Is reloading 12ga ammo worth it?

gastch

gastch

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Just wondering if reloading for 12ga ammo to be used mostly for waterfowl and practice is worth it. I would be shooting clays with the same ammo I would load for waterfowl as I believe in practicing with slow cheap ammo and then switching to fast cheap ammo or fast expensive ammo on the day of the hunt is counter productive.
I've never reloaded before so this would be a new venture for me. All help and info is welcome.
 
If you are just using steel shot then don't reload. If you are planning to use any of the 'similar' to lead density loads then you may want to look into reloading.

Consider this. Typical box (10 rounds) of 'close' to lead density factory rounds seems to run about $40. Box of steel (25 rounds) runs about $20. I reload ITX shot for less than $2 a round. I get better performance than steel (knock down power) so fewer lost birds. I would never take these loads to the range for trap or skeet, can't afford that for sure.
 
Personally I think there is a pretty big savings on reloading your own. Having said that there are people (most) that disagree. Essentially there's one thing that we all agree on is that it can be very interesting, fun, and relaxing to load your own.

And it is also much cheaper to load your own bismuth, nice shot, heavy shot etc.
 
Lead Loader said:
Reload if you want something you cant buy or easily find, other then that, no
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Pretty much this.

Low end stuff from Walmart is fine for dicking about. Target ammo by the flat is about similar to reloading costs, but if you need something different or special, then reloading is a really good option.

By special, I am speaking of 2 1/2 or 2 inch chambered old shotguns, or say, if you wanted to try to reproduce Aquila mini shells or the like.

Cheers
Trev
 
It depends. If you are loading factory spec ammo, not really.
If you are loading down, then maybe.
If you have a source of cheap shot, defiantly.

There is a guy down south (from me) who makes home made shot and bring big lots of it up here to our local shop. $30 for a 25lb jug. Def cheaper to reload then.

I make 1oz rounds for myself, saving me a bit over 1.1/8.

I make 7/8oz loads for my Girl, cause she doesn't care for 1.1/8.
Saves even more, and scores points with the Girl.

I load using a cheap lee press, so it was not a huge investment for me to do it.

At the end of the day, if you're buying all retail components, your saving could only be $0.01 per round. So it comes down to time vs. money.

Do you have more time then money, or money them time.
I have more time then money and enjoy reloading, so if anything I do it for fun.
 
Cooking up your own buckshot and slug rounds can be fun also.
You can usually load those for quite a bit cheaper then store bought which is worth it to a "juice jug hunter", Hah.
 
even steel shot reloading is cheaper.
but the most I get from shotgun reloading is hardcast slugs and 00 buckshot.
there was a study from the Alaska rangers about how shotgun slugs don't penetrate enough on really big bears. Well, factory slugs are made of soft lead.
I cast hard slugs that DO penetrate. Buckshot too.
 
It's cheaper, so long as you don't do what some guys do and say "I make 17 bucks an hour at work, so....." You don't take the day off to reload ammo, so your free time is just that, free.

If you have nothing better to do, you can save about a dollar a box (25 shells) by reloading, and you can make custom ammo. So after a couple skeet seasons dependign on how much you shoot, you might start to actually save after paying for your press. That's if you get a used mec. Don't get a lee shotshell press. You get what you pay for.
 
it is for certant stuff. it prety much all depends on exactly what your loading (projectile, charge ext.)
for example i reload 12g slugs, .690 roundballs, 00 buckshot and birdshot. for me, the slugs, .690's, and 00 B-shot it works out to around 22 cents per shot ( .05/ primer, .03/wad, .14/powder) as for the hulls and lead i get it for free. so for a box of 5 homeload slugs its costing me around $1.10 compared to $6 at canadian tire.
as for birdshot, it works out around even at aprox. $10/box (25) compared to $9.99 at canadian tire for Winchester 2-3/4" heavy game load shot #4. however you get to play with the charge and stuff to get a perfect shell to how you want it. me, I prefere the Win AA low brass hulls and thats one reason why i load my own birdshot.

plus it also gives me confedense while shooting them since I know exactly how they where loaded, and what whent in them.
 
It's cheaper, so long as you don't do what some guys do and say "I make 17 bucks an hour at work, so....." You don't take the day off to reload ammo, so your free time is just that, free.
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Me and the shotshell manufacturers have a deal. They don't drill any oilwells and I don't load any shotshells. We're both money ahead this way.
 
gastch said:
I'd be interested to here more about your 3" loading. Where you get your supplies,what parts your using,specs on your loads,etc. I'm assuming your using these for waterfowl?
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Hi: I pretty well reload all steel out of the latest RSI yellow book volume 8 i think is the new one.
Hulls I get from the US off gun broker from a guy that buys them from the remington factory. They are once fired and I have to buy 500 min. Prophet river imports them for me.
Wads I use rsi sam1 from either wws or a gun shop in Idaho where I have to buy 5000 and again Clay takes them in for me. same two spots for felts, overshot cards and buffer.
Steel Powder and primers humminson in ontario and ross in NB when I am up.
Shot wws, ross and will in alberta( ballastic products)
Hard to get components here so I buy in bulk and when I see some on the shelf I stock up.
 
I found that when we made our own shot and bought our stuff bulk it was well worth it. I was reloading my 1 oz and 11/8 oz, 2 3/4" trap loads for about $2.00 a box. Shot prices have really gone up so it may be close.
 
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