A major change occurred in U.S. shotshells with the introduction of DuPont Oval and Western Super-X shells Jerome, but the pressure of turn-of-the-century shells loaded with Dense Smokeless powder was similar to today's target loads. The difference was mostly in the larger payload, with greater recoil. Please check the FAQ section for lots more information. Bottom line: from the beginning, Smith guns were designed to shoot loads similar to modern target loads; not modern hypervelocity steel shot and heavy turkey loads however.