shot shell reloading

Started by farmboy, January 15, 2015, 12:42:41 AM

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farmboy

I have never reloaded shot shells and I am about to try. A few questions are coming up. I bought a bag of lead number six. I put a one and a half shot bushing in the press I threw and weighed a few shot charges. What I found was a difference of twenty grains between charges. Is that too much? Also the charges were twenty to forty grains over the ounce and a half. Will that cause problems.How important is it to use the brand of primer listed I had a fellow that reloaded for Years tell me it was the only thing that could be changed from the written data.

Jamie.270

Getting the variation under 20gr would be better, but it's not bad.
There are 656.25gr in 1-1/2 oz, so 20 grains is a 3% fluctuation.

A little practice sliding the bar back and forth (maybe a little graphite lube too?) will probably help with consistency.
Rattling the shot hopper occasionally during the process will help with consistency too.
But we always found that once you get moving with the process, the shakedown in the hopper occurs rather naturally, as the bar hits the stop on either end.  
You'll probably see that once you get the process down and start kicking out a decent volume, and get more consistent sliding the bar, the throws get more consistent too.

Weighing/measuring one-off charges kind of throws things off.  Shotshelll reloading is not near as finicky as rifle/pistol reloading.  I always found the bushing charts to be pretty accurate.
QuoteRestrictive gun laws that leave good people helpless, don\'t have the power to render bad people harmless.

To believe otherwise is folly. --  Me

gitano

While reloading is one of the few places I consider myself to be worthy of offering advice, my confidence is restricted to matters associated with metallic cartridge reloading, not shotgun reloading. All of my shotgun reloading has been with Lee Loaders and all of the black powder shotguns shells I have reloaded I have done "by hand". Therefore, take my following comments in that context. I should also say that 90+% of my shotgun shooting is at upland birds, not waterfowl.

I have always read and heard
Quote"Don't change ANY component of a "book" load under pain of death and the end of civilization as we know it."
Having been lied to by "experts" for most of my life, especially about reloading "dangers", I have a healthy level of skepticism about the above warning. HOWEVER, considering what shotgun reloading is 'about', and KNOWING how insignificant MOST "increases" in charges for metallic cartridges are with respect to actual MEASURED increases in PERFORMANCE, I have never modified a "book" load for any shotgun shells I have ever loaded - EXCEPT when I couldn't get a specific wad type. I can't imagine that INCREASING either shot charge or powder charge will SIGNIFICANTLY improve performance.

I concern myself with only two components of shotshell reloading: 1) The weight of the shot, and 2) the weight of the powder. I would take Jamie.270's advice about shot charge. If my charge bars were consistently increasing the weight of the shot, I would weigh every POWDER charge to make sure that it TOO was NOT over weight. It has been shown OVER AND OVER that "hot" shotgun loads do NOTHING for performance and ALWAYS "beat up" the shotgun. Hot shotshell loads just seem absolutely stupid to me.

Finally, I think the single most important component of shotshell reloading is PATTERNING your loads. There is a certain amount of "black magic" I am willing to acknowledge when it comes to matching the load to the gun in shotshell reloading. If you don't pattern EVERY LOAD, you just might be throwing donuts of shot at your targets.

Paul
Be nicer than necessary.

drinksgin (deceased)

As a person who reloaded shotshells with plugs cut from card board boxes and some with kleenex as well as using a candle to seal the card wads and measuring shot and powder with dippers from Lee I really do not get very excited about the cautions on reloading shotshells.
I still have all my fingers and eyes.
I just did not exceed the minimum powder loads.
NRA life, TSRA life, SAF life, GOA, CCRKBA, DEF -CON

farmboy

Quote from: Jamie.270;136898Getting the variation under 20gr would be better, but it's not bad.
There are 656.25gr in 1-1/2 oz, so 20 grains is a 3% fluctuation.

A little practice sliding the bar back and forth (maybe a little graphite lube too?) will probably help with consistency.
Rattling the shot hopper occasionally during the process will help with consistency too.
But we always found that once you get moving with the process, the shakedown in the hopper occurs rather naturally, as the bar hits the stop on either end.  
You'll probably see that once you get the process down and start kicking out a decent volume, and get more consistent sliding the bar, the throws get more consistent too.

Weighing/measuring one-off charges kind of throws things off.  Shotshelll reloading is not near as finicky as rifle/pistol reloading.  I always found the bushing charts to be pretty accurate.

Thank you! When I use a powder measure I always have it rap at both stops and when I was using the shot bar I went really gentle and slow I will try it again with a little more force so to speak.

gitano

Don't forget tags. Anyone can add them.

Paul
Be nicer than necessary.

farmboy

Sorry Paul what are tags. I studied the reloading books a bit more this morning and I understand what you are saying about loads the shot shell books are written much different than the rifle ones. Individual lines for each load not a range even though it is about the same thing.

farmboy

Tried a different method or should I say was more aware of how I was running the charge bar within 14 grains now.

Jamie.270

Quote from: farmboy;136920Tried a different method or should I say was more aware of how I was running the charge bar within 14 grains now.
There you go.
2% is easily acceptable.
QuoteRestrictive gun laws that leave good people helpless, don\'t have the power to render bad people harmless.

To believe otherwise is folly. --  Me

farmboy

Made my first 10 guage shell loaded it with 2 ounces of number six lead shot and blue dot. Used 1 and a half grains less of powder and made a cardboard disc for under the shot. Tried it and it worked. Recoiled heaver than the 1 and 1/2 ounce steel load I had bought but very much like the two ounce factory copper plated buckshot loads I had. Thanks everyone for the help.

farmboy


gitano

Be nicer than necessary.

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