.410 reloading
- Thread starter jeffcarr88
- Start date
The lack of response would suggest not that many people reload .410. I certainly haven't, but the kit is out there - I think MEC makes a machine that will handle it. My first suggestion would be to pick up a copy of Lyman's book on shotshell reloading; I'm pretty sure they deal with the .410 and Lyman can generally be trusted.
Thanks for the advice. The only reason I want to reload them is a box of 25 3" .410 shells comes in at a bit over $20 taxes in so more then 2x the price of 12g lol. I'd rather keep on reloading a few 100 hulls then buying them as they take very little powder/bbs
Well, can't speak to shotshell reloading as I haven't done it in years. With pistol and rifle, there is a fair investment to be made in terms of equipment, the cost of which is of necessity rolled into the cost of the ammo produced.
I would suggest that you do your research on reloading .410, eg with the Lyman book. Then find out what equipment is available to you where you live and how much it will cost. Then check into component prices. Then do the math.
Picking easy round numbers, let's say you fire 100 rounds a week and each round costs you 50¢. Let's also say that the gear to reload will cost you $200 and the components for each round will cost you 40¢. You can therefore save 10¢ per shot by reloading. You will need to fire 2,000 rounds before you break even - about four years. Now consider the time involved and determine whether or not you think it will be worth it.
Good luck.
You should be able to reload a box of 410 shells with the massive payload of 11/16oz for less then $5 unless you have to mail order everything. Assuming you have spent hulls already. I priced it all out when I bought my 410 tubes. Saving $15 a box is a great deal. I love the 410. Mec is the press to get
.410
.410 can actually be fairly costly to reload because the components tend to be a little more expensive than everything else if you do the math on a per shell investment. Hulls are probably something like .10 vs. 12 ga. at about .02 a piece as a prime example. My suggestion to anyone is that unless you're going to shoot a fairly large quantity it may not be used to it once you factor in the payback on a reloader, components, etc...........My Ponsness Warren reloader is worth hundreds of dollars so you really want to do the math and be prepared to reload hundreds of thousands of shells over time to make it worthwhile.
.410 can actually be fairly costly to reload because the components tend to be a little more expensive than everything else if you do the math on a per shell investment. Hulls are probably something like .10 vs. 12 ga. at about .02 a piece as a prime example. My suggestion to anyone is that unless you're going to shoot a fairly large quantity it may not be used to it once you factor in the payback on a reloader, components, etc...........My Ponsness Warren reloader is worth hundreds of dollars so you really want to do the math and be prepared to reload hundreds of thousands of shells over time to make it worthwhile.
.410 is pretty much the most worthwhile shotshell to reload. If you shoot .410 on a regular basis and don't reload you will kick yourself. A box of .410 target shells is often anywhere from $12-20 where as 12 and 20 gauge are $6-12.
A MEC 600 Jr. can be had for $299 new or maybe $225 used. Gauge specific so you need one specific to .410 bore. I don't use a press at all for .410; explained at the end.
I get shells from the local skeet/trap clubs so they are free. There are several people who shoot .410 but don't reload. So far I haven't found a once fired .410 hull that wont fit into my Boito break action so I guess it has a loose chamber.
Standard shotshell primers are about $0.05 each when bought by the 1000. Can be cheaper if bought by the case (5000).
A standard .410 powder is H110 from Hodgdon. Also used for magnum pistol loads so if you shoot those you can use the same powder to reload. I pay about $22/lbs. Most loads (depending on components) are around 15 grains per shell (as a rough estimate) so $0.05 in powder.
Wads are the same price as 12 or 20 gauge wads even though they are much smaller. I bought 100 .410 wads for $7 last time I was shopping so $0.07 per shell.
Lead prices are really high and locally in Ottawa a 25lbs bag of shot (any size) is $50. If loading 11/16oz loads in .410 that is $0.09 per shell.
So the grand total is $0.26 per shell (roughly) to reload 11/16oz of lead shot. That comes to $6.50 a box of 25 which in stores would cost ~$12+
Personally I so rarely fire .410 that I just reload with the nail and dowel method. I tap out the old primers with a large nail and a mallet. Insert a new primer with my fingers and light strikes from a wood mallet (very light strikes). Seat it to proper depth with a Lee priming tool and a #5 shell holder for the .303 British cartridge (close enough in rim size to .410 shells). I then powder charge, seat the wad with a dowel, dump in the shot, and put a .45 over powder card on top made by turning a .45ACP shell into a punch. I then add a little bit of hot glue to keep it on. Takes a while for each shell but for the volume of .410 I shoot (maybe 25 a month) it's good enough for me.
I've also been converting some of my crappier range collected .303 British cases into 2-1/4" .410 brass shotshells. The process can be found on many sites by just searching Google for "303 british 410 shotshell conversion". Once I get about 50 made (it's quite time intensive) I wont need plastic hulls anymore. Load them up with large pistol primers, standard .410 load data (brass hulls are so much stronger than plastic or paper it doesn't really matter what data you use so long as it fits) and fire away. Because of the lower pressures a set of brass shotshells can last years. Also since you don't loose any length to a crimp (you have to use over shot cards and glue of some sort) you can easily fit 2-1/2" loads into them even though they are only 2-1/4".
A MEC 600 Jr. can be had for $299 new or maybe $225 used. Gauge specific so you need one specific to .410 bore. I don't use a press at all for .410; explained at the end.
I get shells from the local skeet/trap clubs so they are free. There are several people who shoot .410 but don't reload. So far I haven't found a once fired .410 hull that wont fit into my Boito break action so I guess it has a loose chamber.
Standard shotshell primers are about $0.05 each when bought by the 1000. Can be cheaper if bought by the case (5000).
A standard .410 powder is H110 from Hodgdon. Also used for magnum pistol loads so if you shoot those you can use the same powder to reload. I pay about $22/lbs. Most loads (depending on components) are around 15 grains per shell (as a rough estimate) so $0.05 in powder.
Wads are the same price as 12 or 20 gauge wads even though they are much smaller. I bought 100 .410 wads for $7 last time I was shopping so $0.07 per shell.
Lead prices are really high and locally in Ottawa a 25lbs bag of shot (any size) is $50. If loading 11/16oz loads in .410 that is $0.09 per shell.
So the grand total is $0.26 per shell (roughly) to reload 11/16oz of lead shot. That comes to $6.50 a box of 25 which in stores would cost ~$12+
Personally I so rarely fire .410 that I just reload with the nail and dowel method. I tap out the old primers with a large nail and a mallet. Insert a new primer with my fingers and light strikes from a wood mallet (very light strikes). Seat it to proper depth with a Lee priming tool and a #5 shell holder for the .303 British cartridge (close enough in rim size to .410 shells). I then powder charge, seat the wad with a dowel, dump in the shot, and put a .45 over powder card on top made by turning a .45ACP shell into a punch. I then add a little bit of hot glue to keep it on. Takes a while for each shell but for the volume of .410 I shoot (maybe 25 a month) it's good enough for me.
I've also been converting some of my crappier range collected .303 British cases into 2-1/4" .410 brass shotshells. The process can be found on many sites by just searching Google for "303 british 410 shotshell conversion". Once I get about 50 made (it's quite time intensive) I wont need plastic hulls anymore. Load them up with large pistol primers, standard .410 load data (brass hulls are so much stronger than plastic or paper it doesn't really matter what data you use so long as it fits) and fire away. Because of the lower pressures a set of brass shotshells can last years. Also since you don't loose any length to a crimp (you have to use over shot cards and glue of some sort) you can easily fit 2-1/2" loads into them even though they are only 2-1/4".
