I've not reloaded shotgun shells since the early 90s. I've just relocated back from overseas and got all my stuff out of storage. I still have MEC loaders for 12 Ga and 20 Ga. In fact I still have unused AA hulls and wads from that era.

My question is whether it is worthwhile to reload anymore. Have the cost of components outrun the cost of factory shells; or are components even readily available anymore?

I think that reloading 12 and 20 gauge shells for trap/skeet/sporting clays is marginally a money saving proposition. Maybe you will save a dollar or two a box. The rarer gauges have very large savings, for example, I think you save $3-5 a box on 28 gauge shells.

And if you load 12/20 heavy hunting loads the cost of reloading is slightly higher than target loads, but the cost of factory quality hunting loads is pretty steep, and there are good savings in reloading.

Having said all that I reload four gauges and save money but enjoy reloadingf as a hobby.

I was shocked at the price I paid for a hunting load. It was a Federal Premium Upland load; 12, 2 3/4", 1 3/8 oz., #6. The cost was $21.49; 23.26 when you add the tax.

This load was referred to as a High Velocity, Magnum load. I think the terminology may have changed in the last fifteen years also.

I agree with you, if I get back into a significant amount of hunting, and I did enjoy reloading; I think I'll set the reloaders back up.

That does bring up one more question. Could I use the 20 year old (new) wads / hulls, or would they be unsafe?

I think its worth it..I load 1 0z of 9 shot for quail.try to find that in any store for 12 gauge..Way back when I used to shoot fiocchie shells. It was hit and miss if they would go off.I've never had a missfire with my reloads.If you have the presses use them..
Kensco..It doesent matter how old hulls or wads are.But you do need to read manuals to figure out what hulls and what wads you have.. I will play with rifle and pistol data,But I never ever,vary with published shotgun data.

depends on what shot costs you. For a couple years I was buying because it was the same or less cost. Now much less expensive to load my own.

In my area factory rounds for 12 and 20 gauges runs something on the order of 5-6.00/box(target loads,skeet,trap.) Run MEC Sizemaster for the 12's and Hornady 366 for the 28 gauge.
Factory 28's and 410's are in the mid to high teens per box so reloading for the 28 is a must for me. I have the loaders and doubt saving much on the 12's but enjoy loading my own anyway.

Since you already have the presses, even a small savings is notable.

You also are able, as others have noted to make exactly what you want.

If you have more money than time, then I suppose the reloading is not worthwhile, but I do it when there is nothing better to do like this time of year.

I will buy target loads when I feel lazy, and they get to be a source of hulls for me, but really anything I could do with a factory load I can get better by loading myself, and if you have some components around you won't be in a pickle when the market does strange things like with rifle/pistol and rimfire ammo right now.

At current prices 12 or 20 gauge dove/target loads are not worth my time to reload as there is almost no savings. I won't reload to save a $1 a box. But i shoot alot of 16 & 10 gauge so the savings is significant.

Your decision to reload or not can be based on many factors and only can decide.

Do you shoot enough to make it worth your while? If you are only shooting a hundred or so per month, it may not be worth the expense to inventory the components. To realize any significant savings, your components need to be purchased in bulk to get the best pricing; 8# jugs of powder, 5K of primers & 5K of wads. Of course shot is the biggest cost and a good local source is a must. Stay away from Gander Mt., Bass Pro, Cabala’s etc. as their prices are way out of line. If you cannot find a good local source look to see if your club does bulk buys or on line retailers like Recob’s Target Shop, Powder Valley, Graff & Sons etc.

IMO we should not compare our quality reloads to the Wally World promo shells. If we use a quality AA clone wad (other), hard shot and a clean shooting powder we should compare our efforts relative to AA’s or others. If you look at it this way you can save several $ per box. You may also find that like many of us that you do not need that 1⅛ oz. load, shooting 1 oz. or ⅞ oz. loads saves shot and recoil and score have not suffered for it.

Your stored components should still be good as long as the plastic hulls and wads have not gone brittle. Powder and primers unless subjected to repeated temperature extremes will still be just fine. At minimum do pick up a current Lyman’s 5th Edition Shotgun Reloading guide for current recipes and data and brush up on the how to section.

Unfortunately at the moment getting back into reloading may prove to be a bit more difficult, components and selection have been tough sometimes and pricing is not always the best as shooters are stocking up on whatever they can find.

Good Luck, questions? Feel free to ask, there are a number of people here with a lot of experence.

quote:

That does bring up one more question. Could I use the 20 year old (new) wads / hulls, or would they be unsafe?

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As long as the wads were stored in a cool place you shouldn't have a problem. I shot some wads that had been stored in a very hot garage for about 20 years and the wads would basically desintegrate when fired and the pattern went to hell. I would first load a box and see how they shoot before loading them all like i did.

Here's a quote from "The Armed Citizens Network" that argues against the use of handloads for self-defense:

First, by using hand-loaded ammunition, you allow the opposition to portray you as some crazed, Rambo type whose hobby consists of making killer ammunition. Can you guarantee that a jury would not be prejudiced by that argument? Although we know the argument is specious, it could certainly arise. More importantly, however, hand-loaded ammunition cannot be reliably replicated. Commercial ammunition manufacturers like Federal and Winchester keep independent records of the recipe used to make their products. Even if you keep exact records, you cannot provide independent data, so any ammunition used to conduct ballistic tests inevitably falls under suspicion.

Exemplar ammunition for testing could be critical in two main areas. First, an independent expert needs to test the dispersion of the unburned gun power and other residue that creates the stippling seen on individuals shot at close range. Suppose you claim the person you shot was right on top of you when you pulled the trigger, but analysis of the gunshot shows little or no stippling. Suspicion that you lied, because normally stippling would be present. Let’s say you used extremely efficiently burning powder, and your particular load produced little unburned gunpowder. Your report is indeed accurate, but nearly impossible to prove. If, instead, you had used commercial ammunition, tests conducted using cartridges from the same lot of ammo corroborate your claim. If, however, no exemplar ammunition is available, no test can be made, and the other side may convince the jury that you lied about the assailant’s position when you pulled the trigger.

quote:

Originally posted by Dan Miller:
Here's a quote from "The Armed Citizens Network" that argues against the use of handloads for self-defense:

First, by using hand-loaded ammunition, you allow the opposition to portray you as some crazed, Rambo type whose hobby consists of making killer ammunition. Can you guarantee that a jury would not be prejudiced by that argument? Although we know the argument is specious, it could certainly arise. More importantly, however, hand-loaded ammunition cannot be reliably replicated. Commercial ammunition manufacturers like Federal and Winchester keep independent records of the recipe used to make their products. Even if you keep exact records, you cannot provide independent data, so any ammunition used to conduct ballistic tests inevitably falls under suspicion.

Exemplar ammunition for testing could be critical in two main areas. First, an independent expert needs to test the dispersion of the unburned gun power and other residue that creates the stippling seen on individuals shot at close range. Suppose you claim the person you shot was right on top of you when you pulled the trigger, but analysis of the gunshot shows little or no stippling. Suspicion that you lied, because normally stippling would be present. Let’s say you used extremely efficiently burning powder, and your particular load produced little unburned gunpowder. Your report is indeed accurate, but nearly impossible to prove. If, instead, you had used commercial ammunition, tests conducted using cartridges from the same lot of ammo corroborate your claim. If, however, no exemplar ammunition is available, no test can be made, and the other side may convince the jury that you lied about the assailant’s position when you pulled the trigger.

So how does this pertain to the topic of discussion?

Wally World cheepie 12 bore 1 & 1/8 loads hurt my neck even in my 32" sporting clays Cynergy (I shoot 150 rounds per week) where as my 7/8 oz/ RedDot loads in double A cases are painless. Any clay bird that flys can be broken with 7/8 or even 3/4 ounce loads if you do your part.

Savings are not a lot, (buying reclaimed shot helps a bit) but pain avoided is priceless !

Consistency is very important and buying reasonably priced factory ammunition is A fools errand. You are constantly changeing loads and manufacturers due to availibility and price. There is A significant advantage to loading your own ammunition and optimizing for your particuliar discipline. Components have been more consistently available though that may be damming with faint praise

I not only save money loading my shotshells but I enjoy it also. That is why it is worth it to me and over the years I have stockpiled powder, shot, wads and primers at good prices. I have enough once fired hulls to last me two lifetimes.

Has anyone calculated the cost per box of reloaded shells?

I buy 1 oz. #7 1/2 12 gauge loads from an old guy for $4.00 per box, including tax. He makes his own shot and somehow gets once fired Federal cases. I can't tell any difference between these and 1 1/8 ounce loads.

Running calculations with what I could buy stuff at locally, a 1 oz 12 ga load was about $5.50/box if you brought everything (including hulls)

The primers, wads, and powder are minimal cost- what eats me up is the $35/bag for shot. Hulls are also about $.10-.15 each, so using pick up hulls and reclaimed shot saves some.

I am spending about a $1-2 less a box by using stuff I brought back when.

The 12 and 20 ga shells are the least economical, but generally you can save a bit by buying promo loads and getting 2-3 firings out of them.

Unfortunately, my good loads for competition or when I care about it are more than that, as I get the harder shot and use the name brand wads and use once fired AA or STS hulls which are more $ (although since I buy new shells of those brands for the rare registered match, I buy them as loaded ammo)

I also load hunting shells and save big money; and bigger savings with the subgauge shells.

Nevertheless, I would be ahead to go work for my nominal rate the time I spend reloading and just buy the stuff cash wise.

You get to play around and find out what works for you best and have a better appreciation of why things work the way they do with the reloading. (as an example, near as I can tell cushioned wad columns don't make any real difference for patterning, but buffering makes a big difference...)