Handgun Shotshell loading

[wildlifeclyde]

I am wanting experiment loading up some shot shells for 357 mag and 44 mag.

Reading some of the older threads, I have the method planned out. Powder, card, shot, card, good roll crimp, glue or wax to close.

The questions I have are about powder. I know I will need a faster powder but not sure how to come up with a load to start with. Do I need to just use the fastest powder I can get my hands on or does it make that much of a difference. Should I base my charge off of a general weight of shot in the case and find a bullet about that weight to find my "load data" in a manual?

I assume that I'll just be topping the case off with shot, so the less powder I use the more shot I'll have.

I was planning on using cereal box for card stock, will that be a thick enough wad on the 44 mag cartridge?

Some of the faster powders I have are Red dot, Green Dot, PB, Unique, and SR7625.

Any suggestions or thoughts are greatly appreciated!

 

[cfullgraf]

Get some Speer Shot capsules. Among other things, you will get more shot in your loads.

Speer has loading data for them.

 

[BADUNAME37]

I would think you would want to go by the overall weight of your projectile, in this case, a payload of pellets.

One thing different about this load over a bullet is you won't have the pressure created when the jacketed bullet molds itself to the rifling, which I would think would mean you would possibly need a bit more powder.

So, it may be safe to say that you go with, say 158 grains of pellets and start a load that would have powder for a 158 grain jacketed bullet, then compare to just a lead bullet with no jacket. If that is less powder, go with the starting load for that!

I have a 500 Magnum that I would be interested in doing this with, so I would like to hear what others have to say and hear how you did with yours.

I am not a ballistician, so, you need to VERIFY with other sources the information I just gave you above!

Thanks.

 

[ssyoumans]

I followed these instructions linked below. Used 6.0gr of Bullseye. All I could stuff into a 357 mag case was around 98gr of #8. Use 2 pieces of cardboard between powder and shot Due to 6gr of Bullseye, I'd rate these light magnum instead of 38 Special. More velocity is not always better as patterns can develop holes. You'll have to play around with shot size and powder charge. Mine shot pretty nice out of 6" GP100. Clean lead out of revolver before shooting other traditional bullets.

http://www.jamescalhoon.com/snakeloads.php

With the Speer shot shell holders, they claim you can get 109gr of #9. Have some, but haven't ever tried them.

 

[rcmodel]

Speer shot caps are the way to fly.
The shot capsule protects the bore from direct shot contact so you get no nasty lead build-up from naked shot.

Load data is printed on the boxes, or in the Speer reloading manual.

http://www.speer-bullets.com/products/components/empty_shot_capsules.aspx

rc

 

[brickeyee]

Be aware that the rifling tends to spread the shot out pretty quickly.

Maybe adequate for the snake on the ground almost at your feet, not effective on a squirrel 10 feet away.

 

[wildlifeclyde]

Everyone, thanks for the input!

Will the capsules keep the shot from getting "messed up", for lack of a better term, in the rifling and give a better pattern?

I was hoping for being able to take shots between 30 and 40 feet. If I'm only gonna get a range of a few feet I'll probably just stick with a 20ga. Currently, I'm shooting pest birds (under permit) and thought it'd be a little more challenging with a handgun. I do get the birds to come in fairly close at times but I wouldn't be able to get them to come in at 10 feet on a regular basis.

 

[RidgwayCO]

Be advised that the rifling in your barrel causes the entire shot column to spin. Speer says that you can expect the shot column to spread at a rate of about one inch per foot. So at ten feet from the barrel your shot column has spread to ten inches wide (nice for snakes or vermin). At forty feet, I doubt if it would be very usable. And trying to increase the speed of the shot column just causes it to spread faster...

And yes, while protecting you rifling from the soft lead shot, the blue shot capsules are also protecting the shot from the rifling (but at such sort ranges, that's not especially important).

 

[472x1A/B]

I make these in .38 spl. all the time. I use 3 grs. Bullseye, a hard cardboard over powder card, push the card down to the powder, fill it up with # 4 shot, put another card on top and roll crimp. Not much for accuracy past 10-12 feet, but look out right next to your foot.

 

[GP100man]

Look at this thread

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=581778

 

[472x1A/B]

That's it GP100man, thanks. I use to seal the cards but don't take the time to now. Only load up 10-15 at a time, it's so easy no need for any more than that many, for my use anyway.

 

[x_wrench]

I JUST LOADED SOME 44 MAG SHOTSHELLS. I USED THE SPEER CAPSULES AS WELL. THEY MAKE IT VERY EASY. I USED 4 DIFFERENT SIZE PELLETS, IN HOPES OF FILLING AS MUCH OF THE AIR GAPS BETWEEN THE PELETS WITH THE SMALLER SIZE SHOT. I JUST CUT UP A FEW OLD PAPER SHOT GUN SHELLS FOR THE PELLETS. LOTS CHEAPER THAN BUYING A BAG OF SHOT!

 

[ssyoumans]

Range Report on shotshells

Thought I would post some results using the 38 / 357 Speer capsules and some without using capsules. Targets are an 8" circle.

The loads:
Load A: 5.5 gr of Unique, with 99 grs of #8 shot, in a Speer Capsule (total weight of 106 gr). Loaded in 38 special case to 1.500"

Load B: 6.0 gr of Bullseye, with 99 grs of #8 shot, in a 357 Mag case (no capsule).

Load A at 5' out of 6" GP 100

Load B at 5' out of 6" GP 100

Now we push out to 10'
Load A at 10' out of 2" Taurus 85

Load A at 10' out of 6" GP 100

Load B at 10' out of 6" GP 100

Finally, 15'
I only fired load A out of the 6" GP 100

Conclusions, anything works well at 5'
Speer Capsule seems to hold together tighter at 10'. I could be pushing the load too hard without the capsule. One could vary the charge down and see if group size at 10' w/o the capsule would improve.
15' not too effective.

 

[wildlifeclyde]

Thanks for sharing your test results and the photos!

 

[armsmaster270]

I have been loading #11shot in 38 & 44 shot capsules much denser pattern, little less range, less power if it is redirected to you by rocks.

 

[justashooter in pa]

i use a S&W 25 in 45 ACP with 8X57 mauser cases cut to 1.5" and loaded with about 165 grains of 7.5 shot over 4.5 grains green dot to get patterns about 12" diameter at 7 yards, and still have rabbit killing probability at 20 yards. estimate velocity at 900 FPS, with cardboard wads and glued top. the cases fireform on 1st or 2nd shot and are used with moonclips.

 

[Epoxyoyo]

I order some shot capsules for the 38 but couldn't wait for them to come in so I loaded up 5 rounds using 4.0 grans of W231. I used coke arton wads between the powder and on top of the #8 shot and sealed with candel wax. Went down to the pond this mornign and tested a round. Shot a 4 foot snake from about 8 feet. Worked great. Dead Snake. Checked the mail box later this afternoon and guess what. Speer Capsules had came in. Guess I load a few of them to test.

 

[Navy_Guns]

I had to make my own for .45LC, and I did even though folks were recommending the Speer blue capsules. They were right - the leading in the bore was HORRIBLE! After two cylinders of shot shells, it took about 40 minutes to clean out the lead. It looked like a cave when you looked down the bore. Sometimes you gotta scratch that itch (I understand) but be prepared to pay for it.