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Reloading Information

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09 December 2008, 19:50
Robe763
Reloading Information
I have been given a lee shotgun reloader with I beleive most everyhting that I will need to reload except wadding and shells. I have some powder and appoximately 50 lbs of shot. I have reloaded rifle rounds but never any shotgun shells. Any suggestions on reading material or information that will give me directions on how to do this? Thanks
14 December 2008, 03:25
smoke_eater
"reloading for shotgunners" is a good book, i have an old copy but i beleive they have made updated versions.
What application are you trying to load for? (trap, skeet, hunting)
14 December 2008, 18:11
Mort Canard
Two differences between cartridge reloading and shotshell reloading.

1. Do not swap out components unlesss the manufacturer says that they are full equivelants (clones) of the component listed in the recipe. Changing a wad or primer can have significant pressure implications.

2. Follow a published load! Shotshells do not show pressure signs like brass reloads. If you get too hot this can cause pressure problems. Going lighter than published loads can cause inconsistant or "blooper" loads.


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For every action, there is an equal and opposite malfunction.
15 December 2008, 17:55
Robe763
smoke_eater looking mainly for hunting and some skeet shooting.
17 December 2008, 02:13
DEC
Lymans Shotshell Reloading Handbook should be all you need. It's complete with visual aids for identifying hulls.
17 December 2008, 04:33
eliscomin
The Lyman Reloading Handbook is considered by many to be the best. A "new edition" came out within the last year or so - The ABC's of Reloading has some pretty good shotshell sections also.
Powder manufacturers (Hodgdon, Alliant) as well as the makers of various components (Duster, Claybuster, Remington, Winchester) have loading info on their web sites.
As a previous poster stated, stick with published loads. There are ranges of velocities available for the many combinations of hull, shot weight, wad, primer & powder (look @ some of the web sites & you will see what I mean). Only use combinations that have been tested & published. Like metallic cartridges, some loads will pattern better in a particular gun, & some experimentation with different (published) loads & a pattern board can help you find a load that will optimize the performance of your particular shotgun.
PS - if your reloading gear does not include a scale, get one. The reloader throws powder charges by volume, which can vary. Charges should be checked on a good scale to assure that the weight that is supposed to be dropped by a particular bushing is actually what you are getting.
17 December 2008, 16:19
Robe763
eliscomin thanks. I went thru some of my books and found a copy of The ABC's of Reloading that I did not realize I had. I have been reloading rifle rounds and have a scale that I can use to confirm powder charges. I went ahead and bought a few hundred hulls from Midway and some other components from the sites you guys listed. Also have a call into Forrest City Gun Club in town to check on what they do with there hulls. They are a fairly large club. I believe they hosted the Olympic shoots as well as some international shoots. I am hoping they may be a possible local source. Thanks again
17 December 2008, 22:20
eliscomin
Most gun clubs have large trash containers of fired hulls at each station, & usually don't mind people "dumpster diving" or scrounging hulls off the ground if they haven't been picked up. A few places have an "if it hits the ground, it's ours" policy. It's best to ask, but most won't have a problem.
The easiest "no brainer" hulls to reload are Remingtons - - everything Remington makes from STS/Premier to game loads,gun clubs & sport loads uses the same (STS) loading data & they are all 1 piece plastic compression formed hulls (my favs are the black gun clubs, either steel or brass washed base). "Old" Winchester AAs used to be the top shell to reload (they were also one piece) but Winchester went to a different construction with a separate base wad several years back - there has been concern by some reloaders that the base wad can separate after a few reloads (I can't verify that) - - the cheap promo winchester hulls are worthless for reloading - plastic is too flimsy. If you have a high volume range nearby, you shouldn't have any trouble getting all the Remmy hulls you will need.
17 December 2008, 22:28
Robe763
just spoke with them and the guy said anything worth loading is usually picked up before it hits the ground
18 December 2008, 07:00
eliscomin
If it were me, I'd stop by & shoot a round of trap or skeet just to see - "worth reloading" to the guy at the range may mean 28 GA AA's or STS's. I've not been to a range or major shoot where there were not a ton of very useable, once fired remingtons of "lesser" pedigree just sitting in the trash cans (20 & 12 Ga - if you are shooting 28 or 410, those will usually provoke a fight before they hit the ground). The cheap green gun clubs & sport loads as well as black game loads reload the same as the Premier STS/Nitro hulls in 12 & 20, & are usually plentiful.
18 December 2008, 15:14
Robe763
you may be right I did not think about that