Alliant 20/28

Propellant Profiles

- Randy Bimson

As I write this column, I have been seeing more and a greater variety of ammunition on our local store shelves as of late. I wish I could say the same about reloading components. It is getting better, no doubt, but components are still the weak link in the chain. Bullet supply seems to be rebounding quicker than either primers or powders. If readers are small-gauge shotshell reloaders, well they might be of the opinion that the world has forgotten about them all together. Wads and small gauge suitable propellants are conspicuous by their absence from most dealers’ shelves.

When it comes to small-gauge shotguns I must admit that my collection is comprised of only two. Actually, one shotgun, a wonderfully built Beretta 471 side-by-side in 20 gauge, and an ever so delightful pair of Briley Companion 28-gauge tubes. The Briley tubes are set up to fit a 12-gauge Beretta 682 Gold Sporting and a Browning Superposed Super-light. The 471 does double duty as a field gun and more often than not, a skeet gun. The Briley Companion tubes turn the Beretta 682 Gold into a delightfully fun-to-shoot skeet gun and a well-used Browning Superlight into a very effective ruffed grouse and woodcock gun.

Before the Great Ammunition Drought, a lot of folks that loaded shotshells found there was little cost saving in reloading shotshells versus purchasing factory loads. While there was some truth to that, I had found then and even more so now, the availability of the various target and field loads for 20-gauge and especially 28-gauge shotshells to be very slim pickings in any of the many gun shops or sporting goods stores that I venture into. Consequently, I continue to load virtually all my target and field load 20- and 28-gauge shot shells.