Daryl, the beauty is you can load to any level you like. With BP and a 2100 grain bullet 8 drams of black is about the limit of anything I'd call fun. A full power roundball load is a bit over 1500fps, but a plinking load of 700fps with smokeless powderfeels like a 17lb 20 gauge and is just plain fun. Even kids have a hoot making big holes in targets with none of the pain and blast. I usually bring 10-15 light loads, a few mediums, and the rest full power ones to our shoots so you can pick how much punishment you want or work your way up gradually without getting hammered or dropping the gun.