I'm looking to get info on 12 gauge reloading will start with field loads but want to work up to duck and turkey loads. I have been loading rifle & pistol for over 20 years have no clue with shotgun shells please help.
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shotshell reloadine
- Thread starter tom44
- Start date
what's the question?
mec seems to rule the shotshell reloading world. http://www.mecreloaders.com/
lee has a cheap plastic "load all". its cheap, but doesn't look durable.
mec seems to rule the shotshell reloading world. http://www.mecreloaders.com/
lee has a cheap plastic "load all". its cheap, but doesn't look durable.
Had a mec 9000G which was an excellent loader, and allows you to load fast, but a little pricey! Depending on how much shooting you do, you may want to look at a single stage loader. Suggest Alliant Green Dot or Red Dot powder, it is very versatile with a lot of loads and dosen't seem overly dirty. I would also suggest looking at 1oz. loads, it makes your shot go farther and lightens recoil a little.
Winchester AA and Remington STS both are excellent hulls for reloading and I like Winchester and Claybuster wads. Primers, I just use whatever brand matches the hull i'm using. I would recommend MEC products as far as loaders, either single stage or progressive.
Bass pro shop may be a good place to go to look for the stuff you will need, they have about everything in stock, and if you are like me, I like to see something before I order it.
Good luck to you, and if you have any specific questions, I,m sure the fine folks on here will be glad to help.
Winchester AA and Remington STS both are excellent hulls for reloading and I like Winchester and Claybuster wads. Primers, I just use whatever brand matches the hull i'm using. I would recommend MEC products as far as loaders, either single stage or progressive.
Bass pro shop may be a good place to go to look for the stuff you will need, they have about everything in stock, and if you are like me, I like to see something before I order it.
Good luck to you, and if you have any specific questions, I,m sure the fine folks on here will be glad to help.
I use a Mec (600?) Jr. press. It's pretty easy, takes me about 10 minutes to load a box. I probably only burn through about 400-500 target shells a year, have never felt the need for anything better. I also use it to make buckshot loads with my own cast buckshot, but that's a bit slower because I have to load the shot by hand instead of dropping it. They are easy presses to adjust, use, and just plain old work well. If I was shooting thousands of rounds per year, I might consider a progressive.
One of the nice things about the setup for these presses is you can change from 2 3/4" shells to 3" shells by changing one bolt holding the riser to the base. Everything else remains the same, assuming you use the same crimp for both types of shells.
One of the nice things about the setup for these presses is you can change from 2 3/4" shells to 3" shells by changing one bolt holding the riser to the base. Everything else remains the same, assuming you use the same crimp for both types of shells.
I've looked into reloading shotgun shells but it looks like the cost savings just aren't there compared to metallic cartridges. I don't reload just for the economic benefits but it doesn't seem worth the setup and component costs for shotgun unless I started shooting 28ga or was shooting sporting clays 2-3 times a week. Not considering the equipment cost, what does it cost you to load a box of target rounds?
For target and field loads, there isn't much savings at all given the current prices for lead shot. Can't load any cheaper than what you can buy value shells for at Wally World. It is nice to be able to tweak the load for whatever purpose you have in mind. My wife appreciates the very mild recoil skeet rounds I load for her.
For buckshot, the savings are outstanding. My buckshot loads, using my own .31 cal cast lead round ball, is about 10 cents per shell. I don't load steel or magnum loads, but I expect there is some room for savings there, given the cost of store bought stuff.
