7/8oz load crimp...?

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Saluki91

Saluki91

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I'm loading some 7/8oz loads for an upcoming skeet shoot, and have encountered something new. The crimps seem deep, and incomplete... as if there wasn't enough shot, or perhaps the wad wasn't tall enough. I'm admittedly new to loading shotshells, but my 1oz loads never looked quite like this. I'd appreciate some guidance or reassurance.

AA 12ga Hulls (new design)
Cheddite 209
17.1gr of Ramshot Competition (should get me 1,250ish fps)
CB0178 (WAA12-L)
7/8oz #9 Eagle

Loaded on a MEC Sizemaster

The attached pics show the shot slightly below the lip of the wad, and a few of the crimps have a tiny but visible hole in the middle.

What should I do? Load 'em and shoot 'em, or start over?

Thanks!

IMG_0194.jpg IMG_0195.jpg IMG_0195.jpg
 
If they are too deep you can put some nitro or overshot cards on top before crimping. Those will work as is as long as they are sealed so no shot dribbles out though. You might want to try a few for function/pattern before you make a bunch though.
 
If shot doesnt fall out ok to shoot. The last station on my 600jr allows for adjustments. The taper of the case can be adjusted.
When the shells have a hole in the center of the crimp, make a slight adjustment to the cam in a counter-clockwise direction.

When old tired shells leak shot, i have put a sticker on them to seal. More so on the 28 gauge.
 
243winxb said:
If shot doesnt fall out ok to shoot. The last station on my 600jr allows for adjustments. The taper of the case can be adjusted.
When the shells have a hole in the center of the crimp, make a slight adjustment to the cam in a counter-clockwise direction.

When old tired shells leak shot, i have put a sticker on them to seal. More so on the 28 gauge.
Click to expand...

OK - Thanks! I appreciate your input. Given that the little hole apparently won't impact anything, I'm inclined to not mess with the cam. My 1oz loads look perfect! It doesn't seem like it is worth the hassle to go back and forth. Thanks again!
 
Saluki91 said:
I'm loading some 7/8oz loads for an upcoming skeet shoot, and have encountered something new. The crimps seem deep, and incomplete... as if there wasn't enough shot, or perhaps the wad wasn't tall enough. I'm admittedly new to loading shotshells, but my 1oz loads never looked quite like this. I'd appreciate some guidance or reassurance.

AA 12ga Hulls (new design)
Cheddite 209
17.1gr of Ramshot Competition (should get me 1,250ish fps)
CB0178 (WAA12-L)
7/8oz #9 Eagle

Loaded on a MEC Sizemaster

The attached pics show the shot slightly below the lip of the wad, and a few of the crimps have a tiny but visible hole in the middle.

What should I do? Load 'em and shoot 'em, or start over?

Thanks!

View attachment 1016199 View attachment 1016200 View attachment 1016200
Click to expand...

I wish all my 12 gauge loads looked that good.

With lighter loads, the crimp is affected by the setting and the lack of material in the hull. With a MEC loader, you should be able to adjust the amount of compression for setting the wad and the crimp. With light loads, there is less powder and less shot inside the hull than "standard" loads. They do not fill the hull as well as standard 1-1/8 oz loads.

But, what already has been said is good information.
 
They are fine. My 1 oz. loads don't always look that good, but they shoot fine. I even shot some for Annie Oakleys tonight. They broke birds back to 40 yards. Good enough for me!
Wad selection and crimp depth setting usually need a little tweeking when changing payload weight.
 
As others said, they're fine as long as the shot doesn't leak out. If you want a perfect looking shell, you're going to have to change the wad and/or powder to get a taller stack and you'll need to adjust the crimp die to accommodate it. At least, that was my experience when I experimented with 7/8 loads.
 
A drop of candle wax or even softened bees wax will seal the center hole up real nice. I noticed with the three loaded shells picture, the left shell is over crimped by the twisted center which is commonly caused by a shell used many times. The one in the middle looks about average and the right side one is brand new. You may want to sort your shells according to age to get more consistent results from them. The left hand shell of the 3 in a picture and the single shell bottom one of 2 in a picture show signs of burn through at the crimp. Shells like that will lose a lot of velocity. They will shoot for practice, but keep the good ones for score.
 
#9 may pack a little tighter than the #8 I use #8 with no issues on a MEC 600 Jr. I use overshot cards to tighten up Fiocchi Target 6 point crimp. It looks to me like your crimp adjustment could use another tweak, no open hole but no bent spokes.
 
Last edited:
RealGun said:
#9 may pack a little tighter than the #8 I use with no issues on a MEC 600 Jr. I use overshot cards to tighten up Fiocchi Target 6 point crimp. It looks to me like your crimp adjustment could use another tweak, no open hole but no bent spokes.
Click to expand...
That's a great suggestion... Will give it a try. Perhaps use #8 in 3/4oz 12ga and save the #9 for 20ga and 28ga.
 
I know guys who've put a Cheerio in the bottom of the wad to use 1 1/8oz wads for 1oz, and in 1 oz. wads for 7/8 oz. I just pony up for the right wad.
 
Nothing wrong with the wad/shotcup chosen, or the shot level in that shotcup.
Just fine....
index.php

Reduce the crimp depth a full turn (loosen the locknut and unscrew the slotted thread)
See if that doesn't address both depth and closure. Fine tune depth back a bit if too shallow
Adjust the cam position only if req'd after that.
 
Last edited:
In a Volumetric measure (as is the MEC) a "7/8"-oz charge bar dumps the same volume of #9 shot as it does #8.
Being metal, neither "compact" upon compression.
It's the shotcup that simply compresses it's supporting legs to accommodate the crimp position.

As noted earlier, the OP's first post shows a loaded/crimped shotgun shell that will function just fine.
If he wants to lighten-up/adjust the crimp, simple unscrew the crimp screw a bit/slightly raise the cam
No big deal.
:thumbup:
 
MEHavey said:
In a Volumetric measure (as is the MEC) a "7/8"-oz charge bar dumps the same volume of #9 shot as it does #8.
Being metal, neither "compact" upon compression.
It's the shotcup that simply compresses it's supporting legs to accommodate the crimp position.

As noted earlier, the OP's first post shows a loaded/crimped shotgun shell that will function just fine.
If he wants to lighten-up/adjust the crimp, simple unscrew the crimp screw a bit/slightly raise the cam
No big deal.
:thumbup:
Click to expand...
The thought was that small particles pack more densely than large. Our best example is gun powder. I may have overstated how much difference #8 would make.
 
Volume is volume, troops.
The #8's pack into the same charge-bar volume as #9s

(the #8 volume may weigh slightly less:thumbup: due to looser packing,
but the volume occupied in the shot cup is the same)
 
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