tips on shotgun reloading

D

doddcameron

New member
EE Expired
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
Peterborough ontario
hi, i am new in shotgun reloading and im trying to load 12ga and having some trouble with the powder not ignighting and need some help. the powdre is not contaminated and i tried a few different ones (tightgroup, 700x, unique, wincherser wst1). Any tips regarding any aspect of shotgun reloading (not just powder) would be greatly appreciated and maybe some loads you like/use. One last thing, what shot cups should i use and what wads to use?

Thanks a lot guys -Cam
 
doddcameron said:
hi, i am new in shotgun reloading and im trying to load 12ga and having some trouble with the powder not ignighting and need some help. the powdre is not contaminated and i tried a few different ones (tightgroup, 700x, unique, wincherser wst1). Any tips regarding any aspect of shotgun reloading (not just powder) would be greatly appreciated and maybe some loads you like/use. One last thing, what shot cups should i use and what wads to use?

Thanks a lot guys -Cam
Click to expand...

How do you know the powder isn't igniting?
Specks of unburnt powder in the barrel is normal.
If it really annoys you, use a load that generates higher pressure or switch to a cleaner powder(Hodgdon clays, Alliant clay dot, etc)
 
A little more information might be helpful. What type of loads do you want? What are the recipies you are loading? Where did you source them? What components are you using? What are you loading them on? What do you mean by shotcup and wad? Most often those terms are used interchangeably.
 
it might be your powder of primers. your powder or primers might be old or got mosture in them.
i use 32.5gr of HS6, cheddite primers, and im curently using wt12 and waa12 wads (but i use whatever i can get, no diference in my testing with diferent wads). i load them with lee 1oz cast slugs, .690 roundballs, buckshot and birdshot. you may have to press down the wad more also, i found if theres a gap and you can hear the powder moving in it the all powder doesnt always want to ignite.
 
you need to tell us what hull , primmer, wad, powder , and amounts of each you are using including shot. then maybe can give you advice . cheers Frank
 
Sounds like you're loading to light of a load or don't have enough pressure on the wad over the powder

For trap and skeet loads I use cheddite primers 209
Remington gun club or sts hulls
Claybuster 7/8oz grey wads
700x powder. 18.9-19.2grains
7/8oz of #8 shot. Good for around 1290-1325fps.
I switch to #7.5 or #6 for hunting and #4 1oz for jackrabbit

Slugs I load a 7/8oz lee drive key over 36.6grains of HS6 for 1500fps
 
I will chime in as well since it has not really been mentioned. With shotshell reloading you pretty much HAVE to follow the recipe to the letter. Remember, the PSI pressures can jump just by changing the primer manufacturer. All powder #'s are not alike. I think it's IMR and Hogdon (sp?) that have an identical # but one has an "H" in front of it. Two totally different burning powders.

Change the primer and suddenly your load data is totally different. Some primer/powder/hull mixes may not have been tested. Shotgun reloading is not as forgiving as rifle or handgun. In relative terms that is. Rifle has more 'wiggle' room in the loads than shot shell or pistol. Mainly because of the heavier barrels and actions on the rifles compared to shotguns.

By all means, let us know what recipe you are using or what components you are using and maybe someone can find the issue for you. I am loving being able to customize my loads over what is available in the stores. Reloading allows you to find what works for your gun and you then you can stick to it. Never mind not having to pay $4 a shell for Kent Tungsten Matrix when I can make an almost identical load that will not blow up my buddies Winchester for less than half the cost. That makes it worthwhile for me.
 
oh sorry i should have listed them the first time, i never thought to. Right now im trying use win. 2 3/4 in high brass hulls with win. w209 primers and win. AA red wads and for powders im trying to use 21gr of win. wst1, 17.5gr 700x and 16gr of tightgroup
 
We are getting warmer on info but still don't have enough. What is the exact hull you are loading. By exact I mean more than just "Winchester" as Winchester and the other makers use different styles of hulls. What is the shot weight? What loader are you using.

As noted above mixing and matching components beyond what is recommending in the loading manuals is not a good idea.

From your description it sounds like you are not getting a good gas pressure seal with the wad you are using. That could be the wrong wad or not enough wad pressure when you are loading. I'm also a bit confused about the wad. You said it is a red AA but in 12 gauge Winchester makes wads that are orange, white, pink, yellow and grey. The only red hulls they have are 28 gauge and .410.

If you follow this link you can see pictures and numbers for all the Winchester wads. It might help if you could tell us which one you are using.

http://www.sinclairintl.com/.aspx/p..._1=WINCHESTER/Product/WINCHESTER-SHOTGUN-WADS

Generally the makers of replacement wads follow the same colour scheme as Winchester.
 
Im using a lee load all 12ga loader and 1 1/8oz of #8 shot and the hulls say Ranger on them but that is pretty much all they say and the shot cups are older winchester-western AA red wads
 
doddcameron said:
Im using a lee load all 12ga loader and 1 1/8oz of #8 shot and the hulls say Ranger on them but that is pretty much all they say and the shot cups are older winchester-western AA red wads
Click to expand...
How old are the hulls? Historically "Ranger" covered a variety of Winchester products over the years.

I would definitely suggest using wads more suitable for 1-1/8 ounce loads such as the white WAA12 and perhaps changing hulls to Winchester AA.

Go to these sites for recipes with these components and follow them. The Hodgdon will have listings for their powders along with IMR and Winchester. Alliant will have Unique data.

http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/index.aspx

Also weigh your powder changes to make sure the loader is dropping enough powder.
 
Bloopers are usually the result of bad powder, crimps, primers or improper wad seating...
Considering that you've ruled out bad powder, have you tried using a different primer or case?

The hulls you're describing are winchester "throwaway/promo/junk" hulls, the star crimp on these hulls are heat sealed/melted. How tight of a crimp are you getting?
 
doddcameron said:
the hulls are not old, they are once fired and were police low recoil 00B loads used by G4S security company, they rent our range so i took the emptys when they left them behind.
Click to expand...
Okay. Definitely go with different hulls and a WAA12 wad. With your primer and powder selection you'll find a load that will work.
 
There is a huge difference in hulls. One piece Compression formed hulls are your best friend for reloading. Matching the wads to the hulls is critical to proper performance. I had this problem when I first started out, stuffing AA wads into straight walled hulls with a separate base wad does not offer a good seal and everything sort of just falls out the barrel when you shoot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom