Newbie reloading shotshell question

[Milkmaster]

I have some new Winchester AAHS 28 gauge ammo I am using and plan to start reloading as soon as it is used up. The ammo box says 3/4oz shot @1300 fps. I am looking at the recipes for the hulls. All of the recipes show 1150, 1200, or 1250 fps rates. Nothing I read so far says 1300fps. I am just a newbie to reloading but wanted to load the same as I have been shooting so far with great luck. Not that 50fps will make a lot of difference, but I just want to know. I am planning to use the claybuster wads, and Alliance powder. Even the other brands of powder online recipes don't say anything about the 1300 fps. What do I need to learn here since I am just starting out?

 

[JimKirk]

Bunch of 28 gauge data in the Alliant 2016 Reloaders Guide ..

Pro Reach powder Duster wads from 1300 fps to 1400 fps...

Down load the 2018 Guide here .... https://www.alliantpowder.com/questions/default.aspx

Scroll down to "How to get a catalog" ... Down load read it later ...

 

[Grumulkin]

Get the Lyman Shotshell Reloading Handbook and read it.

 

[Milkmaster]

Already ordered the Lyman book. It just hasn’t arrived yet.

 

[brewer12345]

The Lyman book is your friend. In short, stick to a published recipe (exactly), get the process down, and you will do fine. I would start by working up some test loads and pattern them. Once you have a good performer, you can go into full production. It is unlikely that 50 FPS will make a material difference unless you are a competitive shooter. Loading your own 28 gauge will net big savings.

 

[George P]

Go to both Alliant and Hodgdon and look up recipes for your hulls, powder and wads. Look at Claybusters, and Downrange for wads as good subs for the uber-expensive OEM wads. Look at 20/28, GreenDot and similar powder. Measure your velocity with a chrono, but put it a minimum of 5' from the muzzle

 

[YBOT]

Milkmaster, as you know already the 28 gauge is a small gauge with a big heart. I shoot sporting clays and five stand and load for 1200 - 1250 fps and don't worry about 1300 fps. Don't notice the loss of clays because of the small drop in fps but then I'm not a pro. The AAHS hulls are very good and may even take more reloads at the lower fps. I reload with 3/4 oz. 8.5 inch hard shot using Claybuster wads and either 20/28 or Longshot (some call it loud shot ) powder. Use Winchester primers. Don't know what you use or plan on for a reloader but since I don't need to load more than a couple of hundred rounds a mouth I use a MEC Sizemaster. Does a very good job with 28 gauge.

 

[Milkmaster]

My intent is to use a Mec 600jr. Simple and slow enough to learn and economical to buy. I only shoot 4 or 8 rounds of trap per month, so reload speed isn't an issue. It was recommended to use my WinAAHS hulls, WIN 209 primers, the Alliance 20/28 powder, 5034 claybuster wads, and magnum shot. I usually shoot 7.5 or #8 ammo. Until recently I always used my 12ga, however I just acquired two 28ga shotguns and my first round with 28ga was 21 out of 25. I am tickled and plan a lot more clay shooting with the 28.

 

[George P]

I would add the auto primer to your MEC JR. I have two with those; it not only speeds things up a little, it also keeps your oily hands off the primers

 

[Milkmaster]

That’s my plan with the auto primer. Thanks for the reminder

 

[Milkmaster]

What do you do with the leftovers when you finish a reload session? Do you pour the powder back in the bottle or leave it in the reloaded bottle? Does it matter? Primers succeptable to moisture?

 

[George P]

NEVER leave the powder in the bottle; the ingredients will eat those cheap MEC bottles and you will have a mess. If I am going to be back loading in a day or two, I will leave any primers in the tray (as I tend to load 100 and throw the tray away). But usually, I will load 200 at a time and leave nothing in the bottles or tray. A big help you might want to get, no matter the press, is MECs little shell organizer for loading into boxes. They call it the EZ Pack:

Using that as the shells come off the press speeds things up at the end a lot more.

While spills with the single stage Jr are rare, they can happen. Best advice is to mount the machine in some form of tray (I use steam table ones from Sam's) as that will catch any spills making clean-up easier.



I doubled them up and ran the bolts through them and onto the bench. Otherwise, you can mount the unit in the tray and onto a plywood base that you clamp down if no permanent space is available.

 

[Milkmaster]

I will probably use a piece of plywood as you say. I like your idea of the tray. I might steal a rectangular cake pan from the wife when she’s not looking . 2x2 big enough for the base you think?

 

[Blue68f100]

I went to Walmart and bough a cheap cookie sheet with raised lip. Work great when the shot gets hung up in the drop and you did not catch it.

 

[rfwobbly]

The Lyman book is your friend. In short, stick to a published recipe (exactly), get the process down, and you will do fine.

Unlike metallic reloading where you can vary the load all over the place, with shotgun loads be sure to use the EXACT components and measurements the load manual says. As was previously said, there is zero variation in shot shell loading. Stick to an exact recipe and you'll be OK.