Finishing my shotshell reloading

[Nevada Ed]

If you shoot a 12 Ga.

and can't make a load using Red Dot or Unique powder,
something is very wrong.

 

[Skeet 028]

I haven't loaded a shotshell in over 10 years. When I quit loading I had loaded 31 flats of 20 ga...16 28s and 16 410s. I still have a bunch of components. Shot is kind of the big cost now days. I have a couple shotmakers and tons of lead. . Scrap prices for lead is under a dollar a pound so figure 22 dollars a bag. My time is becoming worth more every day..LOL. Over the last 10 years I have bought narly 20,000 primers at gun shows yard and estate sales. I am set for life. Now if I caan get the doc to let me shoot anything bigger than 410 I'd be good. Seriously...as many have said even in the 12 ga you can get by easily with 3/4 ounce loads. I develped a good 3/4 ounce 20 ga. my scores averaged better with 3/4 ounce 20s than my 12 ga average did when I shot it. As far ast those dove/quail loads...the worst of the stuff you can shoot...Make your own with good shot/wads/powder. You will have better shells for the same or less money...with better scores. If I can do it so can you. I carried a 4 gun AA class skeet average for years without shooting the 12 ga. When it comes to field loads it isn't worth reloading them UNLESS you shoot a lot of 'em. Hardly any people do shoot that much game anymore. Waterfowl loads?? buy factory...hevishot or tungsten matrix...You can not make any better than that factory made stuff. Oh even high end steel sucks unless they are fairly close.

 

[Baltimoreed11754]

I reload 12 and 20 for cas shoots using #9 shot. Maybe a box and a half a month. My initial cost wasn’t much as the Bair press was free and the shot was almost free. Red Dot and Clays i already had. Once fired WW AA shells were free for the taking. When things dried up some folks in my club were scrambling to find shotshells while I had plenty.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

"Worth" is a very subjective thing.

If you shoot 12 or 20 gauge, and you shoot the very generic, run of the mill type ammo, then it might not be "worth" it in terms of dollars and cents. The Walmart 100 count value packs, currently about $35, maybe can't be beat. I shoot those sometimes. Particularly if I'm shooting sporting clays with an autoloader, where you often lose your hulls, I prefer to shoot those instead of my AA or STS hull reloads. Also, at today's shot prices, it's probably the cheapest way to hurl a full 1 1/8 ounces of lead downrange.. Sometimes I want to do that for a particularly distant clay.

However, I agree the subgauges are definitely financially worth it to reload. Ditto one of my favorites, the 16 gauge.

Even in 12 and 20 gauge I load things not commonly available. I load 3/4 oz target loads in 12 gauge that will absolutely obliterate skeet targets, as well as probably 80% of most sporting clays birds. In fact, except for .410, I load 3/4 oz for every other gauge. Try finding those at Walmart. In addition to almost no recoil, the shot bottle barely budges as I crank the handle. Very important in these days of $50+ shot.

As I said, if you like the 16 gauge, better reload.

I don't reload my hunting ammo. Honestly a box or two of factory lasts me several seasons. It's not "worth" inventorying the different powders and shot sizes. And face it, at my age I've accumulated more than a "few" boxes of hunting loads. Keep an eye out for my estate sale. But I wouldn't argue with those that do reload their own hunting loads. I get it.

Finally, some people weigh everything by dollars and cents. I never understood that "you've got to figure the cost of your time" mentality. I've always enjoyed reloading. I chose to do that instead of watching TV or frequenting bars. Putting on some music and cranking the handle was relaxing, anticipating the time I'd spend shooting this ammo with family and friends. Sort of like casting bullets. I didn't have a job that paid overtime, it's not like I could elect to just work and get more money. And this isn't because I'm retired now and have time. When I was in the fray, time at my bench was therapeutic.

Anyhow, I'll end the sermon here. Your experiences may be different, so feel free to disagree. Personally I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Worth is a subjective thing."......True.......BUT. When when I look at my shelf and I have more ammo than say Walmart. I win........Time? I's got lotsa time. I enjoy casting/loading ans shooting the final product........Again I win.

 

[Nevada Ed]

I was glad that I took up loading ammo.

Since I do like to hunt duck and a few geese now and then, it is nice to be able to load a fast load of small #5 steel pellets
that do a great job at collecting my favorite tasting duck of all time, for me,
the little fast, go every where, Teal !!

This load will also work on large Mallard if inside 40 yards.

I carry from #9 lead all the way up to Steel BB's and I still have one flat of #2 Bismuth for the old Browning "Hump Back".

 

[Skeet 028]

NE I too like shooting teal. I tried loading steel for a while. Wsn't hard to do when you got the right wads. Remeber the wad cutting tool you could put on a Mec single sstage? Anyway I too loaded steel 5s. They killed those little teal really ell but evenwith skeet choke they just put too many small pellets in the bird. tween that and pintails baldpates and gadwalls being around about the same time I went to 3s and 4s. 3s were great as they usually went through the bird. But where we shot them was in a large marsh with small stream/gut.25 yards was a looonnngg shot. We were hunting mostly on the Nanticoke River on the Eastern Shore of Md. When the big ducks showed up we shot #2s and 1s. I did load them till I found Bismuth and Hevi shot. Bismuth was ALMOST as good as lead. Hevi shot was better than lead. Steel 1's were good on Mallards Blackheads(scaup) and Canvasbacks to about 40 yards...little more...Geese with steel is BB,BBB, and T shot. when we could still shoot lead I had one load...different size shot 5s & 6's for teal etc. mag 3's for the big ducks and tolling geese