New to shotshell reloading

[myFRAGisFUBAR]

Hey everyone. I just picked up a 12 gauge today and since I load all pistol/rifle rounds, I thought I would look into shotshells as well. I have been loading on Lee presses and looked there for starters. Are their shotshell presses just as reliable as their other presses? I will mostly just be loading for trap shooting. Is there enough savings to justify reloading shells vs just buying new packs? thanks for the info

 

[suemarkp]

I can't answer your press question, as I have a MEC and haven't used it yet...

But, I would say look at various load data for what you want to load and see what types of hulls you have data for. Then, buy that hull in loaded ammo so you've at least got the hulls should you choose to load your own.

Finding data for Fiocchi, S&B, and some of the promo hulls may be difficult. Others have opinions on which hulls are good and which are crap, even if you have data for them (e.g. Win AA HS -vs- AA, Rem STS -vs- older). That could cut your choices down even further.

You can always buy your hulls, or possibly sell any you've saved that you don't want to load. But just like saving your brass, it makes sense to save your hulls.

 

[BYJO4]

Reloading for shotgun doesn't save the money like it used to because of the price of lead. However, it is still cheaper than factory especially in the smaller guages. It is fun and easy but you need to use the exact componets shown in the manual you use. I think Mec offers you the most for the money.

 

[rbernie]

You can buy cheap bulk pack 12ga and 20ga shotgun ammo for less than you can make ammo. Having said that, the ammo you make will probably be of better quality and you can certainly tailor handloads in ways that the factory ammo doesn't provide.

I had a Lee, and sold it to get MECs. I bought my first MEC 600Jr used for $50, and it's been a workhorse. Anyone contemplating reloading shot shells needs to buy the Lyman shot shell reloading manual - its a compendium of information that you really can't live without if you're gonna reload shot shells.

 

[rcmodel]

Lead shot is going for $50+ per 25 lb bag + shipping lately.

With a 1 1/8 oz load, that's 377 shells.
$50 / 377 = .13 cents+ per shell for shot.

(Yes, I understand you can find cheaper shot somewhere locally, maybe?)

Plus $Wads, + $powder, + $Primers.

You can do the math from there!

I stopped reloading shotgun shells when lead shot got higher then factory loads at Wally-World several years ago.

If you belong to a shooting club, they buy shoot in huge mass quantities, and you can save enough money to maybe make it worthwhile??

rc

 

[Vol46]

I have a Mec Sizemaster - indestructible, but single stage & a bit slow. It is a really nice starter press, & for a relatively low volume shooter like me, all I really need.
As RC says, lead shot is crazy high right now, but I have a boatload of wads, primers, powder, & hulls & a few bags of shot from the good old days, so I am still reloading some shot shells. Probably will even when I have to buy more components, because I have some loads that perform well in my favorite shotguns. I feel like even with the high cost of components, I can reload for about the cost of low end " promo" shells, & my stuff is the equivalent of premium ammo.

 

[cfullgraf]

It is difficult these days to beat the cost of store bought 1-1/8 ounce 12 gauge shells by reloading. But if you want to load something that is not or readily available, then there is some advantage to reloading. 3/4 or 7/8 ounce loads come to mind.

I would get at least a MEC 600jr.

 

[JLDickmon]

It's hard to beat a MEC 600

That being said, chilled lead is FIFTY BUCKS for 25lbs right now..

The only reloading I'm doing shotgun-wise, are my duplex and triplex loads I use for hunting.

2/4 for birds, 4/6/8 for tree rats.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

I hate to say it but I agree with all of the above comments. I reload my 12 gauge just for the shear pleasure of it on my MEC 600Jr. I am not saving money, actually wasting it. I like to reload and have the supplies so I continue to do so.

The problem is the price of the shot. It is hard to compete price wise with the big boys when they have the advantage of scale.

 

[Muddydogs]

For a reloader look at the Mec reloaders. The 600 is a good single stage press to get started with and the Mec progressives work great. I pick most of my presses up used off of ebay but buying used presses usually require some tinkering to get them back to normal.

Right now you can buy 1 1/8 shells for about the same cost as reloading but what most guys are finding is that for 16 yard practice 7/8 ounce loads work just as well as 1 1/8 loads and this is where the savings come in. You will also save money loading your hunting type loads over buying factory. Hulls can be had cheap through online vendors or free by picking them up at the trap range. Check into Chedditte primers as they are cheaper then the win's or Rem's. Your local trap ranges may sell reclaimed shot which is cheaper then new shot. Use Claybuster or Duster wads as they are a lot cheaper then OEM wads.

 

[splattergun]

no, you won't save money by reloading 12 ga for skeet, as compared to the bargain brand shells at WM. However, you don't need to reload 1 1/8 oz all the time, either. Lots of skeeters shoot 1 oz, or sometimes even 7/8 oz loads. This slightly reduces your overall cost.
My target loads are 1 oz using the light end of loading data. My pheasant and grouse loads are 1 1/8 oz with heavier charges.

 

[gamestalker]

As presses go, Mec is hands down the best for the money. I've owned a Lee Load All back in the day, and thought it was a piece of junk, especially since I had been loading on a Mec for a while.

Regarding cost, shot shell is not economical to reload any more. This is due to the cost of lead. If you can locate a good deal on reclaimed shot, you might be able to save a little bit, but I doubt it now days. I used to load all my shot shells, but now days I use my press for specialty stuff, turkey, pheasant, and quail. For busting clays I just buy it off the shelf unless I happen to stumble on a good deal on reclaimed, which has become a rare find these days.

The days of $5 - $10 shot are gone.

GS

 

[oneounceload]

Lee presses and looked there for starters. Are their shotshell presses just as reliable as their other presses?

No, they are plastic and zinc poorly made objects.

A MEC Jr. can be found used on Craig's List or at your local trap club for about 50-75 bucks and is a much better machine

You can buy cheap bulk pack 12ga and 20ga shotgun ammo for less than you can make ammo.

Completely false. Wally World 4 packs are now $7.50+ per box. My reloads are under $4

Regarding cost, shot shell is not economical to reload any more

See sentence above

The key to saving money reloading is to buy in bulk, and for basic trap loads reduce the payload to 7/8, or even 3/4oz. You can use clone wads and lower cost primers like Fiocchi, Nobel, Cheddite to save even more

 

[Kp321]

+1 on buying a MEC 600 or better. They wrote the book on shotshell loaders. As far as the economics, your reloads will compare in quality and performance with the $7.50 to $10.00 per box ammo, not the cheap promotional loads. Your patterns will be better and the gun will stay cleaner, a consideration on semi autos.

 

[NCsmitty]

You can save a bundle on 410 and 28ga shells over factory. Not so much on 12ga and 20ga. I use a Mec 600 JR for my 410 loads.
I have a 20ga Lee shotshell loader that I bought on ebay a few years ago for around $15, and it's slow, but it makes great shells, and I even have the primer feed on it.
Bought 5K of Wolf 209 primers for $99 back a while, and I'm set. I run them as a substitute for the Win 209 recipes.


NCsmitty

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Keep in mind that when people say that you don't save money reloading shotshells, they are talking about purchasing the cheapest shells on the shelf. You may not be able to save money over the cheapest crap Wal Mart has to offer, although at our local store the 4 box packs are $29.99 now, but if you buy the higher quality stuff you certainly will save money.

Start pricing 3" and 3.5" steel shot loads for ducks and you will really think about loading your own. You can pay $1 a shot in a hurry with those things, and you can load them for substantially less.

 

[oneounceload]

AP - See my post above - the "cheap" wally world stuff is now $28+/4 boxes; I can buy Remington Gun Clubs (and get a MUCH better hull for reloading) even at Gander for $6.50/box, so - no you can no longer get cheap WW ammo that costs less than other factory or reloading. By dropping 3/4oz in a 12 gauge and using reclaimed, I can reloads down to $3.25 - good enough for practice. Even buying top-notch magnum shot and loading 1oz, I am still over $2/box cheaper than WW

 

[myFRAGisFUBAR]

I will look into a mec reloading unit for sure after all the good feedback they have. Right now I will just be shooting trap so the cheapest ammo is what I will buy. I do plan on hunting duck//turkey this year for the first time. If I am going to spend money for the shells, I might as well load them. Thanks for the heads up on the current prices for everything as well. Joining this forums has saved me more than a few headaches.

 

[oneounceload]

Buy yourself some Remington factory ammo, shoot it up for trap, and reload some for trap and the rest for your other hunting needs - following the proper recipes and using the correct components of course................

 

[BlisteringSilence]

Buy yourself some Remington factory ammo, shoot it up for trap, and reload some for trap and the rest for your other hunting needs - following the proper recipes and using the correct components of course................

Specifically, Premier STS or Nitro, thereby guaranteeing that you'll get a monopiece hull.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

oneounceload, I'm not arguing with you brother. I'm just pointing out that the folks who say you can't save money are comparing the costs to the cheapest crap on the shelf. And I know they've went up to nearly $30/4 boxes and because of that the argument is no longer valid. I mentioned that in my post too.

I just don't understand the mindset of comparing the costs of your ammo to the bottom of the barrel stuff.
It would be like loading match grade rifle ammo in Lapua brass with premium bullets and saying, "I'm not saving any money loading. I can get Russian Silver Bear for $14 a box."

 

[oneounceload]

No arguing here either; what I am saying is that I can reload a QUALITY round that would be costing $8+ per box in 12 gauge for half with the investment of a little of my time and I can use reclaimed and load a round equal to the cheap wally world crap for even less - so if you are the type who shoots a lot of shotgun (and I am), reloading allows me to have enough money for targets and tournaments. I average about 15,000 rounds per year, 12,000 of which are reloads - that's 480 boxes of ammo; even at a measly $3/box savings, that is $1440/year, which is no small amount to ME anyway. That savings allowed me to buy a new-to-me Beretta gas gun this year

 

[Arkansas Paul]

That's a lot of shots downrange, for sure.
I got started recently because of the high price of steel, but since I've got the equipment anyway, I see no need to buy lead either. And heck, if I can save $2-$3 a box why not?

As many rounds as you shoot a year, you ought to look into a shotmaker.

 

[oneounceload]

With lead now getting above $50/bag (versus the $12 I used to pay) that would be something - but you still need a source of lead and that is the hard part. My club will be reclaiming their fields this January and that will be the last time for several years, so I will need to stock up

 

[MSgtEgress]

1OZ is right, I load 12, 20 & 410, I shoot 1/2 oz for .410 and 3/4 oz for 12 & 20. I'm breaking just as may birds with the 3/4 as a one oz load in 12ga. If I could find a 5/8 wad for 20ga Id use it.

Our club buys a ton of shot about every 6 mo and can get it for 45-47 bucks a bag. At 3/4 oz that is 533 rounds per bag or 8.5 cents per shell. Claybuster wads are about 11.50/500 or 2.3 cents per shell, powder about 3.5 -4 cents, and primers are about 3.5 cents 18.3 cents/round or $4.60 a box. Still WAY cheaper than the wally-world special. In .410 I'm at 3.75 a box compared to over 10-13 per box anywhere you go. Even with the savings I'm sure most everyone here also use it as therapy. To sit at the bench and load you have to clear your mind of distractions (especially if loading rifle cartridges). Great way to dump your stress from the day. Cheaper than a Shrink....