reloading info. for 12 guage brass.

ziggy222 · August 1, 2008, 03:15 AM

ok i found 12 guage brass on midway usa.com and would like to load my own slugs for deer.i'm assuming their for loading slugs.can anyone please point me in the right direction on info. on how to do this?none of my reloading books say anything about reloading brass 12 guage,or reloading shotgun slugs at all.i have a rcbs press.

darkgael · August 1, 2008, 05:03 AM

I am away from my loadbooks right now. Later today I'll be able to look at the data that I have for loading slugs into brass hulls.
I can tell you now that there are problems to be overcome. The biggest issue is that the hulls normally available, like those from Magtech, are drawn brass. They are good hulls but because of the drawing process they have a larger interior volume than a "normal" modern plastic hull. Drawn brass cases require 11 gauge components for proper reloading. To my knowledge, no one makes 11ga. modern plastic wads. This means that you must build a wad column from nitro cards, fiber wads, and overshot cards. It also means that any 12 ga. slug that you use will rattle around a bit in the hull. There are ways around that but none that I have found are conducive to accuracy. Shot charges work much more normally in the 12 ga. brass hulls.
You do not need a press to load 12 ga. brass hulls. You can do it all with a wooden dowel of less than 0.715" dia.
The Magtech cases are made to use large pistol primers. Priming them is fairly easy with basic tools: a flat steel surface and a piece of steel tubing. An old Lee loader is a great help, Check on Ebay.
Absolutely the best 12 ga. brass hulls available are also the hardest to get and the most expensive. Beautifully made, they are lathe turned hulls crafted by Rocky Mt. Cartridge Co. They use regular 209 primers and regular 12 ga. components. Properly used they will last as long as your guns; you can leave them to your children. They cost six dollars each last time I bought any. I use them for upland hunting loads in an old Parker SXS.
Pete

ziggy222 · August 1, 2008, 03:19 PM

ok now i'm not sure i wanna do this.i just thought using brass would make it more like loading rifle slugs.shotgun slug cartridges are so expensive to buy.

mikenbarb · August 1, 2008, 04:29 PM

The solid brass are mostly for BP and your better off with regular plastic hulls. Lee makes a keyed slug mold that uses a regular shot wad and star crimp just like loading birdshot. The mold comes with its own charge table and instructions. Their nice because it turns a regular lead slug into a sabot type in a plastic wad thats can be used in rifled or smoothbore barrel.

armedandsafe · August 1, 2008, 04:56 PM

These guys have products and will answer questions.

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/

You will need oversize wads and a thicker wad stack. I reload for 16GA, so I don't have a recipe for you. You will want to use the plastic shot cups with the base skirt for (relatively) modern shotguns. The forcing cone on the modern guns is longer than in the older guns and the fiber wads alone don't seal as well.

The powder charge should be the same as for modern shells in whatever shot weight you choose. If you are using blackpowder or a sub, the charge is the same volume of powder as for shot. Use a dipper for your shot, measure the volume of blackpowder which matches and set your powder thrower to match. Personally,I don't like powder throwers for black powder. I'm a bit paranoid about static electricity and sparks. Testers have ascertained that static electricity will not set off blackpowder, but it still makes me nervous.

I use the LEE LoadAll and a crimper made for brass huls. The crimperismouted in a separate press. Note that the hulls don't have to be crimped EVERY time you reload; only when the mouth roll really straightens out. A very MINOR crimp is needed. I use about 1/32 inch of crimp. Just enough to keep the over-shot wad in place while the sealant is curing. I use sodium silicate (water glass,) but I have heard from others using everything from Elmer's to Gorrilla Glue. All it is for is to weather seal the wad and hold the over-shot wad in place while being jostled around.

Try to get the shells which use the Boxer primers, as the Berdan primers are hard to find and expensive. I had to fabricate a primer holder for the primers to use the LoadAll for priming. Pretty simple, but a nuisance until I got it figured out.

I use the brass hulls because all but one of my shotguns have the short chamber. The only one which doesn't, has the ejection port cut for the old paper, rolled-crimp hulls and won't eject properly with the longer plastic, star-crimped ones.

An older thread, but interesting:

http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=12206

Pops

August 1, 2008, 03:15 AM	#1
ziggy222 Senior Member Join Date: October 5, 2006 Posts: 184	reloading info. for 12 guage brass. ok i found 12 guage brass on midway usa.com and would like to load my own slugs for deer.i'm assuming their for loading slugs.can anyone please point me in the right direction on info. on how to do this?none of my reloading books say anything about reloading brass 12 guage,or reloading shotgun slugs at all.i have a rcbs press.

August 1, 2008, 05:03 AM	#2
darkgael Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2006 Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania. Posts: 5,473	Reloading 12 ga. brass hulls I am away from my loadbooks right now. Later today I'll be able to look at the data that I have for loading slugs into brass hulls. I can tell you now that there are problems to be overcome. The biggest issue is that the hulls normally available, like those from Magtech, are drawn brass. They are good hulls but because of the drawing process they have a larger interior volume than a "normal" modern plastic hull. Drawn brass cases require 11 gauge components for proper reloading. To my knowledge, no one makes 11ga. modern plastic wads. This means that you must build a wad column from nitro cards, fiber wads, and overshot cards. It also means that any 12 ga. slug that you use will rattle around a bit in the hull. There are ways around that but none that I have found are conducive to accuracy. Shot charges work much more normally in the 12 ga. brass hulls. You do not need a press to load 12 ga. brass hulls. You can do it all with a wooden dowel of less than 0.715" dia. The Magtech cases are made to use large pistol primers. Priming them is fairly easy with basic tools: a flat steel surface and a piece of steel tubing. An old Lee loader is a great help, Check on Ebay. Absolutely the best 12 ga. brass hulls available are also the hardest to get and the most expensive. Beautifully made, they are lathe turned hulls crafted by Rocky Mt. Cartridge Co. They use regular 209 primers and regular 12 ga. components. Properly used they will last as long as your guns; you can leave them to your children. They cost six dollars each last time I bought any. I use them for upland hunting loads in an old Parker SXS. Pete

August 1, 2008, 04:29 PM	#4
mikenbarb Senior Member Join Date: October 10, 2007 Location: N.J. Posts: 1,111	The solid brass are mostly for BP and your better off with regular plastic hulls. Lee makes a keyed slug mold that uses a regular shot wad and star crimp just like loading birdshot. The mold comes with its own charge table and instructions. Their nice because it turns a regular lead slug into a sabot type in a plastic wad thats can be used in rifled or smoothbore barrel. __________________ Mike B. Gun control= Being able to hit your target. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pifinnercircle

August 1, 2008, 04:56 PM	#5
armedandsafe Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2005 Location: Moses Lake WA Posts: 1,001	These guys have products and will answer questions. http://www.ballisticproducts.com/ You will need oversize wads and a thicker wad stack. I reload for 16GA, so I don't have a recipe for you. You will want to use the plastic shot cups with the base skirt for (relatively) modern shotguns. The forcing cone on the modern guns is longer than in the older guns and the fiber wads alone don't seal as well. The powder charge should be the same as for modern shells in whatever shot weight you choose. If you are using blackpowder or a sub, the charge is the same volume of powder as for shot. Use a dipper for your shot, measure the volume of blackpowder which matches and set your powder thrower to match. Personally,I don't like powder throwers for black powder. I'm a bit paranoid about static electricity and sparks. Testers have ascertained that static electricity will not set off blackpowder, but it still makes me nervous. I use the LEE LoadAll and a crimper made for brass huls. The crimperismouted in a separate press. Note that the hulls don't have to be crimped EVERY time you reload; only when the mouth roll really straightens out. A very MINOR crimp is needed. I use about 1/32 inch of crimp. Just enough to keep the over-shot wad in place while the sealant is curing. I use sodium silicate (water glass,) but I have heard from others using everything from Elmer's to Gorrilla Glue. All it is for is to weather seal the wad and hold the over-shot wad in place while being jostled around. Try to get the shells which use the Boxer primers, as the Berdan primers are hard to find and expensive. I had to fabricate a primer holder for the primers to use the LoadAll for priming. Pretty simple, but a nuisance until I got it figured out. I use the brass hulls because all but one of my shotguns have the short chamber. The only one which doesn't, has the ejection port cut for the old paper, rolled-crimp hulls and won't eject properly with the longer plastic, star-crimped ones. An older thread, but interesting: http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=12206 Pops __________________ Armed and Safe: Not just a theory If it time to bury them, it is time to dig them up. Remember, "Behind every blade of grass."

August 1, 2008, 03:19 PM	#3
ziggy222 Senior Member Join Date: October 5, 2006 Posts: 184	ok now i'm not sure i wanna do this.i just thought using brass would make it more like loading rifle slugs.shotgun slug cartridges are so expensive to buy.