Shotshell Reloading

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Robert Cooper

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Chiefland, FL, Plantcity Florida
Okay if anyone does shotshell reloading or anyone for that matter i have a few questions. i just was able to collect 2 lee load all II presses 12 and 20 i think i also got some powder in coffee cans and some older cans plus about 500 primers not sure what size or for 12 or 20 but this stuff has sat in a shed for many years. also got wads and shot so this stuff being out in a shed for many yrs i am guessing. do you think the powder is good and also the primers and other stuff the loaders seem to be working good just wondering

Robert
 
Hard to know what you have unless you do a little measuring. Get some calipers and start measuring wad depth and diameter. Pour some shot into a wad then weigh it out, that should tell you how many ounce the wads hold. Kinda cringe hoping the 20 and 12 components are not mixed together. If you still have packaging to indicate what they are that helps. Go online or get a good shotgun reloading manual and check dimensions on primers, hulls, etc. Primers can be either standard or metric, U.S-vs-European manufacture.

As far as the powder, do a small test load without shot at 1/4-to-1/2 charge to see if it's been affected by moisture or humidity. No way of knowing what the powders horsepower is unless its labeled. Powders like Green Dot, Red dot could give you a clue by the color. Might be best served to dispose of the powder for something that is known.
 
As i looked at the powder it has 700x on the coffee can lol the wads are separated and in bags boxes but some fell out i have a 25lb bag of 7 1/2 shot and the other powders are in original cans i cleaned the lee load all not 2 but the first revision plus both work good played a little with them and was wondering what a good manual would be

Thanks
Robert
 
You have no idea what the powder is?
Throw it on the lawn

As to the wads et al; shed storage usually is not the best depending on temps and humidity; but they might be viable

What is it you are trying to load?
 
Well, first step is to smell of the powder. A sharp, acidic or smell of ammonia and/or a brown coloring to the kernals or a brown dust means the powder is only good for the rose bushes or the yard (in short, bad powder can be good fertilizer).
Your primers are most likely some brand of 209's. They'll fit any of the shotgun hulls.
If you know what type of wad, that will tell you what size shot load the previous owner was using. The wads may be used in different brand hulls (ie Rem STS, Winchester etc) but you can NOT load different brands with the same load of shot/powder combination and be safe. (don't ask me how I know) The cheap Remington hulls (Game Loads) are the same construction as the 'higher' quality stuff (STS etc). The same can NOT be said of the cheap Winchester and Federal stuff. Stick to the Remington Game Loads or the Winchester AA loads to get decent hulls. Expect to get anywhere from 5-10 loads before tossing the hull.
700x is a good powder for 12 ga but not a good choice for 20 gauge.
A good online source for loads is: http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/shotgun

I load my 20ga with Unique (I can use it in my handguns as well) and my 12 ga with Green Dot.

BUT, BEFORE YOU DO ANY OF THE ABOVE OR ACTUALLY LOAD A HULL AND 'TEST' IT - GET A COPY OF THE LYMAN RELOADING BOOK AND READ IT, TWICE. You can also check with friends or at a local skeet/trap/sporting clays range and find someone that might be willing to teach you a bit.
 
Read the lyman manual. I would toss any powder in the original contAiner. Shotshell primers are all the same size, but brand matters. If you don't know what they are I would assume the priimers are federal. Starting with 800x in 20 gauge with 7/8 ounce load will give you a margin of error because they are all low pressure in trap territory.
 
Robert,
Can you post pictures of the powder cans and wads? That will gives us an idea of what era we are dealing with to have any hope of identifying the wads.
Don't want to sound like a broken record, but powder found in an outdoor she'd, opened.... The safe bet is to use it for fertilizer.

Steve
 
I am with the thumbs down on unknown powder. The shot is the most valuable thing, if there is enough of it. If the primers go bang, they would be #2.

Shotshells were the first thing I started loading, back when my neighbor sold me a Lachmiller 12 ga press for $5 with accessories. It’s a whole mother “bag of worms” but it did make 38&357 seem really easy when I started loading them a year later.
 
Read the lyman manual. I would toss any powder in the original contAiner. Shotshell primers are all the same size, but brand matters. If you don't know what they are I would assume the priimers are federal. Starting with 800x in 20 gauge with 7/8 ounce load will give you a margin of error because they are all low pressure in trap territory.
Actually shotshell primers are NOT all the same size. And the Euro primers, being metric, are larger than their US counterparts. The result is if you first use Euro primers, you're best to stick with them as they will stretch the primer pocket just enough that US primers have a tendency to fall out.

For target loads in 12 gauge, Clays, Red Dot are probably the easiest to find and use.
In 20, look for Universal, 20/28 and Unique for the same reasons.
 
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Actually shotshell primers are NOT all the same size. And the Euro primers, being metric, are larger than their US counterparts. The result is if you first use Euro primers, you're best to stick with them as they will stretch the primer pocket just enough that US primers have a tendency to fall out.

For target loads in 12 gauge, Clays, red Dot are probably the easiest to fine and use.
In 20, look for Universal, 20/28 and Unique for the same reasons.

You are right about the euro primers. What I meant was the same primers can be used on all gauge shells.
 
You are right about the euro primers. What I meant was the same primers can be used on all gauge shells.
That is absolutely correct; unlike metallic with large and small pistol, 410 through 10 gauge all use the same basic size.
 
Wads also deteriorate from heat and sunlight. Some old wads I was given were so bad that you could tear and break off the petals of the wads.
 
Can't remember the number form back when but some Remmington Hulls used to a different size primer than 209s that Federals and Win hulls used but that was years and years ago.

Maybe they were 97s?
They used to be used in some old Remmington 12 guage target hulls, not one piece, plastic base in hull was fairly high.
Hoping some one with an old shotshell manual or a better memory than mine would let me know.
Just curious now but it's stuck in the back of my mind wondering what were they???
One of those things that nags at you....


The powder is only good for plants IMO.
 
Those were Rem 57s. Caused me a lot of grief when I inherited a quantity of old Rem 16 Guage hulls.
I'm in agreement that the coffee can powder should be tossed. The original package powder should be OK if it shows no signs of deterioration. The wads are probably fine. Check to see if they feel chalky, greasy, or brittle. Pictures would help identify the lot. I'd load some of the primers, nothing else, in some empty cases to test their viability and get some dog training in.
 
Nobody should ever consider reloading shotshells without reading the Lyman manual first. Shotshells work as such low pressures, relative to pistol or rifle metallic cartridges, that wad and powder and primer payload combinations can have seriously variable outcomes.
 
Thanks Random 9, I was partly right #7 something.
I appreciate it, was scratching my head wondering what they were..

IMO, Lyman Shotshell manual is money well spent if your are loading shotgun.

Couldn't look up the primers in my old one, loaned it to a friend who "lost it"
 
The primers are probably a 209 variety. They will work in 12 or 20. Get rid of the powder. It's not worth damage to you or your firearm. I'd say get rid of the wads as well unless you can truly figure out what they are. Shotshells loading is different. You have a specific hull, with a specific powder, with a specific wad, specific amount of shot... etc. get it. You don't tinker with it. I started out on a Lee Load-all in 20 gauge. The best I can say for it is that we made ammo that went boom. It's not sexy, nor is it really fun to use. You will want something in the near future like MEC Jr. or some other press that resizes the brass and makes life easier. I really don't reload 20 and 12 any longer because the price difference between purchasing them and loading them isn't enough to justify my time. I still load 28. I found that for 12 gauge a AA wad and Clays was always a good combination with a 1 1/8 oz load of 7 1/2 shot. It burns clean and gave consistent results. You can use Universal, Red Dot, Green Dot, and any other recommended powder. Go load up and have fun, BUT, follow the recipe.


Oh, and I forgot to mention, when you load your first shells look to see what crimp you have on them. That is six or eight star. You should have different bushings for crimp starting. If you don't know that you can make some ugly ammo......
 
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There ARE some acceptable substitution on some components - but that is best left for someone who has had some experience. The easiest safe sub is aftermarket wads for the OEM ones. OEM Remington wads are stupid expensive; whereas Claybuster and Downrange are half the cost for the clone design
 
I will look when I get back home in a week I know the 12ga are in bags haven’t got to them yet they are labeled the 20ga is as well I know the 4-500 primers are 209 still in box the hulls have been shot already I think iam gonna dump everything and start fresh
 
No reason to dump the primers wads or hulls until you check them; they might be just fine - I'll bet the primers are.
 
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