You can't save people from their own stupidity, and you have no legal obligation to try to do so. No one wants some new guy getting hurt, shooting a gun that he has no business shooting, and using too big a load. But the idiot can wander off on his own, without any supervision and blow himself up, and there is nothing any of us can do to help him, or prevent him from doing this.
Publishing this chart as a handy cross reference is a good basic tool, measuring volume for volume.
Now, I tried this with two measures- a dip type powder measure sold for measuring shot, but with this kind of coversion table listed on the side. It works pretty well with #6 shot. Less well with larger shot, and smaller shot. But, then, dippers don't make the most exact powder measures, either.
I then tried it with my adjustable powder measure that I use for my rifle, with its 3/8" tube. As the shot size rose in size, the table is more inaccurate. I surmize that with the narrow tube, the larger pellets have greater gaps as they rub against the sides of the tube, making the measure carry much less shot when loading BB, than when loading #8. At least that is what happened in my testing.
That having been observed, I still like the chart, and will use it. Even in modern shotgun loads, shot in guns with full chokes, you don't get 100% of the pellets on the target at 40 yards. Often, a substantial portion of the shot fails to reach the target at 20 yards. This is particularly true of the small shot sizes, like #8, and #9. So, the fact that this chart gives me fewer pellets in the larger sizes of shot, , and slightly less weight when I use larger shot does not bother me in the least. It is up to me, and not the author of the column or the owners of this site, to do all that testing for me. If I want to know exactly what setting to put my powder measure on to get an exact amount of shot by weight, its my responsibility to do my OWN testing, and make the adjustments.
I second the motion to put the chart in a permanent position here.
It is common knowledge tha guns are dangerous tools. No one has the right to pick one up and try to shoot it unless he first learns what he is doing, regardless of age. If you are old enough, and strong enough to pick up the gun, cock the gun, prime it, and pull the trigger, you are old enough to be responsible for your actions in loading it. I would think this applies to even children 5 years old and up. And, the law says that their parents are always responsible first, for their children's supervision and safety.
I apologize to some of you who think we must bend over backward protecting idiots from themselves. I persoanlly think this is the kind of thinking that is destroying our sport, and the firearms industry. You find no mechanical safeties on 19th century firearms until the end of the century, because everyone understood that the only safety on a gun that works is you! We forgot that lesson, somewhere, and we have had to put up with Product Liability suits as a result for injuries that any moron would know would occur if he continues with his line of behavior. That includes burning yourself if you drop a hot cup of coffee on your lap! Its not McDonald's fault if you drop the cup. You ordered hot coffee- so live with your own stupidity.
