New to shotshell reloading, need reassurance?

[JMPhoto]

This may sound dumb,, but I am new to shotgun reloading. I am loading 12g for mostly sporting clays. I am using a MEC sizemaster, I got the Lymans guide and read through it and I am following recipes from either the book or on Hodgdon's site (since I am using their powders) and I also got an RCBS scale to double check my drops. I am mostly loading 1 1/8 oz and trying to get close to the Rem. Nitro sporting clays factory loads that I have been using. I have followed two recipes that give me 1310fps and another that is 1250. So my question is: I keep reading on other forums about guns blowing up because of improper reloads. Now I am worried that if I am not doing something correct that it puts me at risk for possible problems.
I need some input because I am looking at the pro's and cons of continuing to reload.

 

[JimKirk]

If you are using the recipe that matches ALL of your components, then there should be no problems. Some wads may be substituted for other but follow a chart on what can and what can't be substituted. The hull must match the internal dimensions of the hull in the recipe. The 1310 fps 1-1/8 load closely matches the Nitro Clays load.

Jimmy K

 

[Haystack]

I too just started loading for 12 ga after loading pistol and rifle for about 5 years. I was worried also, as I was told you couldn't experiment with shotgun loads. Everyone said just to stick to the load in the load book and you will be just fine. I loaded some up, headed to the range and everything worked just fine. Just stick to the recipe.

 

[rcmodel]

It is almost impossible to double-charge a shotgun case with a shotgun reloading press.
You would have to be trying to do on purpose it in fact.

If you are following a published receipe to the letter, and checked your power bushing drops with a scale a few times, there is little to no chance you will blow anything up, ever.

rc

 

[budiceman]

only way I see it happening is if you miss powder in a load and the wad is in the barrel for the next shot!

 

[mgkdrgn]

My MEC is a 600Jr ... and it uses a sliding bar for loading the shot/powder charge.

If the sizemaster is a similar operation, it would be all but impossible to double charge a shell.

Charge one with no primer in place, yes ... but double charge one, no.

 

[rcmodel]

Almost all shotgun loaders, including the MEC Sizemaster, use a sliding shot/powder charge bar.

That is why I said in an earlier post it would be next to impossible to accidentally double charge a case.

If you move the bar twice, you get powder and shot.

Not powder and powder.

You could charge a case with shot on top of powder, but the wad would not fit.
You could put shot in instead of powder first, but the wad would not fit.
You could run out of powder or shot in the hopper, and have no powder or shot in the shell, but the crimp would look funky enough to set off alarm bells.

Like I said earlier, if you follow the recipe and use the right can of powder, you have to be trying to screw up on purpose to screw up shotgun loading.

rc

 

[Cajun CB]

You may want to consider reducing velocity and shot load. The 1 Oz loads at 1150 to 1200 fps work just fine and have a lot less recoil. They are also cheaper to load.

The lead difference on a 1150 vs 1300 is less than 1 inch. If you are on it, it breaks. If you are not, shot load and speed makes no difference.

 

[Steve C]

Where people get into trouble with shotgun reloading is usually because they don't read or understand the instructions.

We had a guy at the range one time start shooting and the shells sounded like a canon going off so we stopped shooting and had a talk with him.

Asked him, "what he was shooting?"

He said, "Reloads he put together on using his new Mec loader."

Asked him, "what powder he was using."

"Powder he bought at the club", he replied. We sold Red Dot.

Asked him, "what powder bushing he was using?"

He replied, "What's a bushing?"

We then had a little discussion about reloading procedures. Seemed that the only saving factor was he had to pour out some of the shot to get the shell crimped. Certainly was an accident waiting to happen. In general though, barrel obstructions are usually to blame for a shotgun "blowing up".

We had a shot gun hanging on the wall with a banana peel type split barrel as an example to our hunter safety kids regarding barrel obstructions. The individual who had owned the gun got a piece of foliage in the barrel while pushing through tall reeds during a duck hunt.

 

[snuffy]

Mistakes can be made with the mec loaders. I walked into a gunshop where I was well known. The owner saw me drive up, he set me up with the 4-5 others that were standing there, saying he will know what's wrong.

I was handed a 12 ga shell that was the topic of discussion, asked "what's wrong with this one?" It had powder ¾ full, a wad crushed on top of it and about ½ ounce of shot on top with a partially closed crimp.

My guess was the guy loading that shell had the bar in backwards, he was loading powder with the shot cavity, and shot with the powder cavity. I was partially right, some dummy at another gunshop had sold a 650 shot bar to him, he had a 600 jr. mec. The 650 has the shot/powder bottles on opposite sides, and they're further apart. Since the screw that holds the bar so it can slide wouldn't allow it to cycle, he left it out to load a few shells. At least he knew something was wrong, asked questions to find out what!

Lord only knows what would have happened if he had tried to shoot that shell! I never tried to find out how many grains of red-dot a 1 1/8 shot cavity would dispense. Also whether ½ ounce of shot would have been enough payload to get it burning!

 

[oneounceload]

Sounds like if you are following the recipes, then you're good to go.

Some food for thought - 1-1/8 oz at 1250 or 1310 is going to thump you a lot shooting sporting clays. Look at old trap shooters and you see a lot of flinches from years of shooting fast heavy loads.

A 7/8 oz. or 1 oz. load (hint hint), at 1200 fps, will break ANY target on a sporting clay course easily.

FITASC, which is sporting on steroids mandates no more than a 28g load, (1oz), and their typical targets are further away than the standard US sporting clays.

Int'l trap mandates 24gm loads for targets that are faster and harder than US targets, yet they break cleanly and consistently.

Do your shoulder a big favor and try some 7/8 or 10z at 1200 fps. Treat yourself to a box or two of the Remington loads like that.

I use 3 MECs for three different gauges. As long as you do not get "bridging" of shot or powder due to a clog, it really is hard to double charge on a single stage machine

Have fun