New To Shotshell Reloading

[courtgreene]

Today I was literally handed a box with a shot shell reloading press and a bunch of other stuff. I've been reloading for rifles for 13 years, Handguns for 6. I haven't the foggiest idea what the process for shotgun shells is. I realize there are more steps involved. I also realize that a mentor is helpful, but don't have one. Finally (as far as my realizations go), I realize that I should probably go through the box as I have no idea what it contains other than the press... there may be some shot in there and there may not. I do know that the guy loaded for .410, 12, 16, 20 and 28. He wanted to downsize and just came to my office and handed me the box.

That said, I'm most interested in 410, because it costs so much to buy compared to the 12s I use. So, if you were advising someone starting out with nothing, what advice would you give them?

Oh, and in case someone asks, at the moment I'm thinking small game loads, squirrels, rabbits, doves if I feel froggy next season. I may want to make turkey loads in 12 ga at some point down the road, but for now, I'm really very interested in small game loads in 410.

Thanks all.

 

[George P]

Let's start with what you received to even see if it is appropriate for what you want.
Unlike metallic, you do not mix a variety of hulls and primers and wads. The data gives exact recipes, you do not "work up" a load.
in .410, Winchester AAHS are the best hulls. There are clone wads from the likes of ClayBuster and Downrange that can be subbed for the more expensive OEM wads.
Right now, like metallic, FINDING components can be problematic. Euro primers (RIO, Cheddite, and similar)are metric and slightly different in size (compared to Winchester, Federal,and Remington), so if that is what you begin with, then continue to use them.

 

[George P]

BTW, almost ALL shotgun shells are made of unobtainium

 

[entropy]

First you have to find out what gauge the press you got is set up for. They can be changed, but it is expensive and a PITA. Under normal circumstances, you could just buy loaded shells of the hulls you want to reload and shoot them. As George P says, this is a little tougher to do right now. Components for shotgun weren't hit as bad as metallic reloading components, but primers and shot are getting harder to find, as are powders that can be used for pistol. (which is most of them)
Be sure to get Lyman's 5th Edition of their Shotshell reloading manual. It's the next best thing to having a mentor. You can get one of them by joining a Trap, Sporting Clays or Skeet club in your area, and mentioning you just got a press and want to start.

 

[George P]

I found shot readily at Brownell's; my understanding is that CAC Associates also has enough. Primers are the biggest deal, followed by primers. I have enough for close to 8+months (I shoot 2-3X/week) but after that, who knows?

 

[NMexJim]

Not to chase you away from here, but you might think of joining the Shotgun World forums.

Shotgunworld.com • Index page

 

[courtgreene]

Thanks for the advice, especially the book. One of the things I’ve been wondering was which manual to buy.
I hoped to go through the box after work last night, but couldn’t because of family and other obligations. I’ll let y’all know what I find.

I do have a bunch of shells from back when I shot it more often. I’ll be sure to save the hulls from now on.

 

[whughett]

I’d be interested in the particulars. I’ve a MEC 650 I’ve used (off and on) more off now, since the 80’s. It was retro equipped with adjustable charge and shot bars.
Like #GeorgeP said shot shells are recipe specific not much customization as in metallic loading. In normal times it’s actually cheaper just to buy the shells.

 

[jmorris]

As others have posted, what press, hulls, wads, etc do you have?

.410’s and 28’s are good choices to reload as far as making it worth while. Decent 12 and 20 dove/quail loads using good wads are common these days. Not like 30 years ago where the cheap stuff used a hunk of cardboard and 3 plastic strips for a wad.

 

[George P]

I’d be interested in the particulars. I’ve a MEC 650 I’ve used (off and on) more off now, since the 80’s. It was retro equipped with adjustable charge and shot bars.
Like #GeorgeP said shot shells are recipe specific not much customization as in metallic loading. In normal times it’s actually cheaper just to buy the shells.

Depends, I reload 3/4oz for 12 and 20 - I'm cheap, the recoil is mild, and did I say I'm cheap?
At 1oz, you get 400 rounds from a bag of shot; at 3/4, I get 533, more than 5 extra boxes..........and currently at $50/bag (by the time you pay shipping), I want those extra 5 boxes of shells.

 

[whughett]

Commenting on the thread without trying to highjack it. The only shot shell loading I’ve done is buying cheapest 12 gage I can find at Wally World. Cutting the crimps off dumping the powder and wad/shot cup and reloading the shot over blackpowder, cards and cushion wads then roll-crimping.

 

[George P]

As others have posted, what press, hulls, wads, etc do you have?

.410’s and 28’s are good choices to reload as far as making it worth while. Decent 12 and 20 dove/quail loads using good wads are common these days. Not like 30 years ago where the cheap stuff used a hunk of cardboard and 3 plastic strips for a wad.

The issue today, unfortunately, is that both ammo and components are nowhere to be found (except on GunBroker). No other country is having this issue with ammo.

 

[12Bravo20]

I got lucky a month or two back and was able to get some Cheddite brand primers. I am using them in Cheddite 3" 410 hulls so them being oversized is not a problem. George is right though the Cheddite, Fiocchi, and Rio primers are larger than American made primers. Once you with to the bigger primers, you will have to stick with them.

And everyone has already given good advice. You should stick with the published data from the powder manufacturers and reloading manuals. The only thing that can be substituted is Claybuster wads for more expensive wads.

Unfortunately as we all know ammo and reloading supplies (to include presses) are very hard to find. I always suggest the MEC 600Jr press for people starting off reloading shot shells.

Now for reloading 410 shells. You will want to decide what length of shells you are going to reload (2 1/2" or 3") and set up your press for them and stick with that setup. I would also suggest sticking with one brand of hulls to keep from having to fine tune the press every time you change hulls. Another thing to watch for when reloading 410 is the shot bridging in the drop tube. It pretty much happens with #7 1/2 shot and larger. I stopped reloading #4 shot since it was really bad about bridging in the drop tube.

I also just remove the shot bottle when I use the press for reloading my 3" buckshot loads.

 

[courtgreene]

Alright, first, thanks for the replies. Second, here is the box of stuff I was given. I can’t tell you everything in the box, because I don’t know what it all is or what it is called. Any help would be appreciated.
Mec 600jr.

 

[George P]

That is an OLD (pre 82) MEC Jr with red charge bars and some old #57 primers. The charge bars will have the shot weight on the end of the bar; the bottles should probably be replaced because once they get brittle, they can easily break creating a mess. Your bottle of shot goes on the "S", powder bottle on the "P".

 

[George P]

Looks like you might also have a second gauge kit to convert the press. Unlike metallic, changing back and forth, while doable, is a royal PITA as everything will need to be reset so most folks just use a different machine for each bore size.

 

[NMexJim]

First you have to find out what gauge the press you got is set up for. They can be changed, but it is expensive and a PITA. Under normal circumstances, you could just buy loaded shells of the hulls you want to reload and shoot them. As George P says, this is a little tougher to do right now. Components for shotgun weren't hit as bad as metallic reloading components, but primers and shot are getting harder to find, as are powders that can be used for pistol. (which is most of them)
Be sure to get Lyman's 5th Edition of their Shotshell reloading manual. It's the next best thing to having a mentor. You can get one of them by joining a Trap, Sporting Clays or Skeet club in your area, and mentioning you just got a press and want to start.

As Entropy say, Lyman's 5th will be very good for you and has a section on MEC 600's.

Here is the link for pre-1985 600, but there is one for post-85 as well.
600jr.pdf (mecoutdoors.com)

When you start having adjustment problems, log onto Shooter's World and look for MEC 600 under Reloading.

 

[Blue68f100]

You have some old #57 primer which if I recall only fit the old Rem Peter Brass. I still have use them in my 20 ga.

There is another box of primers in the box. Those may be 109's or 209's which is the more common primer.

Like said looks like you have conversion parts. Like said pita to change over.

 

[entropy]

Looks like it's set up for 12, and there is what looks to me like a 20 ga. set in the bag. MEC has some very good You Tube tutorials on setting up a 600 Jr. and you can order parts right from MEC. (try to find them locally first, as they're cheaper that way, but MEC will have the parts if you can't.)

 

[cfullgraf]

Looks like you might also have a second gauge kit to convert the press. Unlike metallic, changing back and forth, while doable, is a royal PITA as everything will need to be reset so most folks just use a different machine for each bore size.

I definitely agree. I have four Mec 600jr's, one each set up for 12 ga, 20 ga, 28 ga, and .410 bore. I did hull changes by swapping out the press on the bench. When I was shooting competitive skeet in the 1990's, being able to reload all gauges was important. I would not try to change a press from one gauge to another more than once.

Last year, I bought a Dillon SL900. I have die plates for each gauge including powder measure and shot measure, except .410 bore, already adjusted. It takes about an hour to make the change.

For .410 bore, I'll still have to use my 600jr.

Like George P, I load 12 and 20 gauge loads not readily available on the commercial market. So, besides saving money on components, I have ammunition to shoot. Of course, I stocked up when components were available.

But, bottom line, I enjoy reloading so saving lots of money is not important as I'm enjoying one of my hobby activities.

 

[courtgreene]

Thank y’all. I’ll be YouTubing and reading like crazy this weekend when I’m not working.

 

[Fishtales]

While reading make sure you notice the difference between compression formed hulls, such as AA, and polyformed hulls (the original plastic hull) as the powder weights will be different. I point this out as the 20 gauge hulls shown look from the crimp pattern to be AA's. The 12 gauge hulls look like they have a different crimp pattern so I am not sure they are AA's. I prefer AA's myself-they were the first with polyformed hulls. In the early days I probably reloaded them 10 times or more. Been reloading both gauges since 1970. Still have an abundance of 12 gauge hulls that I have picked up in recent years. Please be safe.

 

[courtgreene]

Thanks fishtales

 

[George P]

There are two basic hull designs - tapered and straight-walled. Winchester AAHS and Remington (all) hulls are tapered; the other brands are straight-walled and you will need to use the proper wad for a proper gas seal and performance.

 

[entropy]

While reading make sure you notice the difference between compression formed hulls, such as AA, and polyformed hulls (the original plastic hull) as the powder weights will be different. I point this out as the 20 gauge hulls shown look from the crimp pattern to be AA's. The 12 gauge hulls look like they have a different crimp pattern so I am not sure they are AA's. I prefer AA's myself-they were the first with polyformed hulls. In the early days I probably reloaded them 10 times or more. Been reloading both gauges since 1970. Still have an abundance of 12 gauge hulls that I have picked up in recent years. Please be safe.

Actually there are two different AA hulls. AA CF (Compression Formed) and AA HS (High Strength) The AA CF hulls were last made in 2000, but can still be found, and load different than AA HS hulls. (The AA CF load the same as Remington STS, Nitro, Premier, and Blue Magic hulls.) The AA HS hull has a high tapered basewad that can make loading certain bulky powders in certain charges problematic.