12 gauge shot shell reloading

[Lenny Foffa]

I have loaded for 12 ;20 ;and 28 gauge for well over 40 years ! I own 3 Mec loaders ! All my loads were for target shooting ,I always purchased Factory Game loads ! About 6 years ago I started shoot all my phesant with an Italian. 28 gauge and. Fiocchi Golden phesant with plated pellets at 1300 iss as just incredible! I can't make that load . Check out the. Mec line of reloaders ! Very nice machines ! My 12 is a manual index machine so you turn the turn table .every time you pull the handle a round is ready to be removed and a new empty hull goes in !! Really simple ! You can make a box of shells in 5 or 6 min ! Primer tray holds 100 primers ,add a Tall MEC powder bottle and easily make 150 rounds in no time !! No big savings any more ,but convenience is nice . I'm still using red dot and 1 ounce of 7 1/2 size shots. Win AA wads some time. Wind jammer wads . Lots of used machines on E bay ! Poisoness - Warren really great . Much more expensive! Great for guys who need to make 500 shells or more every week! When wall mart puts WinAA. Or REM.Gun club 12 ga on sales , it's better to just buy a case !! Good luck buddy .

 

[tpe187]

For the volume you are shooting, I would recommend a MEC 9000H Hydraulic. I have them in 12,20,28, and .410 because at one time I was a pretty serious skeet shooter and 28/.410 ammo was a pretty penny. Today, the initial machine with hydraulic pump will set you back about $1600, so it will take some time to make up that cost. The beauty of the system is you grab and place a hull with your left hand, grab and place a wad with the right, then press the foot pedal. You can really crank them out. The key to sanity is picking and setting up for one brand of hull. I used to buy factory for competition, then use those hulls for practice. The higher quality Remington STS and Winchester AA hulls would last a while. Another key consideration for you will be the availability of bulk components. If a local range buys in bulk, you will be good. Otherwise, you will have to source at major shoots. You'll be buying sleeves of 5k primers, 8lb jugs of powder and as much shot as your vehicle can handle. You can get wads also, but shipping them isn't bad. Change the shot drop between 1 1/8th, 10z or 7/8oz is done by different aluminum bars and is easy enough. Powder measure is done by numbered bushings that fit in the bar. For hunting ammo I would just buy whatever you use. Once the machine is set for your primary load you won't want to mess with it. Also, this is for lead. Steel shot requires a conversion and I've never messed with that.

 

[DakotaRingo]

In the 60s & 70s help MWR run skeet & trap range on Air Force base in Germany and was a Jăger/hunter. These hobbies consumed enormous amounts of shotshells. Could get around 20 reloads with red Win AA in those days, 12-15 Rem RXP green, and less with blue (forget brand). Using nearly exclusively Green Dot powder. Loaded red with 1 1/8 #9 or 1oz if wad was available (shot pretty much same) for skeet. Loaded 1 1/8 #7 1/2 AA red and marked with one Sharpie black band around middle of shell for Trap.
For German Hunting training we had to shoot trap and skeet with same shotgun (variable chokes we a joke in those days). I used my Winchester 101 cylinder & improved O/U or Win 91 mod/full O/U. Now comes color coding. Green RXP were loaded with Championship wad that had the outer tips of the wad connected, which held to unbelieveable tight patterns at extreme distance for shotgun out of an improved or modified choke. We could shoot a second shot at trap birds after missing 1st and still get hit count. Sometimes out to 80 meters.
Then came Blue colored hull, in these were loaded spreader wads for closer skeet birds in tighter choke.
Used MEC and or a Texan single stage.
Those AA hulls that reached their end of life were used one last time for hunting where hulls were more often not retrieved during drive hunts. Loaded with #6 shot.
Stopped reloaded when steel became mandatory and lack of facilities near me.

 

[Husky user]

I have been reloading shells for trap for 30 years.
Like MarkinPA says there is about $2.difference between reloads and new!(30 years ago and today)
The biggest problem is getting components.
I have had to change the powder I use 4-5 times.
I used Clays for years the switched to Red Dot then 700X now I use what I can find.(right now using TiteWad)
Have had to buy new bushings,but they run $8.
That means I have to adjust my wad pressure which can be tricky if you don't know what you are doing!
The mess I have encountered came from powder leakage,the worst was WST a real fine crushed powder!
You also have to know what wads you can reload ,I only reload Winchester AA and Remington because they take the same wad!
I get all my hulls from the guys I shot with that don't reload.
Takes about 10 min. to load a box of 25 ,the loader is a Mec single stage set up in the mud room one room away from the Man Cave!
So I don't make a big deal as I only shoot about 100 rounds a week.
To be real good you have to shoot a lot more than that!

 

[Pauleye]

MEC reloaders are what I have. Start with a single stage and if you like it go to progressive. If you're not going to load hundreds of shells, then don't waist your time and money. I have all 4 gauge progressive hydraulic MECS but have cut back on reloading

 

[Greyfox]

I reload on average 6000 12 ga loads/year. I have invested in equipment and have collected hulls for years so a large part of the cost to reload has been written off. I use a MEC 9000, and it has operated flawlessly for decades. Unless you shoot high volume , have specialized load demands, or simply want to reload for relaxation or personal satisfaction, it would be difficult to justify the cost of reloading vs buying factory. The cost of powder/lead/powder has risen dramatically over the past decade so that you will be lucky to break even. IMO

 

[bowhunter1287]

I reload on average 6000 12 ga loads/year. I think invested in equipment and have collected hulls for years so a large pat of the cost to reload has been written off. I use a MEC 9000, and it has operated flawlessly for decades. Unless you shoot high volume , have specialized load demands, or simply want to reload for relaxation or personal satisfaction, it would be difficult to justify the cost of reloading vs buying factory. The cost of powder/lead/powder has risen dramatically over the past decade or that you will be lucky to break even. IMO

Well looking to load probably 4000 rounds a year the way it's looking as kids have been practicing more and competing and that's not including if I shoot any

 

[26Reload]

Well.....I'd say that the OP has had a plethora of info sent in from some very good sources..and reputable members.....

myself being excluded....as I've only loaded 28ga..and possibly only 7 or 8k of those while my mec 9000 was running....now it sits in a container....and the Tristar o/u and Semiauto Viper in the closet......I preferred the o/u...something I liked about the gun only weighing 4.8# and 5# loaded.....lots of grouse...few quail.....several home raised pheasants...

 

[vol423]

If you decide to use a single stage loader I suggest a MEC. You can find 600Jr loaders in 12 ga on eBay for $150. I literally wore out two 600 Jr loaders shooting trap and game in the 1970s. But like most people, I found that I could buy 12 gauge as cheaply as I could load them. But when I started shooting short 16 gauge shells for vintage guns, 28 gauge and 12 gauge buckshot, I started loading again. Instead of the 600 Jr, I chose to get MEC Sizemaster machines. They are single stage, but use a collet for sizing rather than a die. It's much easier on precious cases. Incidentally, I load a 3" 12 gauge buffered load with 00, 0 and No 1 buckshot that group into 16" at 65 yards. I use a specialty Kick's choke tube and a Longshot powder MG 42 wad recipe from Bubba Roundtree from YouTube.

 

[bowhunter1287]

There has been a ton of great info for all of this thank you very much. This site and members on here always have a ton of info and great help when I have needed or I have seen other people needing it.

 

[Backwoods towny]

Mec is all I used,only a handful of years. 100 shells reloaded in under an hour with mec single stage my first go at it,not long after I found 2 old"grabber" progressive on Craigslist for $25 each.
I was at 2 local reloading stores this weekend and they both had used mec for sale $75 each.
Search around for a clean looking used press.
Just remember if you go progressive everything happens with one pull of the handle. If there's no shell in place to catch shot and/ or powder your going to have to clean up your press and bench area before continuing. I'm still finding shot hidden from one mistake .
LEAVE THE SPRING ON SHOT and POWDER BAR UNHOOKED TILL A SHELL IS UNDER THAT STAGE
Good luck on your new " rabbit hole" adventure. Teach the kids to reload and you will all have the memories together

 

[Turpentine21]

Yes, a MEC 9000 is the way to go. As others have said here, Winchester AA or Remington STS and Federal Gold medal are tops for reloadable quality. I had my MEC's set up years ago for 1 load. It matched the Remington STS trap load 1250 FPS using 11/8 oz. 7 shot, for my 12 GA, the other is set up for a 20 GA. Once it was set, it was like clockwork. You will need to use different ways to match whichever hulls you use because there are differences in the finished shell. If you don't use the correct way, you will get the crimp off. There are also different crimps available. Changing shot weight is easy because it's just a different bar. I would recommend using 71/2 over 8. It's a good balance between 7 and 8. You get the pellet #'s you want from 8's but hit like 7's. I have never loaded for hunting but I would not expect an issue. Lastly, I just ran with the standard powder bushing until it started getting difficult to buy powder 15 years ago, and I needed that ability, so get an adjustable bar, and you will be fine.

To avoid issues with crimp and changing crimp starters I went with the smooth cone crimp years ago instead of then 6 or 8 point crimp starters. It's made for paper hulls but it works for any fired hull. You just don't want to use it with new hulls. I change my loaders for different loads all the time.
I will say that any loader out there will require a degree of mechanical aptitude. The more you run one the better you'll get.

 

[MarkInPA]

I just ran with the standard powder bushing until it started getting difficult to buy powder 15 years ago, and I needed that ability, so get an adjustable bar, and you will be fine.

I second that on the adjustable bar as opposed to using a bar with bushings. Just gives you a bit more flexibility.

Something I am kind of hearing from others is that once you get your press set for whatever load you decide on, you probably are not going to want to mess with it for different loadings. It's just too much of hassle. In my opinion. It sounds like you are shooting a lot of trap. So I would figure out what trap load you want to use, get your press set, and leave it.

For myself, I had my press set up for my trap loads simply because I shot lots of them. For my turkey loads, it was just simpler and probably more cost effective to just buy a box of shells. Especially considering if I was only going to shoot one or two shells a year if I was lucky.

Whatever load you decide on, I would cross reference it with the powder manufactures recommended loadings. If you can't find it published from a reputable source, don't load it. If you have someone here or a buddy give you his whiz bang loading, fine, just cross reference it.

Maybe this afternoon I'll get time to see if I have my old load data.

 

[TontoDean]

No one has mentioned a Ponsness Warren. I had a hydraulic press that I used when I was pretty heavy into sporting clay competitions. I think the new ones are electric and no longer hydraulic.
Mine served me well and you might want to check that one out also.