Loading .410 project

[kjohn]

I am currently loading OF Federal Upland hulls in .410. Rather crude method, but it does work.

The hulls don't need resizing, as they fit in a CIL 402 and my 3" Lee Enfield Ishapore. I knock the primer out of a bunch. I cut them to a shorter length to avoid having to add a bunch of wad to take up the space. Priming is a bit of a chore, but this is what I do: start the primer in the hole, then put a bolt down in the shell and seat it further in the press, then I finish seating by closing the empty hull in the 402.

Next, I dump in 8.0 gr. of Trail Boss, then a .125 cardboard wad, next a 1/2" fibre wad, then 2 .395 lead balls, then another .125 wad, then give it a good roll crimping with a BPI .410 roll crimper and a battery operated drill.

Backwoods, I know, but they do work. No real purpose for these shells, other than for the two young boys whose fathers I work with. They love to shoot the 402. i'll get a pic of the finished product and post it tomorrow.

I need to work on a way to cut them better. I use a heavy pair of scissors. I mark the cases, using a shell that gives a good length. If the cases are too long, the crimper won't roll the lip far enough, and if too short, the crimper bottoms out on the wad and won't allow for a nice crimp.

 

[kayceel]

Maybe find an appropriate size drill shank, insert same and then use a mini tubing cutter???? Not as fast as scissors but possibly less distortion. OR - driill / bolt stock horizontal in vise and one of the old fashioned razor blade windshield scrapers and rotate case as required??

 

[DFarmer]

Find a piece of pipe that the 410 shells fit into where the rim doesn't enter the pipe. Cut this pipe to the correct length.
Then just slip your long casing into the pipe and use a zip style knife to cut along the end of the pipe.
I use this method to shorten 3 1/2 12 gauge hulls down to 3 inch.

 

[kjohn]

Bingo! ^^ Two good ideas! I knew you guys would be able to come up with something much better than scissors! It is tricky to get just the right length. Warming the end of the hull will help as well. I had a lamp set up at my bench back in the day, when I was reloading 12 ga. hulls with my LoadAll II. Warming them up helped to make a beautiful crimp, especially in AA hulls.

I have an oddball .410 loader setup somewhere. It has some of the same traits as a LEE Loader in .410. After 5 moves around the province while a fearless federal cop, it is now safe and sound - somewhere! If I find that contraption, it might make life a bit easier.

Marci cho!

 

[Snider shooter]

Before I bought my Mec I made up a 410 loader. Decapper was a Lee 308 hand decapper. I made up a wood block. Drilled a hole so the shell slid in easily, longer than the shell. A larger drill bit was used on one end larger than the rim. So the case fit in fully. For crimping the loaded case was in the block and pushed the crimp closed with a dowel that would fit inside the flat area of the crimp. Wads I carefully pushed in by hand. If you made up a wood block the correct length and used an Olfa knife to cut you have your same length everytime. Priming I pushed the primer in than put a dowel in the case and gave it a tap with a hammer.

 

[kjohn]

Before I bought my Mec I made up a 410 loader. Decapper was a Lee 308 hand decapper. I made up a wood block. Drilled a hole so the shell slid in easily, longer than the shell. A larger drill bit was used on one end larger than the rim. So the case fit in fully. For crimping the loaded case was in the block and pushed the crimp closed with a dowel that would fit inside the flat area of the crimp. Wads I carefully pushed in by hand. If you made up a wood block the correct length and used an Olfa knife to cut you have your same length everytime. Priming I pushed the primer in than put a dowel in the case and gave it a tap with a hammer.

It seems that the primer sticks up past the inside bottom of the shell, thus the having to finish the seating in the shotgun. I need to engineer a "seating tool" that will allow the primer to seat fully. The right sized little piece of pipe would do it.

The block of wood would be easy to fashion.

Thank you!

 

[catnip]

The original seating tool in the LEE loader kit is a rod, drilled out at one end..(read..piece of pipe!). catnip.

 

[kjohn]

Pic: not perfect, but will work.

 

[mbogo3]

Looks good to me!

 

[Ganderite]

I had a Isshy 410. I fireformed 303 brass into 410 cases.

I had to anneal the brass first. Then a stout charge of shotshell powder over Cream of Wheat.

You could champfer a formed brass case and use it as a wad punch.

 

[kjohn]

Ganderite: The Ishapore I am loading for is a re-chamber that takes 3" .410 shells. Fired .410 hulls chamber in it without resizing. I have another one that I'll have to use either blown-out .303 or something else that can be made to work. .410 shotgun ammo won't even chamber in that one.

Catnip: I did actually find a nice little piece of "pipe" that fits over the primer! It is a threaded piece that was in a ceiling lamp. It fits over the primer just perfect. I just tried it on a fired primer and a hull that was cut down to the brass. It even has a nice knob on the other end to beat on seating the primer. Yee Haw!!!!

I found a hole cutter (in a set) that slides nice and snug into a .410 hull, and use a mini tubing cutter to cut the hull to the marked length. Just have to be careful on the first lap and make sure it doesn't "thread" instead of staying in the same cut. Just need to develop the wood block for measuring more consistently. That job will likely fall to Deaner, as his shop is heated all the time. Once I get all the precision instruments finished, I will do up a pic of the "kit". Also, I am going to try an upgrade to a regular tubing cutter, as the mini is a bit too mini for my big mitts.

 

[kayceel]

And maybe a foot pedal controlled hydraulic closure on the tube cutter ? ( LOL!!!!!).

 

[catnip]

Those are some nice looking loads.... catnip.

 

[DFarmer]

Pic: not perfect, but will work.

View attachment 462041

Those look pretty good to me also.

 

[kjohn]

Okay. Instead of a pic story, I'll just sum up the steps:

1. Rather obvious - deprime with a LEE .22 caliber depriming rod.

2. Stick the hull into Deaner's Deluxe .410 Measuring Tool. (available by special order only ) The hull only goes through the hole as far as the brass.

3. Using a fine STAPLES permanent marker, I turn the hull by the brass sticking out, and make a mark in the part of the hull sticking out the other side, marking where the cut is to be made.

4. Insert hole cutter punch, taper first into hull, bottom it, align full size tube cutter, carefully line the cutting disc to the mark, tighten just enough to allow hull to be turned by hand and make the first cut completely around, and tighten a bit on each turn until cut through. Care needs to be taken to not allow the cutter to "thread" on the first lap.

5. Either before or after cutting, I start the primer by hand and finish seating using the spacer bolt from a ceiling lamp. Bolt is actually hollow and fits inside the hull and allows the part of the primer that sticks up to fit inside the pipe.

6. Measure out 8.0 -8.1 of TRAIL BOSS and dump it in the hull.

7. Start a .125" thick cardboard wad. (BPI) Push the wad home with the primer seater rod. It has a nice ball-shaped nut, making it easy on the palm.

8. Start a 1/2" fiber wad and push it home with primer rod. (BPI)

9. Drop in 2 .395 LEE balls. (WW for now, but will make some with soft lead)

10. Start another .125 wad and push it home.

11. Using a battery operated screwdriver/drill, hold base of round against the edge of my desk, and commence rolling the crimp. I allow the hull to turn slowly while rolling, using appropriate squeeze to keep the round in place and prevent it from spinning too fast. It also helped to place the uncrimped round open end down on the little oil bath heater while I prepare the next hull. Having been warmed up a wee bit, it crimps easier and more evenly.

There you have it!! Sounds like a long, drawn out affair, but it is actually quite simple - and it works!

When I went over to Dean's to task him with the job of making a measuring tool to mark the hulls, he rummaged around in a little stash of hardwood and came up with a nice piece that was exactly the right thickness! He drilled a hole, and when we stuck a cut hull in, the brass wouldn't go in, but it was precisely the right thickness. Jeez, I had to put up with some major gloating over that!