Should I start reloading shotgun shells

[Charlie98]

No

600 Jr is a good press.
You will not save any money by reloading.

+1

I used to shoot a fair amount of 12ga, and I had a MEC Sizemaster, which is essentially a 600 with the base resizer I believe. I sold mine some years ago because the cost of components... mainly lead shot... was so high as to not make it worth the trouble vs buying a case of cheapo field or trap ammos. I used the standard AA hulls because loading data and components for those is everywhere. Having said that, if you are loading something uncommon... buckshot or slugs... it might make sense, or it might not. Because shotshell data is very rigid, you may wind up having to buy hulls, or buy a case of factory ammo with the hulls you want to provide the seed corn for your reloading efforts.

As was mentioned... if you are loading something unusual... .410 bore or 28ga, etc... then reloading becomes more attractive, and if only because factory can be difficult (and expensive) to find.

 

[Thomasss]

I would casually shoot skeet and home defense target practice. Does anyone have cheaper components, I priced mine at midsouth shooters.

It depends on how much you plan to shoot shotgun. A friend did similar that you propose. He shot on my trap team in 12 gauge. He literally wore out the Lee Load All in two years. Understand now a trap league team shoots a box a week for 20 weeks, that is two cases, 20 boxes. We often shoot a practice round too, that's another 20 boxes/year. He also shot some turkey shoots, too. So, he wore the machine out after 100 boxes of trap loads and then he went out and bought a mid level MEC. You don't wear out a MEC. They are reparable, darn near every part. Some parts are common to different models. Watch E-bay for good used machines. Good ones run $100 to $150, that 50% off or more. Check out gun shows, they may be cheaper. Familiarize yourself with new Mec machines, some real old ones have discontinued parts. The Junior is a basic machine. Now I figured I can load trap shells for $7.88/box. Those are custom loads made for my gun. They are not to be compared to the cheap ones you buy at box stores. Compare my custom loads to Winchester AA Trap loads at $12/box or more. Buy everything in bulk to save money; primers by 1,000 or more; Powder 4 or 8 lbs. at a time; empties from my gun club, sometimes free. Shot when I can find a deal on quantity purchases or reclaimed shot. It is an investment. So now you decide....

 

[Howa 9700]

As noted on another thread, the reloading choice is more complex than simply substituting one cost for the other. For any gun to be of use for the intended purpose, it needs ammo. If you can't reload, then you had best lay in as much factory ammo as you need to run you. For how long? For as long as it matters to you. For some, that means a couple boxes of shells could last a lifetime. Others an afternoon. Since OP sounds like a guy who has light use and no equipment, laying in a supply of factory makes the most sense. For someone who already loads for a caliber......say 30-06, adding 308 to the mix would be an easy choice.

All viewed thru the prism of what are you going to do if you wake up some morning and there is nothing to buy? No ammo......no components. What then? What can you do today to have a good answer then.

 

[Howa 9700]

Would also add that for some guys who shoot a lot, there is no amount of ammo or components they can buy that will last them a lifetime. If the day comes when supply of ammo or components runs out, they would have to back way off or run dry. But they already know that.

 

[entropy]

Depends on how old they are. I know several shooters who shoot clays games a lot and never have to buy another shell or component.

 

[dh1633pm]

I would say that you might not save a penny, but having components and items to use for reloading shotshells might be a good idea for times when none can be had. I loaded double oh's during covid when none could be had.

 

[Ed]

Last year I bought a MEC 650 jr in 20g, a Sizemaster in 12g, 4 lbs of powder 2000 wads, 1000 Remington primers and 50 lbs of 7/12 and 8 shot for $300. Great deal for me. Guy was moving and didn't want to take it.

For hulls, I ran a shotgun range at Boy Scout Summer Camp last summer and kept all the good Peters hulls. Came home with over 2000.

So I got in fairly cheap.

I load low pressure rounds for my old side by sides. They are 100 or so years old and I can load what I want much cheaper than purchasing.

As to modern guns shooting clays, Walmart value packs are the way to go.

I would like to get a 16g press set up. You could save money there.

 

[NMexJim]

Clay loads will teach you a lot about distance and spread, and about shotshell loading in general. What wads will give you range and those that open more quickly, the benefits of different shot loads, all of that.. If you really want to get good at bird hunting, start skeet, 5-stand or best of all, Sporting Clays, It's all competitive as your score gets written down, but that give you goals, set improvement points. And, it fun and you get to talk trash if it's a good group of guy.

I call buckshot and slugs "specialty loads". To start, follow a book recipt to the letter. Lyman's 5th is a good overall shotshell loading book to have. Ballistic Products has manuals on buckshot and another on slugs. A lot of the recipts involve their products, but there is enough other stuff to be worthwhile. Get the buckshot manual and follow one of those recipts.

Not a lot of people load buckshot or slug that I can tell. I believe that's why there is a dearth of information on the subject. Once you've been doing it for a few years, you start to learn how to design loads of your own. Lots of bumps in the road along the way, but it's worth it for the shear capability of being able to load some pretty deadly stuff. Just don't expect overnight results.

Good luck.

 

[MacAR]

If you're like me, then no because the rifles seem to get the most use these days. I shoot about 6 or 8 boxes of shotgun shells a year. Maybe a full case if I go dove hunting, but that isn't something I do much of anymore. When I want to shoot dove or clays I buy a case of el cheapo ammo and save my stockpile of heavy stuff for hunting other small game. For other small game, a box or two of high brass 12 and the same of 16 gauge pretty well covers a hunting season. And I admit, I stocked up on shotgun ammo long ago; so long ago in fact I have some boxes of 16 gauge high brass #6 that are marked $5!

Mac

 

[Bill M.]

As to the press. I started with the Lee Loadall and used it for 10 years or so. I would strongly recommend buying a single stage MEC instead. The Lee worked but the crimps were never real good and on some loadings were real bad.

Unless you get Rem Gun Clubs the cheap pack hulls are not very good for reloading. I actually buy STS hulls to load.

For shooting skeet or other clay games. You have to buy the components in bulk and at good prices to come out ahead. I now get my components delivered to the local club. Their target supplier has a mailing list and lets us know ahead of time when they do a shell and components order. They also will deliver flats of almost any target ammo you desire. You can buy a lot of flats for the price of a used press and an initial supply of components. I see more shooters picking up multiple flats of shells than I do shooters getting reloading components when the truck comes.

By careful buying my 1 oz loads cost about $7.50 a box. If you try to buy components locally and in small quantities I would expect closer to $10 a box. You can buy flats of shells for about that. Some less.

Loading slugs and buckshot: I do not. That may be a good way to go. But...I can not imagine shooting enough of them to matter in terms of cost.

So..buy a MEC and play with it or not. I have loved reloading for many years whether it is cost effective or not. But...I found I also enjoy picking up a flat of cheap shells at the club and letting the ejectors fling them each shot too. I like that when I shoot my trap pump gun.

 

[MEHavey]

Loading slugs and buckshot: I do not.

That said (and acknowledged), the MEC600JR works for cast slugs too.
See: https://thefiringline.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6895385&postcount=2

 

[Nasty Canasta]

I only reload 410. They don’t use much shot or powder & with the cost of factory rounds it has the best return of all the gauges.

 

[kennedy]

I shoot 16 ga so I have to reload, started with the lee, worked great, then a mec600 jr and now a 650, I still use the jr to size and deprime then load with the 650. I shoot pasture trap with a bunch of guys and like to load shells with a mix of 7.5, 8 and 9 shot, gives me a little advantage

 

[entropy]

As to the press. I started with the Lee Loadall and used it for 10 years or so. I would strongly recommend buying a single stage MEC instead. The Lee worked but the crimps were never real good and on some loadings were real bad.

Unless you get Rem Gun Clubs the cheap pack hulls are not very good for reloading. I actually buy STS hulls to load.

For shooting skeet or other clay games. You have to buy the components in bulk and at good prices to come out ahead. I now get my components delivered to the local club. Their target supplier has a mailing list and lets us know ahead of time when they do a shell and components order. They also will deliver flats of almost any target ammo you desire. You can buy a lot of flats for the price of a used press and an initial supply of components. I see more shooters picking up multiple flats of shells than I do shooters getting reloading components when the truck comes.

By careful buying my 1 oz loads cost about $7.50 a box. If you try to buy components locally and in small quantities I would expect closer to $10 a box. You can buy flats of shells for about that. Some less.

Loading slugs and buckshot: I do not. That may be a good way to go. But...I can not imagine shooting enough of them to matter in terms of cost.

So..buy a MEC and play with it or not. I have loved reloading for many years whether it is cost effective or not. But...I found I also enjoy picking up a flat of cheap shells at the club and letting the ejectors fling them each shot too. I like that when I shoot my trap pump gun.

I bet the guy to your right doesn't.