12 gauge target clay reloading, anyone doing it, how much does it cost?

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Kryogen

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12 gauge target clay reloading, anyone doing it, how much does it cost?

How much does it end up to cost per box of 25?
Where do you get your components, which press do you use?

Some people say it's not Worth it and some say it is.

Anyone reloading those?
 
Shot is $50/25lbs which comes out to $0.125/shell
Wads are around $15/500 so $0.03/shell
Primers are about $50/1000 so $0.05/shell
Powder is about $30/lbs so $0.086/shell for a 20gr charge

Comes out to $0.291/shell or $7.28/box of 25.
Cheap factory target load is $55/flat so $5.50/box of 25.

So it's almost 50% more to reload target load than to buy factory loads. The issue is the cost of the lead; if you had a source for free or really cheap lead shot you could reload target load for cheaper than factory loads.
If you start looking at the cost of 28 gauge or .410 bore you do save a lot reloading target load. I have a MEC 600jr for reloading .410 and it saves me something like 60-70% over factory ammo since it uses so little powder and shot yet factory ammo is twice the cost at least of 12 gauge.

If you want to reload odd ball target loads like 7/8oz or 1-1/2oz or use spreader wads or something odd you pretty much have to reload but it's of course still more expensive than regular factory target loads.
For 12 gauge I only reload buckshot, slugs, and black powder shells. Even then it's only inexpensive because I cast my own buckshot and slugs; if you had to buy factory buckshot pellets or slugs your savings disappear quick.
 
I reload 3/4 oz loads for 12GA.

$40 for lead (533 loads per 25lb bag or 7.5 cents / shell)
$35 for cheddite primers (3.5 /shell)
15 for wads (3 cents per)
108 for 8lbs of promo and 17gr per is 3.3 cents per

17.3 cents a shell or 4.33 a box.

I shoot 1 to 2 flats a week so it's worth it to me.
 
Saving around 20%, nice.

My only sources for lead shot in Ottawa are $50 and $56 per 25lbs bag. I really should get my family in Mississauga to pick some up from Hummason and just put it in their garage until I'm down next.
Primers locally went from $35/1000 to $50/1000 in the past year. May need to do a bulk order from elsewhere.
 
I think you have to shoot a MASSIVE volume of shells every month to justify the expenditure for making your own "Target" loads!

Doing buck is definately cheaper, but my buddy and I found it was really time consuming, at least how we were doing it. Casting and reloading your own slugs on the other hand, that's definately cheap and quite reasonable in time investment.
 
Prices from Hummason's using lower-end priced components.

DescriptionCost per shellTotal investment required to make 5,000 shells
Mec MkV Press$190/5000 = $0.038$190
New Winchester AA shells (to save hulls)($8.37/25) = $0.3348 $167.40 (500 shells new and assumes ten reloads to make 5,000)
Wads - WAA12SL$17.95/500 = $0.0359$179.50
Primers - Cheddite shotgun primers$33/1000 = $0.033$165
Shot - 25 lb bag(assuming a 1oz load) $40/400 = $0.10 $500
Powder (lots of choice - I went cheap with intl clays powder in 8# containers)(16# is enough for 5600 shells @20gr/shell) $280/5600 = $0.05$280
Total:$1481.90

Doing it this way gets you 500 rounds of good stuff and 5000 rounds whose components which are randomly selected - this could be a great recipe, it might be crap. I honestly don't know.

Buying 5000 rounds of Winchester AA costs $1674, for a savings of $192.10. The breakeven point is 1639 rounds. Anything less and it is costing money to reload. At 10,000 rounds, the cost difference is about $700 because you'll need to buy another set of factory shells to get new hulls.

Odds are, if you shoot that much, you're looking to reload with good components to get specific patterns.

Just my $0.02

FF
 
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Just picture the time you will have to spend reloading the 100- 125 shell that you shoot in one outing. I know you , and you are better to expense your time with your girl to earn ''air loose'' to go shooting :)

Mush
 
But if loading lee 1oz slugs , then the tables are turned very quickly .. And as you will most likely not be reloading as many on a regular basis then a lee load all 2, is third the cost of a Mec , and factory slugs are expensive

What I do not fully compute is all the hoopla about Winchester AA .. Do people forget it has been basically reduced to the same quality of a Winchester trap hull . Both are two piece compression now .. AA's since circa 2007

Is anyone loading lee slugs in the totally maligned Winchester trap ( steel base ) hulls ? Have you been loading 1200 fps loads or taking them to at 1400fps and beyond ?
 
FyreFighter said:
I don't know that hoarding wads, shot, hulls, powder, and primers is any easier than hoarding factory loaded shells.

FF
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When you shoot 2-3 flats a week, supply becomes an issue. Stores run out, supply dries up sometimes.
Tournaments don't care if you can't find ammo, they still run, just without you.
 
Another vote here for only loading specialty shells - Blackpowder trap loads, plated shot pheasant loads, Bismuth and Nice shot non-toxic loads.
My time is worth much, much more than the illusory savings on loading regular trap or skeet loads.

High volume trap shooters usually have access to flats of shells at very good prices from their club. Those of us who shoot a couple of flats a year wait for the sale price to get a good deal.
Shot and powder has been hard to source recently in Saskatchewan and Alberta, leading to price gouging by some suppliers.
 
And the supply of components is magically guaranteed? If you shoots lots, you buy lots. The same holds true if you buy from factory or reload.

FF

TACTICAL111 said:
When you shoot 2-3 flats a week, supply becomes an issue. Stores run out, supply dries up sometimes.
Tournaments don't care if you can't find ammo, they still run, just without you.
Click to expand...
 
Kryogen said:
I don't reload slugs right now as I don't have a use for those.
What do you use slugs for?
Can you just use melted WW ?
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I use slugs mostly for fun recently but have been doing a lot of experimenting trying to find the most accurate slug load for my rifled barrel for deer hunting. They are good up to 50yds easily and can reach 100yds with decent sights for taking deer or other large game.
I use melted WW for mine and since they aren't hollow points you don't have to worry much about expansion. I also use WW for casting hard 00 buckshot. Most factory slugs are really soft pure lead and factory buckshot is pure lead if cheap, plated hard lead if premium.
 
Necroman99 said:
I reload 3/4 oz loads for 12GA.

$40 for lead (533 loads per 25lb bag or 7.5 cents / shell)
$35 for cheddite primers (3.5 /shell)
15 for wads (3 cents per)
108 for 8lbs of promo and 17gr per is 3.3 cents per

17.3 cents a shell or 4.33 a box.

I shoot 1 to 2 flats a week so it's worth it to me.
Click to expand...

All my reloads are about the same, but everyone forgets to calculate in the real cost, the TAX on top of it all. Makes mine a bit over $5/box tax incl. factory runs $6.78/box
 
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