I have a 12 and a 20 ga. old pacific reloaders that I used about 40 years ago. Back then I loaded 20 gr. red dot with 1 1/8 oz. of 7 �. The 20 was 7/8 oz and I can�t remember the charge and the mark has long disappeared. I like 1 oz 20 for doves.

Things change over time. What is a good 12 ga trap load? And where can I find an 8 star starter crimp for the old 20 that will work? I have not decided to up grade or try the old reloaders again. I will need to find or make a wad column guide for the 12 ga but everything else is in order. I wished Hornady had stayed out of it because they were good loaders and I had no problem with them at all. I shot a case and one half per week back in high school when I had lots of money, no wife or kids, no debt and no problems.

If I buy new again, how about the Hornady 366? And what about the new RCBS Mini-Grand? I can get a 12 and a 20 for about $200. Can�t decide to go cheap or better.

Best thing is to go to a gunstore and get a (free) manual from Hodgdon. Or your preferred powder company, but I've only used Winchester and Hodgdon. You'll see a ton of listings, depending on what hull you want to use, broken down by primer, wads, powders, velocity, load, etc.

I have no clue how that reloader measures powder charge, or if you can even get bushings for it (if it uses them?).

Below are quotes from another thread where I posted some of my loads.

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Hodgedon Clays powder, WIN AA or Remington STS hull, WIN 209 primer, WAA12 Winchester or Claybusters equivilent wad, 1 1/8th oz shot, ~1200 fps. The 18.4 grains is what the chart calls for, at 11,300 psi

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19.3 grains of International Clays, Win AA or Remington STS, Win 209 primer, WAA12 wad or Claybuster equivilent, 1 1/8th, ~1170 fps. You can use up to 21.1 grains of this for 1250 fps, and 11,500 psi

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When I started out reloading shotgun shells, my first load was a duplicate of Winchester AA Heavy 3 dram Target loads. It was a Winchester AA Wad, MEC Bushing 27 for 19.1 grains of Winchester AA-Plus powder, Win 209 primer, 1 1/8th oz of shot, Win WAA12 wad, about 1200 fps. This is only about 10,400 psi.

I switched to Clays powder because it was easier to get and I think Clays at least burns a little cleaner.

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I have always used Winchester primers, and Win or Claybusters wads because they are the most available here. I use the same loads in Win AA and Rem STS hulls, although most ppl advise against it. I do keep them seperated though, never shooting one round with a "mixed bag." I have about quit using the AA hulls altogether though (mainly personal preference though). My favorite 16yd loads were always with 8.5 shot though, and fairly open chokes.