[SapperLeader]

150 shells of 12 ga 2 3/4 1oz #8 shot for 17.95. Needless to say I stocked up with about 1200 shells, this should work for practice ammo for a while :)

[HSMITH]

$3 per box is OK, not bad for retail I suppose.

I pay less than $2.50 for AA handicap equivalents, and a 1 ounce loads saves some money yet on that price.......

[Rat-30]

HSMITH -

Where are you getting these AA equivalents? Who makes them?

Please advise,

Thanks.

[HSMITH]

Sorry, I should have been clear: I make them. Reload, it saves PILES of money letting you shoot more.

[Ringer]

That it is cheaper than WalMart's bulk price which I buy occaisionally. I'm in Galyans looking around about once a week anyway so I'll probably pick up a few hundred rounds myself.

Thanks for the heads up.

[Rat-30]

Thanks for clearing that up, HSMITH, no flame intended.

I've reloaded handgun for years, but I'm new to shotgun reloading - any advice / links? Favorite loads?

Thanks,

[Midnight]

I've heard that if you know a Wal-Mart employee, you can go through them to buy the 100 round value packs by the pallet or half pallet. I've forgotten the precise number, but a pallet is several thousand rounds. The price is supposed to be about $1.85/box. However, you have to buy in bulk, so it helps to have other shooters pitch in with up. Just a FYI

[SapperLeader]

I asked at my walmart in woodbridge about buying 9mm and shotgun shells in bulk, and I thought they were going to call the FBI, ATF and local pd on me :). I might ask again the the walmart in fairfax, they seem to be more organized in the outdoor department.

[HSMITH]

Rat, I would not load on anything but a progressive press if I were loading more than a box a week. I use MEC 9000G's, they can be bought on sale for about $275 yet when on sale and produce good ammo at a high rate of speed. I load 400 an hour without any real effort at speed. I can do 600 per hour if I work at it a little.

The more components you buy the cheaper they get. Buying either massive quantities for yourself or splitting the stuff with a couple other shooters. $700-1000 is a good number for getting bulk breaks on powder, shot, primers and wads around here. You have to spend a lot of money to get the next level of price breaks around here. Component prices affect loaded round costs pretty dramatically. I doubt you could load a box for less than $3 if you bought one pound of powder, one bag of shot and so on. LOW $2 range is entirely possible.

I am a BIG fan of one ounce 12ga loads. They will do ANYTHING that needs done on clay targets and save money on component costs. They also cut recoil, which allows you to shoot more without fatigue. Practice will make you good, and light loads make practice longer and easier. I basically load as light as I can and still get good function. I would bet that 90% of shotgunners would be amazed at how light the loads can get and they still cannot tell any difference in scores. In lots of cases scores will go UP with lighter loads.....

Holler if you have any questions.

[Rat-30]

Thanks, HSMITH -

I'll look into the MECs...

I sure understand about the low-recoil = more practice, and further more practice = more hits.

I'll be back in touch about the loads.

All the best,