Looking At Shot Shell Reloading

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giggitygiggity

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I am contemplating getting into shot shell reloading. I have a range near me with an abundance of spent shells. I have a fair amount of metallic reloading experience, but have never loaded a shot shell.

I am not looking to load target and birdshot loads as it is far cheaper and less labor intensive just to buy the 100 round box from Wally World. However, I think savings can be had with respect to buckshot and slugs.

Please feel free to weigh in on your suggestions.

Is there anything I need to be aware of such. Can shells that once fired birdshot be used for slugs and buckshot without issue? Are there any kind of nuances such as "don't use those shells for this reason or that"? Are all shot shells primed with the same type of primer/are there different primers as in metallic reloading (boxer vs Berdan)?

Any help and suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.
 
I use highbrass shells for slugs and buck shot. 209 primers. Just starting to work up some turkey loads. If you load metallic cartridges, you'll have no probem with shotshells. Imo.

Be well
 
The only real difference between metallic and shotshell reloading is that with shotshell you are generally advised to follow the recipe closely. Don't substitute primer, wad or hull brands/models. Other than that, it isn't complicated.
 
I load slugs, using a lee. I use Federal Topgun shells exclusively, and they're pretty common. Shotshell reloading uses a specific recipe, and you don't deviate or work up loads. So its: Use THIS much of THIS powder, THIS wad, THIS shell and so on. With shotshells everything has to fit together, and you can have issues swapping components. you'll see a lot of "equivalent" in shotshell loading. Wads especially. Stick to the data and you'll be fine. Only seen one type of primer. Hulls fail on the first firing sometimes, or on the fifth. They fail at the mouth, and its caused by the star crimp. Some slug/buck loads will use a card and roll crimp instead of a star crimp. The lee cant do roll crimps, but theres an aftermarket tool to do it, but its expensive.
 
A Lyman 5th ed shotshell manual will let you know fairly quickly if you want to pursue this. I've only done 28ga.
 
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Never swap components? Why? With some common sense, there is no problem. All of the above shells were loaded with the same wad, same primer, same shot load and no problem at all. Why is it that you can't swap components with shot shells and yet people do it all the time in metallic reloading even though the manuals advise against it? Beats me.

I see less of a reason to load slugs and buck shot than I do bird shot since I only shoot a very few of those. I like #5 shot for most of my nuisance animal shooting and that isn't the most common load available in the store so that's what I load. It wouldn't take much effort to load buckshot but slugs take a little different technique that I don't choose to bother with.
 
There are two basic types of shotshells - tapered and straight walled. You CANNOT just mix hulls. Use Hodgdon and Alliant. Primers are also not willy-nilly interchangeable (although some are once you get experience).
If you're looking to load hot hunting loads, follow the recipes to the Target/light bird loads give you a little more leeway in that regard.
Hulls, primers, powder, shot, wads - and you will need a different reloader - a MEC Jr, is great for small batch hunting loads.
I reload and shoot 15K a year, but I shoot a LOT of targets. Hunting loads I stopped reloading years ago as I only go through a few boxes hunting a year.

Note - Wally world prices are NOT as good as Academy; and besides better pricing, they have free shipping on orders over $25
 
Grumulkin said:
View attachment 785317

Never swap components? Why? With some common sense, there is no problem. All of the above shells were loaded with the same wad, same primer, same shot load and no problem at all. Why is it that you can't swap components with shot shells and yet people do it all the time in metallic reloading even though the manuals advise against it? Beats me.

I see less of a reason to load slugs and buck shot than I do bird shot since I only shoot a very few of those. I like #5 shot for most of my nuisance animal shooting and that isn't the most common load available in the store so that's what I load. It wouldn't take much effort to load buckshot but slugs take a little different technique that I don't choose to bother with.
Click to expand...
You mixed some straight-walled with tapered; the end result is that you get powder migration and different pressures. Your Remington and Win AA hulls load the same; the others are straight-walled and require a different wad for optimum performance.
 
Yep, just follow the published recipes and you'll be fine. There are charts out there that will show what generic wad and shell equivalents are available/usable. You are right, slugs and buck are where you can save some money.
The Load All will do the job as long as you are loading up a few handfuls of whatever a week and don't mind the hassle of emptying the hopper. They are only 50 bucks new on Amazon.
 
Ballistic Products is a good place to get info, slug and buckshot manuals, components, and tools necessary to reload slug and buck. Can't see the benefit for myself only shooting a few rounds per year to load slugs or buckshot. Haven't loaded slugs but trying to reload 00 buckshot is tedious and difficult to get good crimps. Easiest to load 00 buck with Federal straight walled hulls. Note that Ballistic Products manuals list loads mostly using their own components.
 
George P said:
You mixed some straight-walled with tapered; the end result is that you get powder migration and different pressures. Your Remington and Win AA hulls load the same; the others are straight-walled and require a different wad for optimum performance.
Click to expand...

I can assure you, the performance is plenty optimum enough for me.
 
Grumulkin said:
Why is it that you can't swap components with shot shells and yet people do it all the time in metallic reloading even though the manuals advise against it?
Click to expand...
If the reloading manuals advise against it, there is usually a reason. In the case of substituting hulls, you might get a *POOF* and shot rolling out the barrel, or a barrel that looks like Elmer Fudd's when Bugs Bunny sticks his finger in the muzzle.....
I've seen the first happen many times; never witnessed the latter personally, but I've seen a the results, and cut the barrels down for grouse or HD use for the owners.
Eclipse hulls were famous for *POOF* loads and a subsequent range rod wad extraction, back in the day.
 
entropy said:
If the reloading manuals advise against it, there is usually a reason. In the case of substituting hulls, you might get a *POOF* and shot rolling out the barrel, or a barrel that looks like Elmer Fudd's when Bugs Bunny sticks his finger in the muzzle.....
I've seen the first happen many times; never witnessed the latter personally, but I've seen a the results, and cut the barrels down for grouse or HD use for the owners.
Eclipse hulls were famous for *POOF* loads and a subsequent range rod wad extraction, back in the day.
Click to expand...

Of course there is a reason reloading manuals advise against substituting components. They can only be responsible for what they have personally tested and that goes for BOTH metallic and shot shell reloading. If I published a reloading manual I would do the same to decrease my liability.

After having been reloading for decades and substituting components whilst using some common sense, I have never come close to blowing up a gun nor have I ever had a squib.

If one is unsure about one's common sense, then one should rely slavishly on a manual which is only , common sense.
 
giggitygiggity said:
I am contemplating getting into shot shell reloading. I have a range near me with an abundance of spent shells.
Click to expand...

And after spending an hour or two "dumpster diving" what you're going to find is that 80% of the hulls are cut rate off-shore, 5-fold hulls which your reloading machine cannot handle. You need good quality 8-fold hulls. Then the remainder of the hulls will be ones that have already been reloaded 4 or 5 times and truly belong in the trash bin.

If you are dead set on shotshell reloading, then go buy 2 or 3 boxes of high-end shells of the same EXACT spec that you desire to reload. Shoot those, then reload those hulls with the same components.
 
I could see shotshell reloading for subgauges, if you're a significant volume shooter, or if you wanted something specifically tailored. The loading process is not difficult. The combinations are specific since that is how the data was worked up. Always remember the wad!
 
I reload because I am cheap. I reload a 3/4oz target load that works in my gas guns perfectly. Smashes targets. At 3/4oz, I can get 533 rounds from an expensive bag of shot and my total cost per box is ~$3.50. It gets that low because I buy components in bulk - that means wads by the case of 5000, primers by the sleeve of 5000, powder in 8# jugs by the 2/case and shot by the hundredweight or more.
 
At the present time, reloading shotshells is not really a money saver unless you can buy shot for $30/bag. It is about forty around here. When you can buy Gun Clubs and Top Guns for $50/flat (half of what used to be a legitimate case), you are only exercising your arm and reusing old hulls. I do it because I can tailor my loads. If you load for 28 gauge or .410 bore you CAN save money.
I have a Grabber set up for one ounce loads of #8, and a 9000 set for 1 1/8 -7 1/2. My 600 Juniors are set to load 20and 12 gauge and I have another one in 410 if I ever feel like it. Mostly with the single stage presses I load slugs(have 12 nd 20 moulds.)
 
Powder and shot got ridiculous. I only reload 28 and 410 now. As for components, I only use Remington hulls for 12 and 20ga, and Winchester for 28 and 410.
To the OP, pick a hull, get the proper wads and primer and have at it. Components do matter. I saw two shotguns with burst barrels, one Perazzi and one Berretta. Not pretty!!!
 
Many will tell you to "stick to the recipe". Welllll... yes and no. Don't deviate from the shell and wad of the shot weight recipe unless you have verified, reliable substitutes.
As for powder charge, many recipes give a 'high power' charge and a 'low power' charge. You can safely tune your loads between those high and low charges to best pattern in your gun.

Now as for your OP, giggity... I am not into shotshell reloading to save a buck! I can state with near certainty that my shotshell reloads probably cost a few cents more per shell than buying factory loads in bulk. BUT! I know that the shells I load pattern better in my guns and perform better, because I build them that way! If you're reloading shotshell for a few pennies savings, your head is in the wrong place IMO. YMMV
 
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