my first shotgun reloads

[Jayne]

Been shooting more trap than anything else these days so I finally got a shotshell reloading setup. Went around-and-around on this and got the Lee Load-all II, I figure it a good start and if I wear it out it will justify me getting something else.

Easy to setup, and I cranked out a box of 25 using AA wads, W209s, 16gr of clays, 1 1/8 oz of #7.5 and some fired Remington hulls from the walmart ammo I've been using. Not sure how they'll fire but they look correct, surprised really at how well they crimped for my first attempt.

With all of the case prep and sorting, bullet sorting, powder trickling, etc that I do with my rifle loads, it was kinda nice to just bang these out. I was weighing charges to ensure they were kinda close, but there is no way I plan to do that on bulk trap ammo.

The manual says you can skip the full resize if you're using them in the same shotgun and my O/U has some serious extractors so I'll try not doing that next time.

 

[MALLARD]

Re: my first shotgun reloads

ya that lee load all is pretty nice if you dont load up to much shotshell.

 

[Kinsman]

Re: my first shotgun reloads

I have 2 12 ga and 1 20 ga loaders, but I haven't loaded shotshells in about 30 years.
My son in law has shown an interest in shotgunning and general reloading, so I think I will see if all the parts are there and set up again.
Your crimp looks pretty good. I'll be interested in hearing how they shoot.

 

[Jayne]

Re: my first shotgun reloads

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Kinsman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'll be interested in hearing how they shoot. </div></div>

No chrono data but I used them last time I shot trap. Three rounds of 23/25 which is a personal best for me so I've loaded up a bunch more.

 

[jetsurgeon]

Re: my first shotgun reloads

Jayne,

Congratz on your shot shell reloads! They look good, except for some "swirl" on the right hand shell. I don't' know if the Lee has any adjustments for the crimps, I've never used a Lee. But if the Lee does have some adjustment, fiddle with it just a little to get better more consistent crimps.

I load on a Mec 9000 with Automate (electric drive) because the wife and I shoot a lot of clays. Between the two of us we average around 7-9 thousand shells a year.

Remington makes fantastic hulls to reload, the newer AA hulls are garbage in my opinion. Our staple of hulls are Remington Gun Clubs. After 15 reloads, I just chunk them and dig out another 1000 hulls from the storage boxes to use 15 times, before they get recycled.

Downrange makes great wads. The wife and I've settled on this for a load: 12g, Rem Gun Club Hulls, 17.5 to 17.8gr ClayDot powder, Downrange XXL (Pink) wad, NobleSport Primers, 3/4 oz reclaimed lead.

The shells chroned at 1325 fps, and will destroy targets on the skeet, trap, 5 stand, and sporting clay courses. They function in the wife's Beretta autoloader, and my Beretta over and under with little recoil!.

Give them a try, you'll be surprised!

Hope this helps and all the best!

J

P.S. Eyes on the rock, head on the stock!

 

[ToddKS]

Re: my first shotgun reloads

Before I had kids I used to shoot 2000 or more shells a month, all loaded on Mech 9000's. I have one for each gauge.

I would not worry too much about the swirls. They are inevitable, especially with lower end hulls (Non Remington Premier). The issue is that there is some variation in the overall length of the fired shell. I get the occaisional swirl even with Premier hulls. You can adjust some of the issue out via the cam on a Mech 9000, but the Lee does not offer those adjustments as it is a simpler machine. More a cosmetic issue than anything else. The key is that the crimp be deep and solid enough so that the mouth does not creep open.

I pulled the manual on the Lee and it looks like the full length resize is accomplished via a die put over the shell body in station 1. I am not 100%, but it looks like that may also be resizing the brass/steel at the bottom of the case. Shooting an over/under, you can likely omit this step without any issue. Some pumps and auto loaders may tolerate this omission as well. It depends on how tight the chamber is in the gun. I have seen autoloaders have FTF issues when the base is not resized. My father owns a Browning 20 gauge pump that will lock up to the point where you have to bang the butt on the ground to cycle it if the base is not tightly resized.

I agree with the Remington hull choice in the 12 gauge. They are by far the best for ease of reloading and durability. I shoot the Premier hulls when I am at the range (I have thousands, I might as well use them) and use the Remington Sport/Gun Club for field loads.

One recommendation I would strongly make is to stick with one type of hull. The Remington one peice hulls are interchangeable and will all load on the same set up. If you switch hulls, you will likely have to change your set up and may require different components. The Remington hulls are a tapered design, if you switch to a straight wall hull (Federal, Cheddite, Rio, Fiocci) you will need to use a wad designed for a straight wall hull or bloopers will likely result due to the wad not properly sealing the powder charge.

You might consider trying International Clays as a powder. It is slightly slower burning and produces a less abrupt perceived recoil in my experience. For 1 1/8oz loads I would recommend trying the Claybuster White 8 wad. It is a copy of the Remington wad at a much better price. Combined with the International Clays powder it produces great patterns in my guns and was my go to combination for long shots on the sporting clays range. Downrange wads are also quality at a lesser price, just not my personal preference. There is no need to pay for brand name wads. I have spent hours patterning shotguns and could find no difference in performance.

Congrats on the good looking shells.

 

[jetsurgeon]

Re: my first shotgun reloads

Todd,

Good points and I agree. Haven't tried "International Clays" yet, but maybe someday. After I finish burning up these 8 lb jugs of ClayDot, I'll be switching to Alliant ExtraLite powder which I've already purchased. Extralite is "supposed" to be the cats meow for the lighter payload shells so I hear.

All the best guys,

J

 

[Jayne]

Re: my first shotgun reloads

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jetsurgeon</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> They look good, except for some "swirl" on the right hand shell. I don't' know if the Lee has any adjustments for the crimps </div></div>

None that I can see off hand, it's a pretty simple setup.

I've noticed a few get 'over crimped' where they get pushed so far in that there is a hole in the middle and a few pellets can actually fall out. Not sure if I'm pushing too hard on the crimp stage or what.

I'm skipping the full resize of the metal base and haven't had any issues in the O/U, but now that I think about it I haven't actually used the O barrel yet with these as I've only shot trap, probably should check that before I hit the clays range this weekend.

 

[ToddKS]

Re: my first shotgun reloads

I wouldn't worry about having a problem with the top barrel due to the lack of full length resize. Very unlikely you would have a problem there.

As to the shells with the deeper crimp, the most likely cause is a short drop on your shot or powder. There is less material in the case so the crimp punch goes deeper and there is not enough length on the shell to make up the difference, thus you get a hole in the middle. This can happen if your loading cadence is a little too quick. If it starts to occur regularly you may need to look at the setup on the crimp die. punch.