best simple setup for 12ga reloading

[Milkmaster]

OK...I did a search for reloading, but there are so many search findings it is hard to read them all to find what I need...So here goes it....

I only want to reload 12 gauge shells used for clay targets. My son is shooting me into the poor house every weekend. I would like a simple setup to reload about 200 per week. Nothing fancy mind you, but a setup that is easy to make 3 dram/1-1/8oz/#7.5 loads every time without a lot of hassle. This would be my first time to ever reload, so I am ignorant of everything to buy. The local gun dealer mentioned a setup that was called something like a "Lee Junior" and came with a Winchester double A die in it. Does that ring a bell with anyone? The press, powder, shot, wads, etc was about $200 to get me started. Hulls are easy to come by at the local range where rich folk throw them away and the range is glad you picked them up

Help me out folks. Please give only constructive feedback.

 

[ADKWOODSMAN]

A MEC 600 Jr. Mark 5 is all you need--they are also VERY easy to use. $96.12

Check midsouth at www.midsouthshooters.com
Dick

 

[mc223]

Ditto the 600 JR.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Here's what you need, and none of this needs to be new...

A reloading manual. The new Lyman #5 is now out, but #4 will do.

A scale. The old balance beams are slower than the digitals.

A press. The MEC 600 JR is a great deal, lasts longer than we do and will turn out 2 3/4" rounds of any configuration. For non tox loads, the Steelmaster is the better choice.

It will come with a 1 1/8 oz charge bar and a trio of powder bushings. To make loads of other weights, more charge bars and bushings can be purchased at minimal cost.

You'll need components. Wads, Primers, Shot and Powder. I urge you to use commonly available components. I use Winchester 209 primers and wads, hard shot from West Coast, and Hodgdon's Clays Powder.

I also use Claybuster's clone of a Winchester wad but most stuff cannot be swapped. Do NOT make any substitutions without checking a reputable source.

You'll also need hulls. Stick to the recipes in the loading books and use quality hulls. The best right now is Remington's STS hull.

HTH.....

 

[SASS#23149]

your dealer may have been talking about the Lee LoadAll 2.It's ok for the money,but loads are hard to set up as you have to dump the hoppers to change the powder bushings,and they almost never throw what the table says they will.
the mec 600 jr. is much the better press for a bit more money,and there is an aftermarket adjustbel shot/powder bar for it as I recall.Makes load mods MUCH easier.
one you find a hull/wad/powder combo you like,stick with it.all hulls are not created equal and mixing them up can sure waste a l ot of time on some machines....too muich re adjusting this and that.
do the math first...shot has shot up to about 36 bucks for 25 pounds.

you mentioned 3 dram loads.most pros shoot way less than that as they dont want or need the extra pounding on long shoots.your choice there of course.

 

[kingpin008]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I figure this will be good for MilkMaster to know as well. Assuming the loader will be loading standard shells as MilkMaster described, how long will a 25 lb. bag of shot last? I'm not a shotgunner or reloader yet, but part of getting going is being able to make sense of all the numbers and costs in my head beforehand, heh.

Good luck MilkMaster, I sure hope your son appreciates a dad who would go through the trouble to reload in order to keep him shooting!

 

[Steve C]

A reloading manual. The new Lyman #5 is now out, but #4 will do.

A scale. The old balance beams are slower than the digitals.

Dave, I would have to disagree with you on the above.

If all that you want to do initially at least is to load 1/8 oz trap loads there's plenty of data available from the powder companies on the web on at the gun most gun stores in free pamphlets.

The charge weights that the powder bushings throw can be determined from the chart that MEC includes with their instruction manual you determine the charge from the load data. Most of the data from the powder companies comes with a chart of how much powder is thrown be the bushing for common reloading tools. A powder scale is worthless unless you have an adjustable charge bar.

When I bought my 600 jr some 30 years ago you had to buy the powder bushing separately but the press did come with one charge bar of your choice.

Assuming the loader will be loading standard shells as MilkMaster described, how long will a 25 lb. bag of shot last?

Simply divide the oz's of shot per shell into 25 lbs of shot which is 400 oz. A 1 - 1/8 oz load is 1.175 oz so you'd get 400/1.175 = 340.42 so you should get aproximately 340 shells from a 25 lb bag.

 

[ADKWOODSMAN]

Try 400 / by 1.125

 

[45auto]

Ditto on the Mec.

Since your going to reload to save money, I'd check the cost of componants carefully and use one of the online calculators to determine the real cost...just so your not surprised.

Meaning, if your buying new AA or STS shells now, you will save a lot of money. If your buying "promo" loads, maybe not so much if any.

I still reload, for many reasons, but just an FYI given the substantial increase in reloading supplies and how/where and what quantity you buy componants at...makes a big difference.

Good luck.

 

[trueblue1776]

Used is the way to go, if you can find a used set up that is ready to go. For some reason I see a lot of used shotgun presses down here, I guess most folks move out or move up quick.

A 100% turn-key set up down here goes from $75-300, 300 being a premium set up. Check ebay too, there are a few on there.

The Lee sets aren't bad, especially if you can find a good target load from someone local (reputable) and just duplicate it, then you wont need to make adjustments. As far as the accuracy of Lee measurements, when I find an error they are always small and on the light side (vs. heavy side), it's small potatoes for a small time guy like me.

Shotgun reloading is MUCH more forgiving than other metallic cases, and is a good place to start, don't get suckered into buying a really expensive high-precision machine just to start.

Have a good time with it, reloading is a lot of fun.

 

[Matt Dillon]

+1 on the Lee Load alls. My son and I have reloaded thousands of shells, and you can find these used on eBay very reasonably. In fact, they are so cheap, that we purchased one for each of the calibers we have, 12, 16, and 20 gauge, as they are cheaper than purchasing the Lee conversion kits new.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Steve, what a bushing will throw varies by as much as .4 gr from one lot of powder to another. And, the tables showing what a bushing is supposed to throw varies. MEC may say a 31 bushing throws 17 gr while Hodgdon says 16.3. Powder weights must be verified by a scale.

 

[scout26]

200 rounds per week

I'd start with a Lee Load-All. Good tool to learn the basics, you can always upgrade to a progressive later.
Not matter what reloader you chose to use, you need a scale. Check/search on E-bay for Lee Load-All's and Lee Scales, you can probably get both for $40-$50 total.
Also get Lyman's new 5th Edition Shotgun Reloading Manual ($17 +/- from Midway)
You can also get recipes from the various powder and wad manufacturer's websites (start at http://www.reload-nrma.com/ There is also a listing of NRA certified reloading instructors. Another good resource.

Now for components:

Hulls: I'd recommend any Remington Hulls, with Winchester AA's a close second. My experience is as follows, lighter loads increases hull life. Loading shoulderwhomperthunderboomers significantly reduces hull life without noticable improvements in scores.
Having said that, here's what I've generally found:
Remington STS(Shiny Green), Nitro 27's (Gold Hulls), Peters Blue Magics are good for 10-15 reloads
Remington Gun Clubs, Game Loads(Dark Green hulls), and Field Loads (Black hulls) at least 8-12 reloads
All modern/current (last 10 years or so) manufacture Remington hulls can use the same load data.
Win AA's (Red or Gray) get 8-12 reloads and old or new can use the same load data.

Most other hulls are not worth reloading, especially the Wally World Federal and Winchester Unverisal Valu-packs. The Remington Valu-packs are normally the Green Hull Game Loads.

Wads:
I prefer Nothing But Dust http://www.dusterwads.com/ they tend to be less expensive then other brands and also leave the least amount of plastic crud in my barrels then either factory or claybuster wads. YMMV.

If you can't source locally, then you can order them through http://www.recobstargetshop.com/. They usually have the best prices on wads, powder, shot, and primers.

For powder Hodgdon's Clays is definitely the standard, burns very clean and is not very expensive. There are cheaper powders (Rex powders and Alliant's Promo and Claydot) but Clays is more versatile/and a good one to start with.

Primers: Most Clay's recipes call for either Win 209's, Rem 209P's
or CCI 209's.

Shot: There's not much difference between a 1oz and 1 1/8oz load as far as results. There's a huge cost savings in dropping to 1 oz loads (400 loads at 1 oz vs 340 loads at 1 1/8 oz or at today's lead prices or $.03-.04 cents per load). If you can, source locally as shipping costs quickly eat up any savings. Reclaimed shot can also be a good alternative (especially for informal shooting) to help reduce costs.

To really save money you need to buy in bulk: 5000 primers, 5000 wads, 8lb kegs of powder, 500-2000lbs of shot. But you might want to start off small and "try" out different recipes to find what works good or best for you and your son. Maybe 100-200 of various primers ($2-4 per hundred), a couple of bags of different wads ($6-12 per bag), one pound canisters of different powders like Clays, Titewad, Green Dot, Red Dot, IMR 700X, Nitro 100, Winchester WST and/or others ($15-$20 per canister) I have three basic loads that I pretty much use all the time, but now and again I get an "itch" and go digging through the powder manufacturers' website or the recipe books for a "new" load or two to try out. Still haven't found anything that does a "better" job of breaking clays at a cheaper cost, but hope springs eternal.

Hopefully you and your son will find reloading to be as a fun/rewarding hobby as shotgunning.

 

[ADKWOODSMAN]

As Dad I loaded for the 4 kids and economy was the word. 7/8 oz always worked for us. The most dense pattern's I've ever seen in a 12 ga were with 3/4 oz. loads.