I have recently started reloading shotgun shells for clays and crow shooting. I am getting some duds and have but one idea...everything is new except for my primers. They are Federal 209's that my dad bought a couple of years ago for his muzzle loader. The wad and shot are pushed out of the barrel, but little noise is made. How long do primers last?

Any help appreciated.

I dont have a problem with old primers.

Usually dont have any duds. But I get on a "roll" reloading and will look at the powder bottle and see its empty. Opps . Think I reloaded a couple with no powder

I hear ya! I did not let it run out, but it is low and I left the powder in the press' cannister for a few weeks...assumed it would be as dry as the manufacturer's container? FWIW the powder is Longshot by Hodgdon.

I try and Keep the powder bottle with plenty of powder in it . If there is powder in it but low,, (like when you are trying to finish up a box of shells and just have enough powder in the bottle) When the powder is low it will through a lite powder charge. Keep it full .

I have some shot gun powder thats might be 20, 30 yeras old. Longshot is some kick ass powder.

Sounds like a classic case of no powder. Depending on the machine you are using (I'm assuming you use a progressive), you get irregular release of powder if you dont push down on the handle just right or, you short stroke it a bit. Something that helps is one og those powder baffles that MEC sells...this evens out the flow of powder.

By the way...this happens often to reloaders. That's why you will see all sorts of gizmos for sale to reloaders to remove stuck wads in the barrel!!!

Hope this helps

Not knowing specifics of load hard to tell but a couple of things come to mind. Ball powders+straight walled cases +plastic wads suitable for tapered cases( like Win AA wads and clones) can cause problems. The powder tends to work down past the wad, creating a blooper. This can really be a problem when you carry the loads around in a hunting coat pocket as they tend to shake down. I have seen several barrels ruined because a stuck wad was not noticed.
C.G.B.

Sorry about the previous post guys...I keep typing a response to the quote but it doesn't post???

Anyway, I use a MEC 900 (Ithink the # is right) Jr. press. I loaded 25 rounds and checked every five rounds to make sure they had a charge. I have fired 11 of them and two were duds. I think I'll run some charges thru and weigh them to see how much powder it is throwing. Could it be only throwing a partial charge?

cgbach:

32 grains long shot
Rem SP-12 wad
Win. AA
Federal primers
1 1/8 oz shot

I tend to agree with the others that the first place I'd look is in the powder drop.

It could be that static electricity is getting in the way. A powder baffle may help, as may grounding the loader (to the electric ground), or wiping everything down with a dryer sheet.

The only other place I can think of to look is if the wads are catching, and you are cocking wads.

Can you see any difference in the crimp? FWIW, Dutch.

I haven't used that powder but the Rem. wad may not be seating all the way down (I haven't used any of the newest AA cases, think they re-designed them). You can try holding a loaded shell up against a very bright light; sometimes you can see the wad, shot, etc.
Good luck.
C.G.B.

I have had cocked wads in my 28 gauge and they still went off. You could see the mishaped hull, the report was less but they broke birds. When I got a pop and the wad and shot barely make it out the barrel, I always lay the blame on no powder.

Just as a matter of interest, I shoot with a guy who has to be the worst reloader in history. He always has bloop shells and no powder. On one round of skeet he broke two clays with no powder and just the primer pushng the load out the barrel. Amazing

I agree with Dutch as the powder may be hanging up in the drop tube, but that would end up giving you an overcharge that would be obvious with that much powder. Likely you would not be able to form a crimp.

The next time you load, see if you can check the powder on each round and look to see if there is powder in the hull before you load the wad. There is a Mec 600 Jr and it is a single stage loader and there is a Mec 9000 that is a progressive loader. I suspect that you have a 600 and it is easy to check and even weigh the amount of powder dropped. You should have a balance scale for this, it is a good safety measure and most consider it to be an absolute necessity. I would venture that if the powder drop is the problem, then your dud hulls have no powder at all.

Take the powder drop tube, bushing, bottle - EVERYTHING between the powder can and the shell you're loading apart and check it. A friend of mine drove himself crazy with this same problem and finally found he had a duck feather caught in the loader between the bushing and the frame. Some loads dropped ok and some dropped much less powder. Might be something like this for you. And I agree with the concensus of opinion here - somehow you are not gettng powder - or enough powder - into the hull as you load it.