New to Reloading - 12g Shells

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gyates93

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With my bt99 Plus in to Browning for a rebuild I've recently decided I would like to get into reloading as a hobby and considering that 12g target loads is what I shoot the most I figured this would be a good place to start. I'm looking at the Lee Load All loader, this and components would likely be purchased at Cabela's.

My question is do you think it's worth it to start making up some 7/8 ounce low recoil trap loads? At 89.99 per flat of 250 for factory Challenger loads, will I be able to load them for less than around 36 cents per round? I'm not necessarily looking to save a bunch of money but I don't think I'll bother loading them if it's costing me more. Are Challenger hulls suitable for reloading?

Is there anybody in the Halifax area who could comment on where to purchase the lead shot and other components locally?

I was thinking this would be a good inexpensive way in to the hobby and if I like it then I could pull the trigger on getting set up to load .303, .308 or .30-06 which I assume would certainly enable me to target shoot with those calibres more affordably.
 
I started loading metallic shells first, with .308, .44 mag, .45 colt, plus a number of others and have found it to be a great hobby on its own and enables you to produce very accurate rounds at less than half the price of factory. I recently bought a LoadAll to make 12 gauge slugs. So, bear in mind these are very different animals with a different learning curve. With slugs, I think it is very economic but have a hard time thinking you'd save much with target shot loads. Many times target loads are on sale cheap enough it's not economic. I have made various buckshot loads as well and you save a little but not a lot.
I have used challenger hulls for roundball slugs and they work fine but for more traditional slugs I use Winchester AA, Federal Gold Medal, and Remington STS hulls with great success.
The main issue when reloading shotgun shells is finding all the components at a reasonable cost.
 
Old timer
Just trying to help.
I've reloading shotshells since 1964, I'm 71 years old, and a reloading nut.
I had the Lee shotshell loader, it works but not too good. I would never buy another one.
I had different MECS shotshell Loaders.
The best one is the MEC junior.
I've had them in 410, 20 gauge and 12 gauge.
They are simply the best. I have made at least 12,000 shotshells with my mecs Juniors. [with no repairs or breakdowns.]
Easy to work with, and they make beautiful reloads.
I just made 100 20 gauges this morning 3/4oz. of #4 shot. Deadly on Grouse and crows
I also load 3/4 oz, #8, for my 12 gauges. Deadly on grouse
I have my own trap machine so I try to load as economical as I can.
Lead shot is very expensive.
Claybusters has the best and cheapest wads, and in my opinion the best wads.
Just trying to help , lots of the Lee stuff is second class.
Hummasons have decent prices on powders and they ship.
If you want to save money on loading shotshells, keep your eyes open for people who are quitting to reload shotgun shells.
 
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The only thing reloading 12ga target shells gives you is quality loads. It will not be cheaper and Imo using a lee if you shoot any volume quite frustrating
12ga slugs, hunting loads sure one can save a few dollars but not 12ga target loads any more
I don't waste my good components on challenger hulls yet some reload them but they are not a quality hull
Reloading shotgun is totally different than reloading rifle with different equipment other than your scale a different process
Reloading rifle for sure will save you dollars and may be a better place to start
I also buy all of my shotgun components at hummasons in Ontario
Just my 2 cents
Cheers
 
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colombe said:
Old timer
Just trying to help.
I've reloading shotshells since 1964, I'm 71 years old, and a reloading nut.
I had the Lee shotshell loader, it works but not too good. I would never buy another one.
I had different MECS shotshell Loaders.
The best one is the MEC junior.
I've had them in 410, 20 gauge and 12 gauge.
They are simply the best. I have made at least 12,000 shotshells with my mecs Juniors. [with no repairs or breakdowns.]
Easy to work with, and they make beautiful reloads.
I just made 100 20 gauges this morning 3/4oz. of #4 shot. Deadly on Grouse and crows
I also load 3/4 oz, #8, for my 12 gauges. Deadly on grouse
I have my own trap machine so I try to load as economical as I can.
Lead shot is very expensive.
Claybusters has the best and cheapest wads, and in my opinion the best wads.
Just trying to help , lots of the Lee stuff is second class.
Hummasons have decent prices on powders and they ship.
Click to expand...

Another old timer 1965 handle puller :) that loves reloading shotgun in all gauges and loves MEC
I would just like to suggest if the OP is buying a new single stage machine he gets the MEC sizemaster over the JR. The collet resizer and factory installed primer tray set up is well worth the few extra dollars or a Jr with the additional primer feed fitted
Cheers
 
Just to add to other posts, I totally agree that Mec is the way to go, I will buy one eventually, the quality is far superior. The Lee looks and feels like a plastic toy, having said that, it does work and I haven't had any issue producing over a 1000 slugs so far. To add the the wad comment, I'm sure the Claybusters are great for shot, but if you want to make slugs, they don't work well at all since they have a ridge inside the petals that makes the slug bulge in the hull. Components in the west can be found at Bilozir in Alberta, Budget Shooter Supply in Surrey and Rusty Woods and others I'm sure. Still, if I could, I would buy all my components at Ballistic Products in the States, check them out, great info on their site.
 
OP - If you keep your eyes peeled, you can pick up the Challenger target loads, or other promo loads, for ~ 65$ per flat. Pretty hard to beat that price with reloads. In fact, most of my shotgun reloading buddies have stopped doing 12 gage for sporting purposes. Smaller gages are another story - I reload for 28 g, and that is very viable.
Regarding Challenger hulls - most folks avoid them as they are not a one piece hull. This gives rise to the risk of hull separation, and catastrophic failure. Those that do reload Challengers, as I do for 28 g, limit the hulls to one reload.
 
gyates93 said:
With my bt99 Plus in to Browning for a rebuild I've recently decided I would like to get into reloading as a hobby and considering that 12g target loads is what I shoot the most I figured this would be a good place to start. I'm looking at the Lee Load All loader, this and components would likely be purchased at Cabela's.

My question is do you think it's worth it to start making up some 7/8 ounce low recoil trap loads? At 89.99 per flat of 250 for factory Challenger loads, will I be able to load them for less than around 36 cents per round? I'm not necessarily looking to save a bunch of money but I don't think I'll bother loading them if it's costing me more. Are Challenger hulls suitable for reloading?

Is there anybody in the Halifax area who could comment on where to purchase the lead shot and other components locally?

I was thinking this would be a good inexpensive way in to the hobby and if I like it then I could pull the trigger on getting set up to load .303, .308 or .30-06 which I assume would certainly enable me to target shoot with those calibres more affordably.
Click to expand...

Loading for metallic means you invest study time, decision making skills, and shooting time and you come out with ammo and a much better understanding of how guns and ammo work.

Loading shotshells means you invest labour and get ammunition. There is no load development and not much improved understanding. Just cranking of handles, over and over again.

Add in the fact that there are surprisingly few common tools between the chores, and there is no way I would suggest someone get into shotgun reloading as a gateway to metallic cartridge reloading.
 
BattleRife said:
Loading for metallic means you invest study time, decision making skills, and shooting time and you come out with ammo and a much better understanding of how guns and ammo work.

Loading shotshells means you invest labour and get ammunition. There is no load development and not much improved understanding. Just cranking of handles, over and over again.

Add in the fact that there are surprisingly few common tools between the chores, and there is no way I would suggest someone get into shotgun reloading as a gateway to metallic cartridge reloading.
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Some pile of crap here
You clearly have never reloaded steel with uncut wads,did duplex loads, or used non tox etc, etc. Ever patterned your shotguns and chrono your shotshell reloads
Do you even reload shotgun?? Yes I reload both for many many years and a lot of both
Each require study time, skills and shooting time

Getting involved in any type of reloading is a good thing and everyone starts somewhere and nothing wrong with that being shotgun

I have spent way more time and effort getting my steel shotshells where they have to be vs any metallic. There are tons of guys here reloading metallic to ask when one needs help shotgun especially steel not so
Cheers
 
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i reload exactly what you are looking to reload. light recoil 7/8 in 8's over 700X using a mec 9000. i reload for convenience more than trying to save money. mind you i am sure i save something but its not much. i do think you can build a better shell than cheap target loads. i am lucky in that i can drive and pick up supplies at lawry's or hummason's but they do mail. buy in bulk. lead will be the expensive one to ship but see if drop shipping can be arranged or do a club buy of lead.
 
" Are Challenger hulls suitable for reloading?

Is there anybody in the Halifax area who could comment on where to purchase the lead shot and other components locally?"

Challenger can be reloaded, but are not really worth the effort to do so, Remington Gun Club or STS, Winchester AA or Federal Gold Medal hulls, in that order, are what you should be looking for. You are better to start off with a MEC 600 or Sizemaster than a Lee Load AllII. I am not aware of a local supplier in Halifax for reloading supplies, the boys at the Dartmouth Trap & Skeet Club or Nova Sporting may be able to point you in a direction. For me, the nearest reasonable price supplier is The Gun Dealer in McAdam, NB.
 
colombe said:
Old timer
Just trying to help.
I've reloading shotshells since 1964, I'm 71 years old, and a reloading nut.
I had the Lee shotshell loader, it works but not too good. I would never buy another one.
I had different MECS shotshell Loaders.
The best one is the MEC junior.
I've had them in 410, 20 gauge and 12 gauge.
They are simply the best. I have made at least 12,000 shotshells with my mecs Juniors. [with no repairs or breakdowns.]
Easy to work with, and they make beautiful reloads.
I just made 100 20 gauges this morning 3/4oz. of #4 shot. Deadly on Grouse and crows
I also load 3/4 oz, #8, for my 12 gauges. Deadly on grouse
I have my own trap machine so I try to load as economical as I can.
Lead shot is very expensive.
Claybusters has the best and cheapest wads, and in my opinion the best wads.
Just trying to help , lots of the Lee stuff is second class.
Hummasons have decent prices on powders and they ship.
Click to expand...

...my brutha from anutha mutha! ;)

(Except I've only been going since 1979 so am fairly new to it all...)

Ditto x10! I bought a Lee years ago and it's no longer here although I use Lee dies and sizing tools...MEC is much better.

The only question is whether you want to reload or not...cast everything else to the wind. It's fun. And yes there are lots of loads to fiddle with.

I picked up 1x fired AA hulls here for $40 for 1,000 a while back...or just find a range that will give them to you. Buy your powder in bulk now as prices will rise. I use Unique that I bought 30 years ago and there's enough that it will be a part of my estate when I go to the great trap range in the sky. You don't shoot on tomorrow's prices unless you want to...you shoot on yesterday's discounted sales. (Reloading store here is going out of business so I got 3# of powder at 1/3 off last week...or watch the ee.)

I also have 3/4 ton of lead ingots that I got from free sources over the years. This year I make a shot tower and get this aspect figured out.

All the best and keep us in the loop!
 
I have used a Lee LoadAll II. They work really well with the older Winchester AA hulls. In fact, they seem to have been made to work with AA's. One little trick I learned was to warm the top end of the hulls up just a wee bit prior to crimping. I kept a few under an old table lamp when reloading. I used Windjammer wads and 700X.

Nice to be able to fill a box or two with your own reloads. It has been said enough times that you likely won't save any $$. So what. :p
 
Maritime Storm said:
" Are Challenger hulls suitable for reloading?

Is there anybody in the Halifax area who could comment on where to purchase the lead shot and other components locally?"

Challenger can be reloaded, but are not really worth the effort to do so, Remington Gun Club or STS, Winchester AA or Federal Gold Medal hulls, in that order, are what you should be looking for. You are better to start off with a MEC 600 or Sizemaster than a Lee Load AllII. I am not aware of a local supplier in Halifax for reloading supplies, the boys at the Dartmouth Trap & Skeet Club or Nova Sporting may be able to point you in a direction. For me, the nearest reasonable price supplier is The Gun Dealer in McAdam, NB.
Click to expand...

Brian Densmore firearms can supply all components for reloading .he is located in Upper Musquodoboit . several of the local clubs do a group buy for members or they can piggy back their order on the target order with no shipping charge . to the OP I will also say the minimum for a loader is the Mec 600 jr . I have 2 of them and they run flawlessly .
 
3macs1 said:
You clearly have never reloaded steel with uncut wads,did duplex loads, or used non tox etc, etc. Ever patterned your shotguns and chrono your shotshell reloads
Click to expand...

No, I haven't, and I'm willing to bet the vast majority of shotshell reloaders also have not. Also the OP's question is addressing lead target loads, nothing that would involve the eccentricities you list.

All the published advice says to pick a line from the book and follow it with no substituions, and I don't find many people claiming they do otherwise. I stand by my assessment that somebody looking to make 12ga 7/8oz light target loads is going to pull the handle a thousand times for every minor bit of decision making they get to make.
 
BattleRife said:
No, I haven't, and I'm willing to bet the vast majority of shotshell reloaders also have not. Also the OP's question is addressing lead target loads, nothing that would involve the eccentricities you list.

All the published advice says to pick a line from the book and follow it with no substituions, and I don't find many people claiming they do otherwise. I stand by my assessment that somebody looking to make 12ga 7/8oz light target loads is going to pull the handle a thousand times for every minor bit of decision making they get to make.
Click to expand...

Here we go an internet shotshell reloader " all the published advice :)
Steel is only one part of it I could have said lead, buck shot slugs etc etc. If they are just pulling a handle with no checks in place they are on the road for an undesirable incident. In fact 7/8 was one of the 12ga ones I had to spend a fair amount of time on to get it to pattern correctly and a pain to get my machine set up to crimp it correctly
You clearly have never reloaded shotgun to the degree many do or at least the guys I know do. I could say the same about rifle or handgun. Once I have my pet loads is it pretty much just pulling the handle IMO

Here many of the reloaders start with shotgun since we have various trap and skeet fields available vs ranges with are very few and difficult to get shooting time on

So starting with shotgun is happening all the time and not a bad thing IMO and not as simple as you make it out to be

About 1/2 of my sample hulls I keep one of each type I have ever reloaded to make sure what has been tested and published matches the base wad and overall construction, capacity etc I still have here before I reload them
Which one is the best for that lead 7/8 load. For me in 12ga it proved to be the remington sts hull and downrange wad no book is going to tell me that only time and shooting a lot of paper . Sound familiar
Cheers

147DkzB.jpg
 
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When I used to shoot sporting clays and skeet I loaded plenty of 12 gauge. I started out on a Mec Jr....awesome little machines, and still have two of them, I upgraded to a Hornady Apex, I bought about 15 years ago, and loved it....very fast and loaded great.
As for Hulls, someone above posted to stick with Remington STS..Winchester AA and Federal Gold.....I highly agree! I used mainly Remington STS and Winchester AA and go used shells multiple times before having to discard...If memory serves me well I got up to 7 reloads in Remington STS before discarding hulls.
It is fun!...Gotta start shooting clays again:)
 
Well I must thank everyone here for their speedy replies! I was in Moncton today at Cabela's and against the advice of many I purchased that Lee loader! At less than half the price of the MEC and including a full bushing set, I thought it would be useful for me starting out and give me the opportunity to experiment with different powders and loads.

I also picked up a pound of Clays powder which looks like it will be suitable for some mild loads according to the tables Lee has provided. I may have also left with 750 rounds of 7.62x39 as well..

My only question is the wads! I do have quite a few Challenger hulls on hand which I'd like to load, will any wad be suitable? I understand that you need to choose your wad based on the amount of shot you'll be putting in, will a 1oz wad work with 7/8oz of shot? Where is a good online source of loading data which may be a little more detailed than the Lee tables provided with the loader?

Thanks again for the guidance and I apologise for not following the one recommendation to stay away from the Lee loader... :D
 
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rembolt said:
Brian Densmore firearms can supply all components for reloading .he is located in Upper Musquodoboit . several of the local clubs do a group buy for members or they can piggy back their order on the target order with no shipping charge . to the OP I will also say the minimum for a loader is the Mec 600 jr . I have 2 of them and they run flawlessly .
Click to expand...

I'll have to email Brian, I've sent my shotgun to him before for gunsmithing and found him to be very honest and good to deal with. How are his prices for shot and other components?
 
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