shotgun shells

[scottd913]

I am thinking this is a good start for doing reloads.

I have ordered a lee load all II from Bass Pro shop ...it is on back order of course. i have also picked up a lb. of alliant smokeless powder along with a couple bags of AA wads and a few hundred 209 Remington primers.
I am thinking this is a good start for doing reloads.
what i will start with is one oz. lee key mole slugs i have made with wheel weights i may make some 00 buck at some point in the future but for now is 12 gage slugs.

What i guess I'm asking is to get all the information i can get such as how to set up the press and load info i can get... Where to get good deals on shell casings ect...i live in the Dallas area.

i have watched alot of videos on you tube but i trust you guys more. Help me get started. I have read load information but it wont include real world knowledge such as what kind of shells to use in place of another ect....

[Icedragon]

They make a shotshell reloading manual check amazon, also here is a link to a good site for data http://data.hodgdon.com/shotshell_load.asp i hope this helps. Here is a post to a forum topic http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=435562

[Icedragon]

The best shell cases for reloading are the trap & skeet shells they are made for reloading.

[david_r]

You should check craigs list. I am always seeing shotgun reloading equipment, components and shells on there in my area.

[kdemers58]

i have been reloading shot shells for over 30 years Mec is my brand i have all the ga 410 28 20 16 12 i shot 1000's of rounds a year aa wads winchester primers remington and aa hulls seam to be the best you can go to your local trap & skeet club for hulls most places have lots getting many for a little to nothing . take care and have fun ,shooting & reloading a way of life

[BigD_in_FL]

The Lee is NOT the best tool for the job as you cannot adjust the crimp stations.

You did not say what Alliant powder you bought

Go to the Alliant website and go to the reloading section and find what components you need. Components are NOT as interchangeable as in metallic reloading. FOLLOW THE PUBLISHED RECIPES

You would be better going to a trap/skeet club and seeing if someone is selling a MEC Jr. on their bulletin board - or check Craigs List and cancel the Lee LAII

[Mike Irwin]

The Lee may not be the best for the job, but it's still a pretty damned good tool.

My Father and I loaded many many thousands of rounds of 12 gauge trap and skeet loads on the LLAII I got him for Christmas years ago.

[BigD_in_FL]

I, like many in the pre-web days did the same, -however, the MEC Jr (used) costs about the same and is stratospheres above the Lee - both in quality of manufacturing, and in the quality of the ammo it produces.

The lack of adjustability, the small powder and shot hoppers, the light construction utilizing a lot of zinc and plastic just doesn't add up to a quality product - if it did, MEC would not be in business ....

[BigJimP]

I 2nd the idea that MEC makes better loaders than the Lee option / or any other option ...including RCBS, Dillon, Ponsness Warren, etc...

The MEC single stages are good machines...but seriously, I'd consider the MEC Grabber ( a manually indexing progressive machine) as a much better option....

I've loaded on MEC's for over 50 yrs now .../ and today I load on the MEC 9000 HN machines / and you don't need that machine unless you get into clay target shooting in a big way ...but the MEC grabber, I think, is a good solid machine for a casual shooter.
-------------
In shotshells.....you can't substitue one 209 primer for another ...you will need a specific recipe using the AA hull you have and the rem 209 primer...vs Win 209's, Chedite 209's, etc...

In 12ga ...90% or more of the guys that reload...are using Remington STS - Nitro hulls...or some are using the Game Club hulls....but the Remington hulls are far outlasting the AA's these days...and there are so many versions of the AA hulls ( some are ok to load, some are junk ....)...

I also 2nd the question....which Alliant powder did you buy ...??
--------------
Personally in a 12ga hull....I like Rem STS hulls - Win 209 primers - either Claybuster, Winchester or Duster wads - and Hodgdon Clays powder.....

[snuffy]

I have ordered a lee load all II from Bass Pro shop ...it is on back order of course. i have also picked up a lb. of alliant smokeless powder along with a couple bags of AA wads and a few hundred 209 Remington primers.
I am thinking this is a good start for doing reloads.
what i will start with is one oz. lee key mole slugs i have made with wheel weights i may make some 00 buck at some point in the future but for now is 12 gage slugs.

You clearly don't have the slightest idea what you're doing. Buying an unknown powder, primers, wads, without knowing a load formula. You should have a load data sheet that came with the lee key SLUG MOLD. If you followed that when buying the powder and other stuff, then you should be good to go.

Get a lyman shotshell handbook. It's pretty much the bible for shotgunners. It will have very clear pictures of many of the shotshell hulls being made today. Once you have identified just what hulls you have, then you can look in the back of the manual to match your empty hulls to recipes spelled out there. BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE RECIPES EXACTLY No deviation. The substitution of just a primer can take an otherwise safe reloaded shell to one that could take your gun apart.

Now for specialty shotshell loads, there's one place that carries everything you could possibly ever want.

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/

They also have loading manuals, including one just for slug loads. Best thing to do is get some clear Fiocchi new primed shotshell empties. Then make up some loads. It's real cool to see all the components through the side of the hull casing.

[Mike Irwin]

"The lack of adjustability, the small powder and shot hoppers, the light construction utilizing a lot of zinc and plastic just doesn't add up to a quality product - if it did, MEC would not be in business ...."

Why should one care about the use of zinc and plastic if the zinc and plastic last?

I did some rough figuring last night, and I'm pretty sure that my Father and I loaded around 22,000 rounds of 12 gauge ammo through ours.

Zero zinc failures, zero plastic failures, zero crimp issues (tut tut, your crimp needs to be 0.000000000752 inches deeper, my good man!) and, I'm not 100% sure, but I THINK all that was done with the original wad guide...

I'm thinking seriously about starting to reload for 20 gauge. If I do, it's going to be another Lee Load All.

[Cary]

A little over a year ago I was starting out just like scottd913. I purchased the "Lyman Shotshell Reloading Handbook 5th Edition" as Snuffy advised in his post. It is well worth getting if you are starting out and a very good reference even after you get your feet on the ground reloading shotshell. If you want to look it over good before you buy it some city or county library systems carry it.
As far as which press to get I went with a used MEC 650 and have been real happy with it. At least 95% of my center fire reloading tools are Lee. That also goes for my bullet molds and casting equipment. Lee products have performed very well for me. I'm sure many folks assemble great shotshells on their Lee Shotshell Loaders. I decided to go a step up in my opinion and go with the MEC for shotshell and I have been very happy with that decision.
Read and follow the Lyman book and keep safe in your reloading endeavor.
Cary

[BigD_in_FL]

I did some rough figuring last night, and I'm pretty sure that my Father and I loaded around 22,000 rounds of 12 gauge ammo through ours.

Sorry Mike - I shoot that much in one year. I had the LLA - it lasted a few months before I got tired of the poor construction. My MECs in 12, 20, and until recently, 28 have all gone the distance and then some.

As to adjusting crimp depth, you sound like you do not reload a wide variety of loads and components using a multitude of hull types - if you did, you would appreciate the ability to adjust the crimp to get a proper crimp and seal so as to make sure you got the pressure and performance you were looking for.

Glad your LLA worked for you; however, MEC is still the baseline of quality machines

[Mike Irwin]

"you sound like you do not reload a wide variety of loads and components using a multitude of hull types"

Valid point.

I had three loads, all based on AA hulls.

[scottd913]

first of all let me apologize for the delay on this response as i was called out of town on family business.

now to the point: 1st yes i agree i don't know the first thing about reloading that is why i asked and thank you all for your help even those from whom i am so glad you were not my father.

ok what i have is alliant powder made by unique it says on the (black) plastic bottle "most vestal powder made for all pistol calibers and great for 12,16,20 and 28 gauge loads" I'm sorry i didn't lay this out for you as i figured that you may assume that i wasn't an idiot.

of course the primers are 209 Remington and yes i know you cant replace the 209 primers as after a quick look at all the primers on the massive shelves at the gun stores and all the research i have done cant be replaced with pistol or rifle primers maybe it is because they aren't the same size. I'm not gun stupid just a little ignorant in the reloading world.

the wads i bought are AA super-lite pink wads i haven't bought shells yet.

i got the lee loader NEW for 65 dollars at bass pro shop and if you can find me a MEC for that price i want a truck load.

my main question wasn't these things just an over view.

i really was wondering since i was just going to reload slugs and 00 loads for blasting the hell out of things such as microwaves and toasters could i use different shells i am sorry i didn't make my self clear ....so simple can i use shells i can get cheap at the local gun sources around Dallas area or do i need o buy new shells?


i thought i made this clear and i have re-read my thread post and maybe my mind doesn't work like most but it seems clear where i said i had read load information etc.

[snuffy]

Don't get your nose outta joint. You asked the question, but there are
476 others that also reading this thread. Some of those probably had questions as well.

It's clear you already have some supplies. Now you have to match the components you have to loads that are called for in your instructions that came with your mold. Those instructions should say that some loads can be loaded then star crimped. One problem with that is if the star crimped shell could possibly be used during a target game like skeet or trap. Understand, you can't SEE that there's a slug loaded in it!

ok what i have is alliant powder made by unique it says on the (black)

What you have is Unique powder made by Alliant! Alliant makes many other types of powder, unique is just one "name".

Your lee loader will work for star crimping those loads. BUT if you choose to roll crimp,(like a normal slug load), that takes a special tool and procedure.

Yeah, if I had been your dad, I bet there would be multiple trips to the woodshed involved.

[BigD_in_FL]

Your NEW Lee loader for 65 bucks isn't worth the same amount spent on a used MEC...

Buckshot will need to be loaded by hand into the wad, no matter what reloader you have (same for slugs).

Remington makes two types of primers for shotgun - make sure when you check your recipes, you realize that. later on, you will want to save some money by using other primers - Remingtons are great, but they are also the most expensive that I have found - check out some NobelSports next time

These Win AA wads - what model number? Are they for 1oz loads, or ????

[Cheap 870]

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=517096