Re-priming .410 shells?

[Number21]

I just bought a .410 pistol and I'm very disappointed with the local availability and cost of .410 ammo. I'm going to have to start reloading my own, but I'm new to reloading. I see .410 roll crimpers that you use with a drill, are these good to use? How do I prime and deprime the hulls? Do I need to get reloader components for .45 colt? I haven't really found a "kit" for .410. I'd also like to get some brass shells to reload, I think those use large pistol primers?

Does anyone know where I can buy some 3" brass .410 shells?

 

[blarby]

I'd get a mec jr in .410.

 

[Number21]

I'd rather get something cheap - I'm not going to be reloading a lot of shells.

 

[cfullgraf]

Unless you buy used, you will not find .410 shot shell reloading equipment "cheap".

-410 reloading is no where near as popular as 12 ga or even 20 ga.

A used MEC 600jr would be a good choice.

 

[drsfmd]

+1 for the 600jr. You should be able to find a used one for +/- $75. There's simply no method that's less effective and actually effective.

 

[TonyT]

There is no subtitute for a MEC 600Jr - you can find one used for ca $75 and it will last you a lifetime.

 

[dap22]

+1 for the MEC 600 Jr in .410. You'd be wasting your time fiddling with anything else IMO. They can be found used for less than $100. Besides which it's a good investment down the road.

 

[medalguy]

The equipment is a one-time investment which you can resell in 40 years for probably more than you pay for it today. And .410 is one of the most cost-effective rounds to reload, precisely because it's not terribly popular (compared to 12 ga) and ammo is hard to find. I say go for it.

 

[Uniquedot]

You can get the roll crimper and 3" hulls from precision reloading or BPI. You can deprime them using a nail or just about anything else that is slightly smaller in diameter than the primer and for repriming them you will need some type of rod or tube that fits in the hull and it has to have either a shallow hole in it (i use an electronic cigarette body someone gave me) or one drilled in it so it doesn't contact the primer when seating them. If your pistol is a revolver you will definitely have to resize the hulls and you can get a resize ring from mec for about $5.00. Someone posted once that he used a stripped lee factory crimp die in .45 acp to size them and if you do that you would need a .303 british shell holder if you don't have one on hand. The quickest way to load them is with a press, but when it comes to .410's you will get better/nicer loads with a roll crimper.

 

[oneounceload]

but when it comes to .410's you will get better/nicer loads with a roll crimper.

Not necessarily - folded start crimps work and come out very well on a MEC press (or any of the other better shotshell presses)

You will NOT be loading 45 Colt on this press - you will need your metallic press for that

 

[cfullgraf]

Lee used to make a Lee Loader for 410 shot shells. If one can be found, I am sure it can be had for a song.

It would be good for very small quantities of shot shells.

I have dabbled with 2-1/2" brass .410 shot shells. Lots of information on loading black powder, brass cased, shot shells. Not much on smokeless powder.

 

[Number21]

Hmmm...I was thinking this would be the most expensive thing I'd have to buy:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/256666/bpi-roll-crimper-410-bore

Do I really need more than that? I probably wouldn't load more than 25 shells at a time. (pistol is a single shot) I noticed the .410 shell fits in the Lee decapping die I have for .44 mag, except the hole is too small for the 209 primer. I guess I can drill it out.

 

[Uniquedot]

Do I really need more than that? I probably wouldn't load more than 25 shells at a time. (pistol is a single shot) I noticed the .410 shell fits in the Lee decapping die I have for .44 mag, except the hole is too small for the 209 primer. I guess I can drill it out.

Precision reloading's roll crimper is less expensive and it's better than the BPI. If you have a Lee universal decap die and a .303 british shellholder you can remove the decap pin from the die and put it in upside down to deprime the hulls.

 

[FROGO207]

A dozen 3 inch .410 brass shells will cost more than the used MEC 600 JR. When you drill out the shellholder don't forget to enlarge the grove in the ram to allow the spent primer to fall out of it also. Then how are you going to reseat the new primer without popping it?? You could have a custom die set made by your local machinist like I did and spend $600+-----Or you could get a used MEC that comes with an instruction manual (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING MATERIAL) and be done with it for a small investment. You CAN change an engine in a 2012 model automobile with a couple screwdrivers and a set of viseGrips eventually I suppose, but WHY try it.??? I am not trying to be smart just realistic with the DANGER of improperly reloading shotshells.

 

[Duckdog]

I reload lots of 410 and I made my own "kit" and use the Prescision Reloading roll crimpers. They are the best, in my opinion. I have tried several. Do like one of the other guys said, and just think what your out to do. I made my own resizer by drilling out the base of a Lee de-capper, and then use the decapper for driving the primer out, too. But, a door hinge pin works perfect for that. to drive in the primer, set it down on a clean surface and start it in the primer hole. Then use a small long 1/4" socket that one would use on a drill to seat the primer by gently tapping the hull down onto the primer withthe long socket that must extend above the old crimp. I would also just by a MEC sizing ring for sizing if I were to do it again. Use Lee dippers for your shot and charge and roll crimp it all down. You can buy once fired hulls from Prescision Reloading for an excellent price. This sounds like a lot of screwing around, but it goes darn fast.

There is also a guy selling a loader called a Lane Loader on e-bay and on his own site that will do everything that a Lee Loader would do for about $35.00. I've heard they work very nice.

 

[Certaindeaf]

.There is also a guy selling a loader called a Lane Loader on e-bay and on his own site that will do everything that a Lee Loader would do for about $35.00. I've heard they work very nice.

Do you have a link for that?

 

[Uniquedot]

Here's a link to lanes and you can find some .410 stuff on ebay including lanes loaders.

http://www.d1162079.dotsterhost.com/410.html

 

[Certaindeaf]

^
Thanks!

 

[Uniquedot]

I just went and looked at the first handloading kit i put together for .410's and what i had in the kit was a depriming chamber which was just an old socket to sit the hull down in and a punch for knocking out the old primer, the electronic cigarette body was in there for repriming, a dowel for seating wads, a wad punch for overshot cards, some thin cork for cutting OS wads (some card stock as well) and a couple of Lee powder dippers and three Lee shot measures (1/2, 5/8, 3/4 oz.) also was an homemade resize ring and a small glue gun and glue sticks. Doesn't take much to load a handful of shells.

 

[rogn]

Im not sure of all Im reading, but I don't know the skill level of Number21. If we haven't had a fair amount of experience loading shot shells, we should leave the 410 alone. The 410 can be ver y finicky. Id hate for anything bad to occur.

 

[oneounceload]

You don't want to take the advice given, and it seems you do not have any form of manual for reloading - perhaps you best better stay with buying a few boxes of factory ammo and be safe

 

[GCBurner]

I just went and looked at the first handloading kit i put together for .410's and what i had in the kit was a depriming chamber which was just an old socket to sit the hull down in and a punch for knocking out the old primer, the electronic cigarette body was in there for repriming, a dowel for seating wads, a wad punch for overshot cards, some thin cork for cutting OS wads (some card stock as well) and a couple of Lee powder dippers and three Lee shot measures (1/2, 5/8, 3/4 oz.) also was an homemade resize ring and a small glue gun and glue sticks. Doesn't take much to load a handful of shells.

I've got an old Dixie Gun Works catalog with pictures of Turner Kirkland's sons reloading their .410 shells with blackpowder loads and pretty minimal equipment. As I recall, they used a wood block with a hole drilled in it and a dull ice pick for depriming, the block and a wood dowel for repriming, and a blackpowder powder and shot measure for loading, with crumpled newspaper for wadding, sealing the shells with white glue of sodium silicate "water glass" instead of a crimp.
Lee doesn't make the .410 Lee Loader anymore, and the ones you can find on eBay tend to run up in price pretty fast; they were $9.99 retail originally, but as collectibles, I've seen them sell for $80+ in recent months. I lucked into a Lee Loader at a gun show for $25 a few years ago, and I keep it around, even though I don't shoot the .410 very much.

 

[FROGO207]

Yeah I have one in 2.5 and one in 3 inch myself. Just for IF times.

 

[dickttx]

I started reloading with a Lee 20ga hand loader in the 60's. Worked OK but slow.
I bought a MEC 600jr, 250 hulls and wads from Craig's List last year for $35. Don't even have a .410. Might get one someday though.

 

[Uniquedot]

I've got an old Dixie Gun Works catalog with pictures of Turner Kirkland's sons reloading their .410 shells with blackpowder loads and pretty minimal equipment. As I recall, they used a wood block with a hole drilled in it and a dull ice pick for depriming, the block and a wood dowel for repriming, and a blackpowder powder and shot measure for loading, with crumpled newspaper for wadding, sealing the shells with white glue of sodium silicate "water glass" instead of a crimp.

I've got that book somewhere also, but i could have sworn they were using a lee loader and the the other info was elsewhere in the book?

Lee doesn't make the .410 Lee Loader anymore, and the ones you can find on eBay tend to run up in price pretty fast; they were $9.99 retail originally, but as collectibles, I've seen them sell for $80+ in recent months. I lucked into a Lee Loader at a gun show for $25 a few years ago, and I keep it around, even though I don't shoot the .410 very much.

I used to have duplicate sets in .410 in 2.5" and 3", but they were aggravating to use and i sold them 10 or 12 years ago as they had been just sitting under the bench for years. I still have one in 12 and another in 20 ga. and i actually still tinker with those sometimes.

When you drill out the shellholder don't forget to enlarge the grove in the ram to allow the spent primer to fall out of it also.

The shell holder i have will allow a 209 to fall straight through it and with the primer arm removed from the classic cast press they simply fall into the hollow ram. I guess it depends on the equipment you have whether or not anything needs drilling out.