Home Forums Reloading Shotshells budget for reloader

well, my boys have finally taken an interest in shooting shotguns and are breaking me with the purchase of many 410 and 28 ga shells. what do I need to budget to get into reloading shotshells? I load for rifles so I figure I can handle it. just have no clue re shotshells.

257:

Well, it's kinda like rifle reloading, there are reloaders and there are reloaders. Very simplistically there are single stage reloaders, which would be roughly the equivalent of a regular reloading press and progressive reloaders which are like Dillons and turn out a loaded shell with each pull of the handle once the process is set up. On single stages, you move the shotshell from station to station and on progressives they are moved by some type of table/holder as you pull the handle.

I strongly recommend that all new shotshell reloaders start with a single stage, such as a Mec, Pacific, etc. The process is relatively simple and not quite as exacting as metallic reloading but different enough that most people understand it better if they do it one thing at a time for at least a thousand rounds or so. What this does is allow you to figure out what has gone wrong and where to adjust on the progressive press that you will INEVITABLY buy if you or your kids keep shooting very much. An experienced reloader may not need this, but especially with kids involved, I'd start with it anyway.

In addition, go to almost any shotgun club, ask around and you can find a single stage loader dirt cheap. Finding one set up for 28 or .410 might be more of a challenge, but most of them have interchangeable die sets which will convert a 12 to a 28, etc. BTW, .410s are kind of a pain to reload because of the narrowness of the case. You should be able to get started for less than $100 easy buying used, and hopefully $50. I've got an old 28 ga inbetween, meaning sort of semi-progressive, Mec that someone gave me that I would give you, but it is kind of cranky and I haven't loaded enough on it to know for sure that it works OK. If you want it let me know and pay for shipping.

I don't recall the model # offhand, but Pacific made and probably still makes (Pacific was purchased by Hornady IIRC and I am not certain they are still sold under the Pacific name, guess you can tell I haven't needed to buy a shotshell reloading press for a while) an inline press, meaning the stages are in a straight line rather than on a circular base that is a little bit faster than the circular ones. You will NOT break any speed records on a single stage shotshell press, if you reload a 100 shells an hour you're really humming and 50 is probably closer to the average.

Once you've got a press, hopefully adjusted correctly. Not hard to do, but it helps if someone who has used one before is there to guide you a bit. You will need a supply of Hulls, they need to be the same brand and type, shotshell primers (209s), powder, shot and wads and you are off to the shooting fields.

Real briefly, the stages of most shotshell reloaders, whether single stage or progessive, are this:

1, resize and deprime
2, insert new primer and drop powder charge
3, insert wad and drop shot charge
4, pre-crimp
5, final crimp

Most shotshell reloaders use bushing for both the shot and powder charges. It is a good thing to check them or at least look at them if you bought them used to be sure they have not been opened up.

That in a very small nutshell is how to get started.

257 you have been given good information and pretty complete. Take a look at a Lee load all for a single stage press. Don't know if they come in 410 and 28 but they turn out good reloads fairly quickly once you get the rythm down.



One difference and a big one between shot shell reloading and rifle/pistol reloading that Flies didn't mention. He didn't forget it I know as he's too experienced just failed to put it in his post.



Don't jack around with listed recipes



Unlike rifle/pistol it is unwise to add a little more powder than called for in the published recipe, substitute wads, use a different primer, substitute hulls, use a different but similar powder, etc. You can get in trouble very quickly and turn out unsafe reloads with out knowing it until you shoot them. In general [color:"red"] Don't experiment with shotshell reloads [/color]





BCR

Thanks for the advise guys. If I used all new components (hulls) every time (not that this is practical), how much money could I save as compared to buying shells. I pay about $8 per box for 410 and 28ga. I use new brass for loading hunting cartridges but we are not talking about a lot of shooting here. The shotgun deal is an entire different story.

257:

You won't use new hulls everytime. Most people save their factory hulls when they shoot them and use them for reloading. A reasonable rough estimate of hull cost per shot would be one cent, but figure 1 1/2 since small ga.s are tougher on hulls than 12s.

The big factor is what lead shot would cost you. Most gun clubs and heavy users go together to buy it by the pallet or ton. I am not current on lead costs nor other components either. But, without sitting down and figuring it, I would suspect that factoring in the above hull costs per shot, that you could load 3/4 oz 28s for less than $3/box and .410s for about $2.50. This is a guess but I imagine I won't be far off.

257: Pretty good info here from the others. I load my 28's on a single stage, and stick to just one hull, the Win. AA. I find it crimps the most consistently, and will last about 4-5 reloads. You will never get the life from the 410 or 28 that you get with 12 or 20 gauge. I tried the Rem STS and was not happy with them for reloading at all. Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I have had no trouble with their 12 ga hulls, just the 28's. As you read the data, you will find a range of acceptable powder charges that will work. Most of the bushings for the MEC machines do not throw the charge listed in the bushing charts; I find I have to weigh a few with my powder lot, bushing, and technique....and your technique will probably cause your bushing to throw a somewhat different charge. I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say that if you are shooting that much small bore now, get a MEC 9000 to start. I should buy one, but I'm too cheap to give up my 600jr. for the quantity of 28 I shoot. 100 shells an hour on a single stage is about right. I believe it (the 9000) is able to load one shell at a time until you learn. You will pick it up fast, I'm sure, as it is not rocket science. I find metallic loading much more exacting. I hope you have saved all your hulls; look on ebay and see what they are going for, and you will never let a hull hit the ground again! Keep us posted. 4fun

257Bob, Good advise from all. I'm going to oppose one recommendation though. Unless you can get the Lee Loadall free, don't get one if you can afford anything else. I've used one for years (20 gauge) along with a MEC 600 Jr. (12 gauge). There is NO comparison. The MEC is far better and ... well that's all. Get a used MEC in whatever gauge you can find reasonably priced and spring for a conversion kit. BTW I just upgraded to a MEC in 20 gauge also. Regards, Woody

If you're paying $8 a box for 28 gauge and 410 bore shotshells, you'll be able to save $5 a box easily, and reloading the hulls is something the boys would probably enjoy.

The question about shotshell loaders, though, is a little difficult. Hornady bought Pacific some years ago and don't offer the excellent Pacific DL-155 single-stage loader anymore, and I believe that Lyman discontinued producing their pretty good single-stage some time ago. That pretty much leaves MEC because the Lee loader (Load All) doesn't come in 28 gauge or 410 bore.

In my judgment, the least capable shotshell reloader you should consider is the MEC 600 Jr. Mark 5 (current model) or a used MEC 600 Jr. (discontinued 1985) if you can find one in good condition. The suggested retail price for the 600 Jr. Mark 5 is about $118 complete for one gauge, but you will frequently see this model discounted to some extent.

The next model up is the MEC Sizemaster and has a suggested retail price of about $179. This model, too, is often discounted to some extent. The Sizemaster is a little heavier duty than the 600 Jr. and uses a different method to resize the shotshell brass. It also comes with an automatic primer feed except on the 410 bore model. (The design of the Sizemaster precludes an automatic primer feed on the 410 bore press.)

I suggest that if at all possible you buy a separate press for the 28 gauge and 410 bore and not try to make repeated conversions from one to the other. It's not difficult on the MEC presses, but very many of these conversions will be aggravating to say the least.

A "gotcha" with the MEC 600 Jr. and Sizemaster is with the 410 bore is that every now and then a shotshell will stick on the primer seating ram and sometimes stick very tightly. I've seen this frequently with some lots of AA hulls.

As far as progressive presses are concerned, I suppose that most would be fine for the 28 gauge. The 410 bore, though, is a different matter entirely. Over the years, I've tried the MEC 9000G, the Grabber, the Hornady/Pacific 366, and the P/W 800B with less than sterling success. The only progressive press I could recommend for the 410 bore is the Spolar Gold, but that press will set you back something a little over $1,300. Still, mine has worked flawlessly for something over a thousand hulls now, and I can fairly easily turn out 500+ 410 bore shotshells an hour.

As far as other presses are concerned, I have Sizemasters set up in 12 and 20 gauge and use them mostly for field loads. I have a MEC Grabber set up in 12 gauge and use it mostly for trap loads. My RCBS Grand is used mostly for 12 gauge skeet loads (1 ounce shot). My MEC 9000G is used for 20 gauge skeet loads, and my Hornady 366 is used for 28 gauge skeet and field loads. (Simple shot change from one to the other.) I had at one time the Dillon SL 900 set up in 12 gauge, but I really cannot recommend this press at any price. The old P/W 800B was a great press for every gauge except the 410 bore, and the current 800 Plus is very similar to the older 800B. As I said, though, I can't recommend it for the 410.

You might find it beneficial to surf over to my web site, http://www.reloadingpro.com , and click on New Handloader and follow the appropriate links.

257Bob:

I have a brand new, never been opened MEC 9000G in 20 ga I'll sell you. This is the progressive reloader so it will crank out shells as fast as you can pull the handle. I got it for Christmas last year from my wife but I never even opened it, I also have the 12 ga and I just don't have the time for reloading now. My wife paid about about $299 and I'll let you have it for $225 and I'll pay the shipping. Let me know if you are interested.

Scott

257Bob
Before you spend any money on equipment, I would recommend buying the 4th Edition of the Lyman Shotshell Manual and read through the front part of it. It is by a long shot the best manual on shotshells that is available.