Is anyone reloading buckshot shells?

[Armored farmer]

I have .310 round ball mold for my .32 muzzleloader.

I'm thinking that I could load my own buckshot loads.
Does anyone have experience with this?
I reload all kinds of shotgun shells, I just never tried buckshot.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Try over at gunloads/castboolits.com ;
A LOT more experience and information.

I've loaded 20ga and 12ga shotshells with .310 ball. It's essential #1 buck.

10pellets is close to 1oz. Fits in 20ga hull. 12 in 3"mag.
16 is standard 12ga load, 20 in 2-3/4" mag, 24 in 3"mag.

Most any equivalent weight shotshell data can be used. However, it will likely require modifications to the wad, such as trimming off petals. Ballistic Products sells a manual for loads/data for components they sell.

I've found Hodgdon LongShot generates excellent buckshot loads. Consult Hodgdons load manual for guidance on starting loads.

 

[hdwhit]

Does anyone have experience with this?

Sort of.

I didn't make my own shot, but I did reload 20 gauge shotshells with #3 buckshot. Bought the buckshot already made from a guy who was selling it by the pound. Loaded it into some ex-Sears shotshell hulls (you remember, the ones that had the ends sealed so that once fired, they wouldn't stay folded down again). This was before I started keeping good records, but I still have the Hercules Powder manual from the time and it says I was supposed to take the petals off the wad, but I remember I didn't and so couldn't put all 24 shot in that the recipe called for. I think I only got about 15 or 16 shot in so I was just under 1 ounce. It went over a fairly stout loading of Blue Dot and I got the crimp of the shell to stay put by drizzling a little wax from a birthday candle on the top.

According to the data, they should have been around 1100 fps. I never hunted anything with them, but I did shoot a worn out sheet hanging the clothes line (mother did not appreciate that) and at a distance of about 20 paces from a cylinder bore barrel they made a pretty good pattern, but I would hesitate to say what its diameter was. I had about 15 loaded from my 1 pound of buckshot. I kept them in the garage right next to the shotgun figuring that if anyone showed up unexpectedly with ill intent, each round would be like opening up on someone with 15 caliber 25 ACP pistols at the same time. The buckshot shells disappeared when my father gave away that shotgun with me having only shot one of them.

 

[Armored farmer]

I'll have to try some Longshot. I've been hearing good things.
I'm down to Promo. I haven't loaded much lately. I think I punched out 200 fresh ones for the dove opener, and maybe 400 more earlier in the year, and that's it.

A single stage Mec would work best for making the buckshot loads I bet. I've been wanting one anyway so I can leave my 650 set up for my target load.

 

[huntsman]

Yeah I've loaded up #4 and 00 with HS6. Loading #4 is a bit tedious with 27 pellets to count out so I'm thinking about trying a shot scooper.

My 9 pellet 00 came out better with 6 fold crimp.

 

[Sunray]

Most shotgun manuals give loads for buckshot. For who knows why(don't load shotgun either), the brand of shell matters plus the weight of the shot.
Ballistics Products puts out a buckshot specific manual for $15.95.
http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Buckshot-Loading-Manual-4th-ed/productinfo/00MBUCK/
Making your own shot one at a time will make you crazy though. Your .310" pellet runs 9.9 to an ounce. (No idea if you can get 10 of 'em into a 12 gauge shell.) .310" pellets are called "Super Buck #1-1/2" by Ballistics Products. Number 1 Buck pellets are .300", 11 to an ounce. 'O' Buck runs .320" diameter, 9 to an ounce.

 

[entropy]

Most buckshot molds (I suppose I should use moulds, the 'proper' spelling) are gang moulds, usually 18 per set. But single moulds are made.

I loaded up about 10 rounds with balls for my .31 Baby Dragoon back on the day, with corn meal in it for packing. They worked fine, I just did it to see if I could. I haven't loaded shotgun shells for years; The Mec 600 Jr. my Dad gave me is a doorstop downstairs.

 

[JT-AR-MG42]

I reload quite a bit of buck for fun loads. 12 gauge with 00 in plastic hulls and 00 & 000 in brass hulls.

Use 12 gauge card and fiber wads for loading plastic hulls.
I also cut and place a few wraps from a paper grocery sack inside the hull before placing the 00 buck to act a a poor man's mylar sleeve.
Tried cutting petals from AA type wads, but got inconsistent results ( POI).
You can pick up the reasonably priced wads at your black powder shop.

I do all my wad seating using hand punches and rods to seat the wads.
A MEC wad guide does help seat the fiber wads into the plastic hulls.

9 - 00 pellets are 1 1/8 oz.
My main load is a full charge of Herco. Alliant older guides showed the loadings for Herco.
I do load some with Promo at light - 1150 - trap levels for smaller stature shooters.

Brass hulls (that I add a slight mouth crimp to for cycling through a pump) take LP primers with Herco,
11 gauge card and fiber wads, and a 10 gauge over shot wad.
Over shot wads are glued in with waterglass, Duco cement, or (in my case) Elmer's glue.
I also use the paper sack strips as a wrapping around the payload in the brass hulls as well.



If you have ever heard the 'ching' that a brass hull makes when cycled out of a pump, you would know why a person takes the
extra effort to load them.

JT