12g reloading

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linderhof

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Bradford, Ont
I'm thinking of reloading my shells next season for Sporting Clays. I do have a MEC 600 I picked up used so just need to build up or buy some hulls. I have just been buying cheap target stuff by the flat and never kept them anyway. Would it make sense to switch over to a WW AA shell and keep them? Is the AA shell necessary or are the cheaper ones useable? Around here I can buy a flat of Federals for @$75 and AA are closer to $100. There are some promo ones like Challengers that can be had for $67/flat not sure if those hulls are suitable to reload?
In the last week we have actually seen some shotgun powders start to show up on shelves so that issue may be less of a problem. Likely shoot @1500 rds a season is my guess.
 
There is no savings in reloading 12 target loads as they are so cheap to buy. There is of course the "made em myself" factor.
The real savings is in buckshot and slugs.
As for AA Hulls, they are high quality and crimp easy, yes you can reload crap stuff, but the quality is noticeable.
There are a couple gents that sell their once shot AA Hulls on the EE for 10c each shipped.
It is some of the easiest reloading out there. Rewarding and fun, with a million different loads to make.....you cant go wrong!
 
Not really looking at it to save money. Just thinking about tinkering with loads. Shot size , load weights etc. Seems to me that opens up the usefulness of a 12g. Something to play with. I have reloaded centerfire for every rifle I own for 30 yrs just never done it for shotshells yet.
 
Only reason to reload is to make custom shells, or sub gauge shell guns. for a 12ga its not worth it unless its buck shot, as the 600jr loader wont work well as you have to load the lead by hand. Im making 3/4 and 7/8 shot charges so its a bit custom with fps etc. I load a ton of other things with it 00 buck, slugs and #4 buck along with #4-#9 shot for various charges.

For shells, all the cheap shells can be reloaded but not ideal as they have a separate base wad and can come off the bottom making it blow up backwards out the action if reloaded too much. They are ok as a throw away hunting shell in the deep woods, but for anything good you need to find or buy Winchester AA one piece hulls or Remington one piece hulls. Then if you are just starting, finding powder for the past few years is becoming more and more scarce.
 
Actually, current Winchester AA (HS) hulls are not one piece construction . . . the old style "compression-formed" hulls were one-piece construction but the current HS hulls have a separate plastic basewad. I find that the HS hulls have a very poor reload life. Last year I got several hundred once fired hulls from a member of our club. I've reloaded/fired all of them twice and many already have several splits just below the crimp. They do reload nicely, but I won't reload them a third time.
 
My advice is make a run up to ancaster to hummasons. They make the shot there. Also you can get cheap cheddite primers and used double a or Remington sts shells. Also bags of wads and anything else you might need especially powder. Give them a call first and get a list going and a price.
 
Reloading shotgun isn't about saving money any more than reloading anything is. It's about using the best possible ammo that is tailored for your firearm.
Last time I was in Shooter's Choice(not exactly close to Bradford though), very decidedly not recently, they had lots of empties. New, I think. And everything else you'll need. So will Epp's and Precision Arms in the other direction.
 
sunray said:
Reloading shotgun isn't about saving money any more than reloading anything is. It's about using the best possible ammo that is tailored for your firearm.
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Speak for yourself. When I was shooting 5k per year of 12 gauge target loads I reloaded because it was cheaper, period. Currently when I reload .38 Special I do it because buying is 40 cents a cartridge, casting and loading is less than 10. Nobody should presume to dictate my motives to me.
 
Also agree. It is about saving money. At 15 bucks a box for .410 new you can reload them for 3.50-4 bucks. Also hummasons is the cheapest. They make the shot that you buy at epps and mostly everywhere else. Don't get an apple from the grocery store. Pick it right off the tree. No middle man
 
sunray said:
Reloading shotgun isn't about saving money any more than reloading anything is. It's about using the best possible ammo that is tailored for your firearm.
Last time I was in Shooter's Choice(not exactly close to Bradford though), very decidedly not recently, they had lots of empties. New, I think. And everything else you'll need. So will Epp's and Precision Arms in the other direction.
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Reloading 12 gauge won't save much money, but you can save a lot loading 28 gauge and 410.
 
The last time I reloaded 12g it cost more for components than what I could buy new shells for. However 410 I'm at 1/4 of the cost and 20G about 2/3 the cost.

I evaluate the process of time vs cost. I don't have the time to spend a week of reloading to fire them off in one weekend. I pay about 60 bucks a flat for 12G when we bulk buy them.
 
linderhof said:
Not really looking at it to save money. Just thinking about tinkering with loads. Shot size , load weights etc. Seems to me that opens up the usefulness of a 12g. Something to play with. I have reloaded centerfire for every rifle I own for 30 yrs just never done it for shotshells yet.
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That is reason enough in my books and that is exactly how I got into reloading shotshells as well.A natural outgrowth for me as I had been handloading centerfire rifle for quite some time and wanted to brew up some tailor made 12 ga. ammunition.I'm not reloading near the numbers that I used to but still crank out a few boxes every now and then,primarily in 16 ga. for my wife's 37 pump.I enjoy it immensely.
 
And that's about where I'm at right now. With the powder shortage finally hitting the maritimes back at the first of the year, I switched from from loading my target loads to buying them. At present, powder is starting to show up again and I'm debating whether to start loading my target loads again. I will continue to reload my hunting loads, what I prefer to use isn't available locally.
 
Do your self a favour and get a veriable shot bar if you are "tinkering" buying a hundred shot bushings and a hundred powder bushings is not cost or time effective.

Pick up WAA hulls from the trap range mid summer when the handi cap loads go on sale. I have 2 garbage bags full of graphite grey WAA hulls from doing just that....a few silver and a few black ones too. (No they're not for sale)
The most expensive part of "tinkering" is going to be your wad and powder collections, you'll see why when you start reading a shot shell reloading manuel. (You don't "work up a load" as in rifles and hand guns)

*Join the club, what everyone preffers to shoot is not available locally.
Have not seen Winchester Hex steel hyper velocity in a coons age. Its all hevy loads at 1400fps hex steel and I preffer the light loads @ 1650 fps...speed kills as steel doesn't retain its velocity over any distance. For some reason every one wants to shoot a huge 1 7/8-2 oz slow moving cloud that just peppers a goose with 100 pellets that bearly break the skin and neccessitate using a magnetic fork to eat your dinner, on the other hand I would preffer a moderate size cloud that hits a bird with 1-1 1/8oz cloud that has a chance of passing through so I can dispence with the magnets and dental fillings.
 
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With the price of bulk 12g trap loads it's hard to "save" money reloading. If you are into buck, slugs or heavy bird loads it is easy to get the most for your investment.
 
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