How to Start Reloading

AR15meister

AR15meister

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I am getting sick of worrying about ammo availability for my classic shotguns.

I would like to start reloading for my 12 bore 2 3/4" and 3" classic waterfowl guns (bismuth/tungsten matrix) and for my 2" and 2.5" upland guns.

I also want to start loading Bismuth loads for 10 bore classic waterfowl guns.

I am sorry if this has been asked and answered before but is there a good book or a good shop/resource to source everything I need?

I am doing this out of necessity and not because I particularly want to, but I plan to hunt with classic guns particularly waterfowl for a long time and reloading seems like something I need to start doing if I want o be able to do this.

Or maybe someone is willing to help me and chat on the phone who is a "guru".....lol.

Thank you in advance.
 
Used press can be had reasonable, especially for 12ga. See them regularly on #######, should be able to score one for $200 then just need components. Best source for them depends on your location, especially for the primers/powder (shipping cost)
 
Get a couple manuals and read the reloading sections. That's all I did and have been loading successfully for 17yrs now.
I also started off very basic. Classic Lee loaders.
Manuals will provide you with all the knowledge you need to get going.
Take your time and get it right. Don't rush or assume anything. Safety glasses are a must too.
It's all fairly straightforward once you understand the basics.
I'm not a shotgun reloader but it can't be too much different than reg ol bullets.
Don't be afraid to ask questions. Lots of people here with reloading knowledge that dwarfs mine and will be happy to help.
Good luck
 
Contrary to what is posted above, a significant difference between loading for Shotshell and loading for Centre-fire rife is that shotgun is always VERY low pressure loads - your gun is adequately strong to handle that - but that is about it. So, there is NO "working up a load" with a Shotshell - in effect, you would be turning your shotgun into the pressure testing device. In various reference books, simply changing the brand of the primer can alter shot shell pressure by 5,000 psi (up or down) and many shot shell gauges are only rated 12,000 psi or so. BPI makes and sells many devices and books and articles about shot shell loading. So does Lyman and others. Some with a lot of experience have "got away" with swapping components like hulls, wads or primers, but until you get that experience, stay with pressure tested published loads - every component the same as was tested - I am not aware of any publication of combinations of components that failed pressure tests - if you can not find your combination as pressure tested, then it probably exceeds standard pressure. FYI - if you must use Steel or Bismuth shot, DO NOT use lead shot information.
 
Find the Lyman shotgun manual and start reading. I started with a Lee press. I slowly bought Mec’s One in 410. Two in 12 ga for 2 3/4 and 3”. I didn’t want to change my die height for different length shells. 20ga and 16 ga on the Lee. Finding components can be a hassle but once you have them your good for awhile.
 
What I discovered - many recipes call for wads or hulls that are no longer made. However, BPI seems to make a lot of "clones" of that "old stuff". I could not find any variation in the load recipes for shot SIZE, only for shot weight - and that required specific wads to accommodate that particular weight in that particular gauge. So, I think you are able to swap 1 1/4 ounce #9 shot for 1 1/4 ounce #2 shot in a 12 gauge with the same recipe of components - or 3/4 ounce #9 shot for 3/4 ounce #6 shot in a 28 gauge. I have never loaded slugs or buck shot - they might have different "rules". I just sold an MEC 600 JR in 28 gauge - there is a Lee Load-All in 20 gauge on the shelf that I have never used. A neighbour gave me an MEC machine for 12 gauge that he no longer has use for. However, primers are primers, shot is shot - I think they are all the same for various gauges - the hull, and the wad will be specific to the gauge (and to each other and maybe to the primer). I think the powder can be used in various gauges and handguns - although some powders appear to be specially "tuned" for some gauges of shotgun. So, for components to reload shotgun, you will need hulls, wads, primers, powder and shot. Unlike Centre-fire reloading, I found that shotgun loading was based on VOLUME of powder and shot - not so much WEIGHT - you do not weigh each powder charge or shot charge - most machines seem to dispense that by VOLUME, although one does set up a Universal Charge Bar using a scale to set the powder and the shot charge. "Normal" machines will use bushings with fixed cavities that do not usually require adjustment.
 
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I have a Lee precision II. It comes with pretty much everything you need. When I got it I thought it felt pretty flimsy, lots of plastic but I’ve used it tons with no issues. You can buy a reloading manual but it’s all available online for free. This press will allow you to reload factory plastic shells. You can only reload them a few times before they start to split around the crimp. You can take any 3” shell you want and trim them down with a utility knife to 2 1/2 or whatever you need.

I originally started reloading shot shells with no equipment at all. I took a block of wood, drilled a large hole with a forstner bit for the shell to fit in, drilled a deeper 3/8 hole in the centre and used a punch and rubber mallet to pop out the primers. I didn’t have any way to crimp them so I put a 3” cutoff wheel in a drill press chuck, set it to 2 3/4” above the table and used that to quickly cut a ton of shells down. The time consuming part was cutting out tiny little circle cardboard patches. I cut them out with scissors from a cereal box. Seated a new primer with the rubber mallet (yes they would go off sometimes), measured out Imr 700x with a scoop I had from a centrefire lee loader set, used a plastic wad that I bought locally, scooped in the shot, then hot glued the cardboard circle over top. This is not a made up story. I was in college and didn’t have much money. At times I even cut open factory birdshot shells, poured out the shot, used it to cast buckshot and slugs, then loaded them back in the shells and hot glued the cardboard patches to keep it all in. I loaded hunting shells with bismuth and tungsten shot and even copper plated bb’s, bought in bulk from princess auto. The weight of the payload is all that really matters.

Reloading plastic hulls on a Lee precision is about as simple as it gets but they don’t last forever. If you had a need for paper hulls or some uncommon gauge where you wanted to use magtech brass shells you’d have to do it the way I used to but with better equipment. You can get fiber and felt wads online if you can’t find plastic short enough
 
I reload but not for smooth bores. I wanted to get started but my supplier pointed out that rolling shortages of components for shotshell reloading made the pursuit next to useless and frustrating. I'm not sure that the same holds today but it is worth a look!
 
CDF said:
I reload but not for smooth bores. I wanted to get started but my supplier pointed out that rolling shortages of components for shotshell reloading made the pursuit next to useless and frustrating. I'm not sure that the same holds today but it is worth a look!
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Reloading birdshot and target loads is barely worth it because of the price of lead shot but reloading hunting loads definitely is. In my case I mainly load 00 buck and cast my own buckshot from strap wheel weights. He said he wanted to reload for less common stuff like non toxic, 21/2” shells and 10g so it would be worth it in that case plus allow him to load stuff that isn’t available otherwise.
 
Ungrateful said:
Reloading birdshot and target loads is barely worth it because of the price of lead shot but reloading hunting loads definitely is. In my case I mainly load 00 buck and cast my own buckshot from strap wheel weights. He said he wanted to reload for less common stuff like non toxic, 21/2” shells and 10g so it would be worth it in that case plus allow him to load stuff that isn’t available otherwise.
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The savings isn't the point. It's 1: the availability of low pressure loads for certain guns, and 2: the availability of non-steel nontoxic that you can shoot through your full choke classic gun. The OP is taking the long view and wondering what the heck we could do should lead ban madness make it here
The target rounds that we buy now for $140/flat are too high in pressure for some of my guns and too long for the chambers of others so I do indeed save money reloading lead birdshot and target even in 12 ga.
 
AR15m, going whole-hog into shotshell reloading is quite an undertaking! Ballistics Products was mentioned and is one of the few places to get nontoxic load data and the supplies needed. I use their roll crimpers to make my short cartridges for both 12 and 20. Recently I wanted to get back into 16 ga. loading and found they had all the components I needed including powder, wads, and hulls. There is a Sporteque in Quebec as well as Mr. Bilozir in the west.
 
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