Out pattering my .12 ga shotgun for Turkey, for the 1st time I noticed BAR stamped on the hull. Shot the following three types of ammo all 3", 5 shot nickel plated lead
Hornady - 1 1/2oz - 1300 FPS - 690 BAR
Remington - 1 3/4oz - 1300 FPS - 1050 BAR
Federal - 2oz - 1150 FPS - 1050 BAR
Came home and checked my shotgun ammo – all the steel loads are stamped with BAR, none of the lead game loads are stamped with BAR.
What is BAR? (google search, confused me more)
1 Bar = 14.5037738 Psi
Link didn’t work and being old and thick: so if 1 Bar = 14.5037738 Psi what does that really mean?
Why are only steel & plated lead labeled? (at least with the ammo I have)
Does this have anything to do with the max PSI your firearm can fire safely? If so, how does one determine how their firearm is rated?
One load is simple a “low base” (colloquial for lower pressure) load, and the others are full power “high base” loads with higher pressure.
faster = more pressure
heavier = more pressure
If you have a modern shotgun, it can handle both. Don’t worry about the markings or the plating.
It is not so much the pressure but the recoil impulse (think of load mass*velocity) that can damage a semi shotgun that is tuned only for light loads.