What are you guys paying for shot? I am severely bummed out after looking at prices. The last 20 bags I bought for about $12 or so from an estate a few years ago. Now it's $20 plus. Combined with higher powder prices it is almost becoming cost prohibitive to reload shotgun shells- especially for trap and skeet. Heck, last week Bass Pro had 1 1/8 oz shells for $42 or so a case. It costs a lot more to load that. Not that I am going to get rid of my presses, mind you, the high prices are just hacking me off.

Catmandu

Even at $22 per bag, you should be around $2.80 for a box of 1 oz shells. Plug your costs into:
http://www.trapshooters.com/calculators.htm

You'll feel better as soon as the new lead prices are incorporated into the new shell prices! Dutch.

Thanks, Dutch, for the good link. I feel better now. I am still hacked off about the shot price, though.

Catmandu

Academy Sporting Goods (southern region chain) ran a sale the last two weeks of Aug...Rem Heavy dove loads (1oz 20's, 1-1/8oz 12's) for $2.99/box.
Our local store sold out, which had to be 200+ cases. I bought some 20's, and my MEC will stay under its cover.
But still have to load for the 28ga....no retail bargains for it!

To cut costs buy reclaimed shot mined from ranges works great for practise and hunting.

We are having trouble getting the shot reclaiming guys to come by and mine our club. One guy in Oregon does it and redrops the shot and gives us 40% and we have been waiting for him for 2 years. A lot of trap shooters won't use the reclaimed but I just went through 100 lbs of it and was relatively happy with it.

The last I bought was at Connies in Chehalis WA and it was at $16 a bag (half ton lots or more). Fortunately we live close enough to make the drive.

I would not bother with "dove" loads. Where it pays is specialty loads. 1 1/2 oz #4 Lead is a an example. I loaded some the other day for jump shooting duck on private land. That kind of load is getting scarce due to the steel shot fad. I also loaded #30 of heavi-shot last week. Same thing, a bunch less $ than factory.

Scota4570,
I am assuming that you are hunting outside the US as it does not matter here whether it is on private land or not. In the US, border to border, non-toxic shot is the required load for waterfowl hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by Customstox:

In the US, border to border, non-toxic shot is the required load for waterfowl hunting.

WRONG - there are exceptions.

Please DO TELL us about them..... FWIW, Dutch.