Looking At Shot Shell Reloading

[Ireload2]

A really good loader for low volume is the MEC Sizemaster.

A beginner needs to use a Lyman manual and use it EXACTLY until he has significant experience.

For personal safety only use compression formed hulls until you understand the problems you can have with Reifenhauser straight walled hulls.

I have been loading skeet ammo a long time for autoloaders with zero problems.

 

[WestKentucky]

Stop it
If you say that too often the wives and girlfriends will figure this out and we’ll all be in a meck of a heck.

Hokie, never let them forget that "because I can" is sometimes a good enough reason. Why do you want to get a new gun? Why do you want to get a new truck? Why do you pee standing up? Why do you have to reload EVERYTHING that you shoot? See, it's a good enough reason!!!

 

[WestKentucky]

Being really cheap....
3/4 oz loads is 500 per 25 pound bag at 50 bucks...10 cents
Primers by the brick at about 35-40 bucks...4 cents
Wads are 9 bucks for 250...3.5 cents
Powder is 20ish a pound and various loads call for various amounts, so to shoot high side here I'm saying powder is a 10 cents.

27.5 cents a shot. We're talking 7 bucks a box ammo. Good ammo costs that much or more. How much does a therapist cost when compared to an hour of reloading shotshells to break even?

 

[brewer12345]

Being really cheap....
3/4 oz loads is 500 per 25 pound bag at 50 bucks...10 cents
Primers by the brick at about 35-40 bucks...4 cents
Wads are 9 bucks for 250...3.5 cents
Powder is 20ish a pound and various loads call for various amounts, so to shoot high side here I'm saying powder is a 10 cents.

27.5 cents a shot. We're talking 7 bucks a box ammo. Good ammo costs that much or more. How much does a therapist cost when compared to an hour of reloading shotshells to break even?

The therapist thing is what does it for me with trap shells. My 20 gauge 7.5 shot shells are better than the promo stuff at least as cheap, plus I get satisfaction from the loading process and breaking clays with the ammo I made. Obviously the ability to load spreader shells, powder puffs for the kids, etc. is invaluable as well.

 

[Ireload2]

I can break skeet targets with most promo ammo but some of the cheapest WW 3/4 oz 20 ga is worthless.

 

[243winxb]

buckshot and slugs.

The Lee 12 ga 1 oz key drive slug has never been more accurate then factory ammo at 100 yards with a Mossberg rifled cantilever scoped barrel for me. A petal breaks on the plastic wad, at times, the slug becomes a flyer. The normal plastic wad is just not strong enough. Shooting 5 shot groups @ 100 yds, average accuracy with the best loading is 7" See Lee data , available online.

For tight patterns with buckshot, hard plated shot , loaded with a buffer agent is needed. Same as turkey loads.
https://www.ballisticproducts.com

 

[splattergun]

Change out wives and or girlfriends often enough and they will never know how much we spend on anything.
Works for me

 

[Browngirlsdad]

I agree on the MEC Sizemaster. If you are grabbing hulls from the “free” bins at the club, most if not all will have steel heads. The Sizemaster uses a collet to resize the shells that will help them run in any gun. Some steel heads shot in guns with looser chambers will expand so much they are hard to cycle in your gun. The MEC Jr and Lee Load Alls only use a ring sizer and don’t always get a good resizing.

Definitely buy a good reloading manual and read up on it. It will also have the recipes you need.

 

[Armored farmer]

The gear takes up alot of space on your bench, but if you're shooting .410s or 28ga it a no-brainer. They are expensive to buy but cheeeeeap to reload!
Mec 600jr is the entry point.
I have them in .410, 28ga,20ga, and want one in 12ga so i can leave my 650 set up for target loads.

 

[George P]

Being really cheap....
3/4 oz loads is 500 per 25 pound bag at 50 bucks...10 cents
Primers by the brick at about 35-40 bucks...4 cents
Wads are 9 bucks for 250...3.5 cents
Powder is 20ish a pound and various loads call for various amounts, so to shoot high side here I'm saying powder is a 10 cents.

27.5 cents a shot. We're talking 7 bucks a box ammo. Good ammo costs that much or more. How much does a therapist cost when compared to an hour of reloading shotshells to break even?

You're spending too much
533 loads @ 3/4 from a bag of shot that costs $38...... .071 each
Primers by the sleeve of 5000 costs $125................... .025 each
Wads by the case of 5000 costs $85.......................... .017 each
Powder by the 8# jug that costs $135. @17 grains, that's 3294 loads or .04 each

Total is .153 each x 25/box = 3.82/box of ammo. Mine crushes 5-stand targets all day long and is a joy to shoot with minimal recoil

 

[Hokie_PhD]

Following this thread you guys are really making me want to start reloading shotshells. The thing is I hate shooting my 870, and I’m not ready to buy the 930 JM that I’ve been eyeing.

The thing is, I have an old MEC that I picked up for $25. It was a mess, but I’ve cleaned it up. It still needs the bottles and the depriming rod assembly, otherwise it’s in great shape. So all the talk here has me wanting to spend the $50 or less to get it working.

Of course then there’s, buying shot, hulls, powder and primers.

Grrr you guys are evil....

 

[243winxb]

Every spring i think i want to start shooting shotguns again. Just never get back into it for some reason. Lazy maybe.

At a range fee of $6 for 25 birds, skeet or trap, plus shells, it adds up. The 28 and 410 keep the lead cost down, but take longer to load then 12 ga.

Maybe this year.

 

[rjbmjb]

Following this thread you guys are really making me want to start reloading shotshells. The thing is I hate shooting my 870, and I’m not ready to buy the 930 JM that I’ve been eyeing.

The thing is, I have an old MEC that I picked up for $25. It was a mess, but I’ve cleaned it up. It still needs the bottles and the depriming rod assembly, otherwise it’s in great shape. So all the talk here has me wanting to spend the $50 or less to get it working.

Of course then there’s, buying shot, hulls, powder and primers.

Grrr you guys are evil....

I started loading shotgun when I bought a 410 for my wife and saw the price of the shells. Then I decided to buy presses and supplies for 12 and 20 gauge. Since then, my wife decided she likes the 20 better, so we don't shot more than 50 rounds of 410 a year, and we don't shoot more than a few hundred rounds each of 12 and 20 per year. I looked at the costs, and I figure I save 24 cents per 410 shell, break even on 20 gauge, and 12 gauge costs 14 cents a shell more than target loads. Based on our current usage, the components cost about the same as buying target shells and I will never pay for the presses. On the other hand, there is no payback on the 6 shotguns I own or the electric trap thrower I bought (it was a deal I couldn't pass up at my LGS). I did all that before I joined this forum. Since then, I started loading 7.62x39, 7.62x54R (which costs more than buying factory ammo )and my Nagant revolver and several other calibers I don't shoot often, and therefore have no hope of breaking even on. One of these days, I will probably find a deal on a 16 or 28 gauge shotgun and buy another press and lose more money. I'm not saying that the guys on this forum are totally responsible, but I agree that threads like this one don't help, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[WestKentucky]

I started loading shotgun when I bought a 410 for my wife and saw the price of the shells. Then I decided to buy presses and supplies for 12 and 20 gauge. Since then, my wife decided she likes the 20 better, so we don't shot more than 50 rounds of 410 a year, and we don't shoot more than a few hundred rounds each of 12 and 20 per year. I looked at the costs, and I figure I save 24 cents per 410 shell, break even on 20 gauge, and 12 gauge costs 14 cents a shell more than target loads. Based on our current usage, the components cost about the same as buying target shells and I will never pay for the presses. On the other hand, there is no payback on the 6 shotguns I own or the electric trap thrower I bought (it was a deal I couldn't pass up at my LGS). I did all that before I joined this forum. Since then, I started loading 7.62x39, 7.62x54R (which costs more than buying factory ammo )and my Nagant revolver and several other calibers I don't shoot often, and therefore have no hope of breaking even on. One of these days, I will probably find a deal on a 16 or 28 gauge shotgun and buy another press and lose more money. I'm not saying that the guys on this forum are totally responsible, but I agree that threads like this one don't help, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

You're welcome.