Reloading Shotshell

[Outback 1 26]

I'm sure it's been done to death , Is there any sense in reloading 12 bore cartridges with steel or lead for pigeon shooting , I cant see how the ordinary person could afford two three days a week if your buying them .

 

Cheers

[Underdog 2,337]

I'm sure it's been done to death , Is there any sense in reloading 12 bore cartridges with steel or lead for pigeon shooting , I cant see how the ordinary person could afford two three days a week if your buying them .

 

Cheers

Not anymore buddy.

The real solution is a muzzloader with one barrel.

That way just ten birds will bring immense satisfaction.

 

I no longer have a double modern gun just single barreled cartridge guns and I certainly am pleasantly surprised by how much less ammo I use!

Years ago we use to buy cheap Russian ammo but nobody imports it now.

Bet some Chinese ammo would be cheap and good enough for pigeon.

[philpot 4,966]

I have been looking into the subject of reloading 12g cartridges and there is no advantage at all BUT the price advantage shows when loading 3 /3.5'' mags or smaller gauge shells and very much with .410.

 

Clay and Game reloading is a good place to start and helpful people. I kicked the idea into touch but may well now buy a loader for wildfowl cartridges as they are so expensive.

 

http://www.claygame.co.uk/

 

Hope that may help

 

Phil

[Outback 1 26]

Phil

I have costed it to 0,17?p a cartridge for steel . If you take on the loading machine either the Lee @ £70 or the MEC at £250 and cost them over years of use would be the only way go .

I load for centre fire and have had the gear for years so its just consumables , had no idea that cartridges were the price they are and I would think it is not going to change .

 

Cheers

[17hornet 188]

Hi guys, I think that the general availability of 12g shells for target and field has somewhat changed the cost effectiveness of reloading them,

market competition and volume used has pulled the price down.

But less popular and less mass produced cartridges or specialised cartridges are easily made for a substantial saving.

The 410 seems pretty expensive everywhere shot or solid, solid 12g slug cartridges too, 20g shot are not too bad.

 

My local gunshop has solid 12g at $12+ for 10 shots, but I make 25 for around $3.50, retail of normal 12g target $12+/25, field $15+/25.

The most expensive bit with 410 is the shot, with that component you need to make your own or have a good cheap supply.

 

Now what to do with a couple of thousand reloadable 12g hulls and that MEC in the corner ?

[justabloke 6]

I've been reloading some 12g cartridges for fun and definitely not the economics of it. As others have said the price for 12g cartridges is so low, or I should rephrase that, so low in comparison to buying the components for reloading, that it doesn't make any sense.

I was lucky enough to be gifted a flour sack full of defective shells some time ago and was able to harvest many kgs of lead shot - predominantly 7.5. With this lead obtained for free it made sense and was bloody good fun. However my reloaders are sitting idle in the corner of the room now as my supplies have dwindled to one small pot of mixed size stuff.

I did play with the idea of producing my own shot and even made my own machine. The quality of shot wasn't the greatest to be honest and none made it's way into a cartridge. I ended up melting all the lead I had into ingots  and flogged them on eBay to fishermen and modellers.

That's the other difficulty. Even if you had a working shotmaker, getting hold of sufficient quantities of decent lead is problematic. I was given 40kg of scrap flashing from a demolition site and this was what I turned into ingots. No further supplies have materialised.

Prices for shot from suppliers is expensive, no doubt about it. And it is unlikely to get any cheaper.

So, the economics don't add up for 12g. Probably do for 410 and other less-popular cartridges.

[andyf 144]

Yes:

You have make your own shot or get it elsewhere for next to nothing otherwise it's a non starter.

I bought a Lee  Loader in America about 17 years ago, only because I reload 3x centrefire cartridges and thought i'd give it a go simply for the hell of it.

I recently got some #4 lead shot for a good price, I personally only load 'fresh' cases not reloading fired ones, but whatever I have 700+ felt wad 32gr #4's

ready for decoying this harvest season.

I use a 1970's vintage fixed choke Winchester OU skeet gun, Imp Cyl both barrels for Pigeons, and whilst I normally use 32gr #5, #4 home loads will do just fine.

As a hint to those who are new to decoying or shooting, I also set the decoy pattern 35 yards from the hide using my laser rangefinder, this ensure the birds dropping in will be at the optimum range for my (less than excellent) shotguning skills.

AndyF

[charlie caller 3,654]

I have decided to reload a small amount of steel (probably) for wildfowling and shooting pigeon for my hawk, I am quite happy to weigh/measure each load, as I do for my rifle reloading, so large volume is not an issue, does anyone have a useful fast load recipe with readily available components, i.e cases, wads, primers, with Alliant steel powder, as it is my understanding that loading steel loads requires care and sticking to a formula, what I find slightly confusing is when reading load data, some of the components mentioned dont seem to be readily available, and again it is my understanding that substituting components can be dangerous, I dont mind buying new 3" cases as they are cheap enough, but dont want to stray from a safe path so to speak. 

[philpot 4,966]

Tim, I would give Clay and Game a call, they are over the Humber Bridge from me so not far for you to pop over for a demo, in fact it is worth checking with them if they are going to the South Yorkshire Shooting Show in Doncaster this month. Really good and helpful people Tim, well worth the call and they do a good little catalogue.

https://www.claygame.co.uk/

 

If you decide to go over, let me know and I will come and meet up with you.

 

Phil

[charlie caller 3,654]

Cheers Phil, yes I have already thought of contacting them, as I know they are most helpful, I have a basic reloading press on order, and plan to just load a few none toxic (probably steel) at a time, if I decide to have a trip over I will let you know, do you deal with them Phil?

[philpot 4,966]

No I don't Tim but I also had a long chat with them at a show as I was thinking of getting a MEC reloader because both my wife and myself shoot clays along with me on the pigeon / crows so I thought it would be cheaper to reload as I did many years ago. To be honest on normal cartridges, there is no cost advantage and the savings only come in when you load specials or steels or small gauge so we did not proceed any further but it is not completely thrown out.

Phil

[Snarepeg 28]

Have a good Pacific 155 in 12 guage 70mm. with a full410 conversion kit for 65 and 76 mm loads.

£100 . John. (Near Doncaster)