to regular 12-gauge cartridges while hunting without fear of damaging the gun. It is difficult to shoot magnum cartridges constantly and a lot, especially from a light single-barreled gun. This is exactly how, practically without reinforcement, the “magnum” modification of the IZH-18M single-barreled shotgun was obtained. However, even in this case, the use of reinforced test cartridges forces manufacturers to increase the requirements for the manufacture of parts and assembly, strengthen the fastening of the forend, butt, locking mechanism, improve the quality of fitting of the barrels to the box and debugging of the ejector mechanism. For the latter to work reliably with a magnum cartridge, it must very stably eject the cartridge case (normal, of course) of a conventional cartridge. The use of the magnum cartridge on the IZH-27M gun forced us to significantly strengthen the locking bar, the forend fastening, strengthen the barrel box and coupling, and introduce an additional support element in the box. The requirements for debugging ejector, safety, and single-trigger mechanisms have increased significantly. Suffice it to say that only part of these changes, previously applied to the IZH-39E sporting rifle, made it possible to double the guaranteed shot compared to the conventional hunting IZH-27. In order to simplify and reduce the cost of mass production, some of these reinforcing elements were switched to modifications of conventional calibers, especially since “the safety margin is not enough for the pocket.” The weight of both serial and magnum shotguns remained almost unchanged during modernization, although the IZH-27 is already somewhat heavy for a shotgun with 70mm chambers. Of course, without thickening the barrel tubes for the “magnum” modification, the strength margin of the barrels in relation to the test pressure has somewhat decreased, but the hunter does not shoot with test cartridges, and this margin is needed more for the rigidity of the barrel block than for its strength. A longer chamber practically does not change the quality of combat with conventional cartridges in modern containers, but allows the use of magnum cartridges. The deterioration in accuracy with a long chamber and a short sleeve is no more than the scatter from the components of the cartridge equipment, especially taking into account modern plastic wad containers. This is what allows someone to invent a “universal chamber for cartridges with 65, 70 and 76 mm cartridges.” Magnum 12-gauge cartridges from individual foreign companies (and perhaps only some batches of these cartridges) when fired from barrels with chambers 70 mm long show phenomenal results, for example, accuracy is twice as large as that of conventional cartridges when the shot load is increased by only half. (Moreover, when shooting from barrels with 76 mm chambers, this effect is not observed). But such shooting should not be allowed under any circumstances; sooner or later the chamber will be inflated. The percentage accuracy of fire with a magnum cartridge should be slightly worse than with a conventional cartridge for several reasons. Here are just some of them: firstly, the shot column is higher, which means there are more peripheral pellets that are deformed when moving along the barrel and choke. Secondly, the deformation of the lower pellets is greater, since the load from the increased mass of the upper pellets and the greater maximum pressure are greater. Thirdly, if slower-burning gunpowder is used, the muzzle pressure should be somewhat higher. The accuracy as a percentage is lower, but due to the greater mass of the shot, a significantly larger number of shot-bins hit the target and, accordingly, the probability of hitting game increases. Some of the hunters’ questions are related to the discrepancy between the pressure values ​​indicated on the gun and in the passport with similar instructions on boxes of imported magnum cartridges. In Russia, guns are marked with the permissible average maximum operating pressure, i.e. the highest pressure in the chamber from a shot with an operational cartridge, averaged over several shots. On imported boxes of cartridges it is usually written: for shooting from guns tested under such and such pressure. The tables of the Brussels Convention, which sets international standards for the dimensions of bores, chambers, cartridges, testing of cartridges and weapons, provide a relationship between the maximum pressures of operational and test cartridges. Moreover, the highest limit is set for operational cartridges, and the lowest for test cartridges. Here, test cartridges must be understood as cartridges used to test the strength of a gun, since reliability tests are carried out with ordinary operational cartridges. For caliber 12x70, these figures are 65 and 85 MPa, respectively, i.e. approximately 650 and 850 kg/sq. cm. For caliber 12x76 already 90 and 120 MPa or roughly 900 and 1200 kg/sq. see. The plant introduces some additional confusion by occasionally producing, although not many (presumably due to the usual failures in Russia with the supply of parts to the assembly), guns with a 76mm chamber for firing cartridges with a pressure of up to 65 MPa (i.e. a gun barrel "magnum", a box from a regular gun), accordingly testing the gun with a pressure of not 120, but 85 MPa. In general, the chamber length increased by 6 mm does not prevent the use of cartridges with a 70 mm sleeve, but will allow the use of 76 mm cartridges without trimming and a sleeve, when they can be obtained. Imported magnum cartridge cases usually have a high metal base and more stable dimensions than our usual ones. Just don’t forget to calibrate any spent cartridges before loading. This simple operation solves a lot of problems when shooting, but we must remember that both our and imported modern cartridge cases with plastic bottom wads have a very easily deformed bottom. Old Krasnozavodsk cartridges are thicker and stronger, but their cardboard bottom wad often cracks when fired, and part of it after a shot can even remain in the bore (these are facts, not speculation) and, accordingly, cause local swelling during the next shot. Cartridges with the case neck sealed with an “asterisk” without sealing the petals tend to “spit out” individual pellets into the bore when fired from an adjacent barrel, which. For magnum shotguns, this danger increases - the mass of shot in the cartridge is greater, and the recoil is also increased. Therefore, there is no need to be lazy about blowing out the barrel of the break gun after firing and transferring the unfired cartridge into the barrel that fires more frequently. Shooters with a lot of loads can either pray or “wind up” and not skimp on the quality of cartridges. Those who load cartridges themselves can be advised not to get carried away with increasing the charges - this will not increase sharpness and accuracy, but will increase recoil and increase the cost of the cartridge. It is better to select the optimal weights of gunpowder and shot for your gun by sighting. Even for a magnum, you should not load Sokol gunpowder with more than 3 g or shot with more than 48 g. Although there are foreign magnum cartridges with 52g shot loads, you shouldn’t even try to get a similar pressure curve at home. The Izhevsk Mechanical Plant produced a batch of MP-153 self-loading shotguns chambered for 12x89 cartridge for delivery to the USA. During testing, prototypes worked well even when they were loaded mixed with 12x89, 12x76 and 12x70 cartridges (12x70 cartridges had a shot weight of 32 grams). The shooting was carried out with a wide variety of cartridges - French Mirage 12x89 cartridges had a shot load of 66 grams, American Winchester cartridges of the same caliber (an example of a reasonable load) - only 44 grams of steel shot at a muzzle velocity of 440 m/s. In principle, from the point of view of companies that load cartridges and care little about their own image, the lower the maximum pressure, the better. This, of course, reduces the shot speed, but the consumer may not notice. If the pressure in even a few cartridges is higher than normal, the entire batch cannot be sold. Making cartridges with less pressure variation (which means waste of gunpowder and shot, stable components) means spending a lot of money, and not only on equipment. Many mass producers of cartridges are guilty of this. In Russia, at one time, brand B cartridges were simply “invented,” giving a speed of 290 m/s instead of the previously required 310. That is why many hunters load the cartridges themselves. When equipping yourself, there is always the temptation to add gunpowder. Abuse of this is quite dangerous for both the gun and the shooter, and the words that neither sharpness nor accuracy will improve, still convince almost no one. In addition, even with the same weights, different methods of equipment can greatly change the pressure in the chamber. It is impossible to check cartridge pressure at home. You can only judge it by the recoil or by the marks on the bottom of the case and the primer. If, after a shot, marks from the box shield appear on them or the capsule blows back, the pressure is greater than permissible. At high pressure, the possibility of a through penetration of the primer on some models of shotguns is especially dangerous, which can rupture the head of the butt and injure the shooter. With proper use, good ammunition, regular cleaning and lubrication, a magnum shotgun will be your faithful and reliable companion for many years. Especially if the weight of the gun is no more than usual. Although magnum shotguns are a little more expensive, the increased durability when shooting a regular cartridge and the ability to increase firepower with a magnum cartridge when needed is well worth it.

EFFECTIVE SHOT RANGE

In recent years, information about hunting rifles and Magnum-type cartridges has systematically appeared on the pages of the magazine “Hunting and Hunting Management”. Such guns initially began to be manufactured in the USA, and then in a number of European countries and Japan, but mainly for the American market. Abroad, Magnum shotguns are produced mainly in 12, 20 and 410 calibers. These are, as a rule, guns of reliable modern designs, increased strength, designed for firing heavy shot shells and reinforced powder charges corresponding to these shells. The chamber of Magnum shotguns has been lengthened to 76 mm, and the weight of the shotguns has been increased. For example, the weight of 12 gauge Magnum shotguns is 3.4-3.6 kg. The barrels are slightly longer and usually come with full chokes. Magnum shotguns can fire both standard ammunition and special cartridges. In the USA, 12-gauge Magnum cartridges include cartridges loaded with 39-gauge shot; 42.5; 46; 49.5; 53 g; 20 gauge - 32; 33.6; 35.4 g. Several years ago in the USA they began to produce Magnum cartridges with a 70 mm sleeve, which were called “Magnum baby” or “Magnum short”. These cartridges are loaded with shot shells for 12 gauge 39 and 42.5 g. In order to place a heavy shot shell in the cartridge, it was necessary to create cartridges with a thin bottom wad, special polyethylene wads, as well as special progressively burning gunpowder. They have high power relative to weight and volume. Thus, a charge of Blue Dot gunpowder of 2.2 g provides a shot shell of 42.5 g with an initial speed of 388 m/s, and a charge of gunpowder of 2.49 g provides a shot shell of 53 g with an initial speed of 380 m/s. Due to the progressive combustion of powders for Magnum cartridges, a maximum pressure that is normal for such heavy shot shells is ensured in the range of 600-650 kgf/cm2 for 12 gauge and slightly higher for smaller calibers.

Calculations have shown that with a 46 g shot shell, approximately 3 g of our Sokol smokeless powder is required to give it an initial speed of about 380 m/s. It was not possible to place such an amount of gunpowder and shot with the polyethylene wads we have even in a 76 mm long cartridge case. We had to limit ourselves to 2.5 g of Sokol powder and 39 g of shot. In autumn-winter conditions, shooting such charges from a Magnum gun with a 76 mm chamber did not cause any inconvenience, but also did not provide any particular advantages compared to standard factory ammunition. In the summer, when firing such cartridges, the recoil increased greatly and exceeded the recoil force of the most powerful American factory-loaded cartridges with a 53 g shot shell. In addition, the cartridges began to produce a strong spread of shot. Of course, this is only a special case, but it makes us think about the suitability of Falcon gunpowder for loading Magnum cartridges. We have already covered the issue of modern vices in detail (Hunting and Hunting Management, 1979, No. 9), so it makes no sense to return to this again. In American factory-loaded cartridges, space for a shot shell is provided by more powerful (relative to its volume) powders and by specially designed wads. For example, with shot shells for 12 gauge 49.5 and 53 g, a polyethylene wad is sent to the gunpowder, and the shot is placed in a separate polyethylene split cup without a shock absorber. The entire shot shell can easily be placed in such a cup. Thus, the use of Magnum shotguns can be positively resolved only with the comprehensive development of shotguns and cartridges for them.

As foreign experience has shown, the creation of the Magnum cartridge required the creation of new cartridges, new gunpowder, and new wads. Considering that with heavy shot shells pressures may arise that exceed the design pressure, experimentation with such shells at home should not be allowed, especially with brass shells and adding black powder under the primer. What did guns and Magnum cartridges give to hunters? The first advertising of Magnum cartridges and shotguns for 12 gauge guaranteed a lethal range for waterfowl when shooting from barrels with full chokes of up to 72 m. But these claims did not come true. The maximum range of a reliable shot turned out to be much shorter.

Extensive tests of Magnum cartridges carried out in the USA have shown that the larger the mass of the shot shell, the more the pellets are deformed at the moment of firing. This occurs under the influence of the increasing cross-sectional density of the shot projectile due to the higher maximum pressure of the powder gases and due to the reduction in the shock-absorbing properties of wads in Magnum cartridges. And with a strongly deformed shot, the dispersion of the shot sheaf increases. When testing Magnum cartridges, it was found that beyond 36 m, the loss of combat accuracy with increasing distance was higher than the loss of combat accuracy with standard cartridges. This was determined as follows: first, a series of 5 rounds was fired at 36 m and the percentage of hits in a circle with a diameter was determined. 75 cm; then the target was moved 4.5 m, another series of shots was fired, and so on every 4.5 m until a distance of 63 m. After this, the average accuracy of shots hitting the target at each distance was determined.

Here is an example of testing Magnum cartridges with shot No. 2 and a 53 g shot shell: Based on numerous tests, a graph of the loss of accuracy of the Magnum cartridges was constructed. As can be seen from the above series of tests, the average loss of accuracy from line to line is approximately 11% (for standard cartridges - 9%), however, at the nearest three lines the loss of accuracy is almost 15%, that is, the most active dispersion of the shot sheaf occurs here .

The creators of Magnum cartridges believed that by increasing the shot weight from 35.5 to 42.5 g, they would increase the range of destruction of game by about 18 m. In fact, the effective range of destruction increased by only 10 m. This was convincingly proven by numerous series comparative shootings F. E. Sel. Another American specialist, B. R. Hughes, performed an interesting experiment. He selected a group of relatively good shooters with Magnum shotguns with full chokes and alternately fed them with Magnum cartridges, which had the markings erased but the shot weight retained. In different sequences, he issued cartridges with shells of 53 g, 46 g and 39 g shot No. 4 to various shooters. The hunt was carried out for ducks from huts. Each hunter was accompanied by a huntsman with a rangefinder, who measured the firing range. After the end of the experiment, it was found that all cartridges consistently ensured a clean kill of ducks up to 50 m. Beyond 50 m, all shooters had wounded wounds. All hunters said that they considered cartridges with 46 g shot to be the best, and 53 g shot the worst. The main dissatisfaction when shooting with cartridges with 53 g shot shells is the strong recoil.

Hughes himself shot several hundred rounds of factory-loaded Magnum ammunition at targets. He shot No. 4 shot from a shotgun with a full choke, which ensured that 75% of the pellets hit a circle of 75 cm at 35 m. After processing the shooting results, he received the following data on the possibility of reliably hitting game the size of a mallard duck: Why the data from shooting at stationary targets? do not coincide with the real results obtained during the hunt? Because even a very good shooter makes mistakes in aiming beyond 50 m, which is the reason for the appearance of a significant number of wounded animals. After the experiments, Hughes came to the conclusion that when used correctly, that is, when shooting at a distance not exceeding 50 m, Magnum cartridges significantly reduce the number of wounded animals and that this is precisely the value of such cartridges. He recognizes shooting with any cartridges beyond 50 m as inappropriate and cruelly ridicules braggarts and ignoramuses who assure that they consistently shoot Magnum cartridges at 75-90 m. As measures to combat such would-be hunters, he proposes to deprive them of the right to hunt. T. Roster, exposing the advertising myth about the incredible range of Magnum cartridges, used more than 5 thousand cartridges of various calibers. He also concluded that the shot from Magnum cartridges dissipated more quickly than the shot from standard cartridges. Therefore, he believes, Magnum cartridges are more effective than standard cartridges at firing ranges of 30-45 m, but not more than 50 m. I would like our hunters to learn a lesson from the existing experience of using shotguns and Magnum cartridges and not they were considered as a means of significantly increasing the firing range. Even now, many people shoot at game that is beyond the range of reliable destruction from a shotgun. The advent of shotguns and Magnum ammunition should not encourage these unsportsmanlike habits.

1 2

1. A cartridge with a standard shot shell (1), ensuring the placement of two wads. The second cartridge with an enlarged shot shell (2). To place the shot, I had to limit myself to only one wad. Thus, the shock-absorbing properties of the wad are halved, which leads to increased deformation of the shot. At the moment of ignition of the powder charge (3), the actual powder combustion chamber of a cartridge with two wads is larger than that of a cartridge (4) with an enlarged shot shell, but one wad. The combustion chamber (3) is enlarged by compressing two wads. Since with one wad (4) the actual combustion chamber is smaller than with a cartridge with two wads, the maximum pressure at the moment of firing is higher in a cartridge with one wad. The anergy of a heavier shot shell also contributes to the increase in maximum pressure. An increase in maximum pressure leads to increased deformation of the shot.

2. On the left is a standard cartridge (USA) with a 35.5 g shot shell. On the right is a “Magnum baby” cartridge with a 42.5 g shot shell; both cartridges are 12 gauge. In Fig. it can be seen that in order to accommodate the shot shell of the Magnum cartridge, it was necessary to change the design of the shell wad and use a new type of polyethylene wad with significantly lower shock-absorbing properties compared to the wad of a standard cartridge.

3. Graph of changes in combat accuracy when firing 12-gauge Magnum cartridges; fraction number 2.

D. Polyakov. Hunting and hunting management, 1980, No. 12