Here is a short how to if you don't want to use the Speer capsules.
Use a sharpened case to cut some wads. Deprime the case first so you can push the wads out. I use corrugated cardboard for the over powder wad and for the over shot wad I use a thin cardboard such as you find on the back of a writing tablet. I use the powder charges listed by Speer, reasoning that the shot weight will be close and the cardboard wads will not seal anywhere near as well as the plastic, giving a safety margin. But this is from my testing, not published data, so double check until you are satisfied it is safe enough for you. The rest is straight forward, charge the case, seat the wad using a dowel, fill with the smallest shot you can get, and crimp the top wad in place.
"Fine tuning" would be to get better patterns, stiffer wads, a little more or less velocity, but you are not going for power here so don't pour in more powder until something bad happens. And watch out for wads stuck in the barrel, especially if the load bloops instead of pops. I haven't tried it but Mike Venturio (sp?) recommeds testing shot loads on potatos. He said that if the load tears up a spud, it will work on snakes.
Last thing, if you are just experimenting, it's cheaper to cut up a couple shotgun shells than to by 25 pounds of shot.
Luckely, I was wearing my safety glasses. Don't shoot at a flat surface with shotshells - even if it's as soft as the bottom of a cut down pine tree.
