Is reloading shotgun carts worth it?

[ForeignGadger]

Is it worth reloading 12g carts?

 

I can see that 20g and .410 might be, but is 12g worth it, other than the satisfaction of home-brew.

 

What sort of number is needed for payback: anyone done the sums??

 

FG

[Vince Green]

In general the answer is no. For standard 12 bore cartridges you can buy them cheaper than you can reload them but the pleasure of loading your own can be worth more than money alone.

 

In general if you are going to reload then go for making quality cartridges and forget the cost. Years ago I could reload cartridges for half the price of bought cartridges but those days are long gone. If you are going to reload don't think about the money. Just enjoy the buzz it gives you. Everyone should try it because it adds to the feeling of sucess when you fold a pigeon with one of your own cartridges.

[Peter De La Mare]

Also, judging by how many shotguns blow up over in the USA, all down to reloads, I wouldn't want to take the chance just to save a few quid.

[JonD]

From what i have read and been told you need to be shooting 30k+ a year for 5 years or more to break even.

 

Wildfowling loads or smaller bores would be less.

 

Jon.

[SSS]

Edit note : repeat post

Edited October 9, 2009 by sharp_shooter_sam

[SSS]

In general the answer is no. For standard 12 bore cartridges you can buy them cheaper than you can reload them but the pleasure of loading your own can be worth more than money alone.

 

In general if you are going to reload then go for making quality cartridges and forget the cost. Years ago I could reload cartridges for half the price of bought cartridges but those days are long gone. If you are going to reload don't think about the money. Just enjoy the buzz it gives you. Everyone should try it because it adds to the feeling of sucess when you fold a pigeon with one of your own cartridges.

 

I agree with Vince. I've been looking at this for a while and the simple answer is no. Unless you are reloading 3" no 1's or BBs (large shot) its not worth it. The only advantages to reloading your own is being able to customise (to coin the phrase) your cartridges. Money wise, 250 cartridges will cost you about £60, expensive compared to £50 for D&J's HTH

[alexr]

I payed £1.20 a cartrage for 32g No6 TMX 3" 12g at the local RFD last week , only because I needed it in a hurry. I am sure you could reload for less, and at that price it would be worth it.

[flytie]

If you have to use non-toxic loads but also need them to be fibre wad you have three choices: 1) Tungsten Matrix @£2.75 per bang (might be more now), 2) Bismuth, not as expensive but nowhere near as effective as lead and is prone to shattering (unless you load your own and put buffer in the load, or 3) load your own. Ian Charlton (Clay and Game) produces Bio-fibre cups for hard non-toxic shot.

 

My mate Paddy reloads for everything, keeps careful notes and produces loads which perform wonderfully! But you need time, patience, space and, most importantly, a sense of humour! Because if you get a phut instead of a bang, everyone will take the michael out of you.

 

ft

[hill billy]

In short it depends what you shoot because as the others said if you do a lot of fowling then yes it would save you money but also if your some one that shoots with express supreme game then you can achive the same velocity for less by home loading, i have done it now for a couple of years i have never loaded everything i shoot because i think last time i worked it out it was nearly £220 a thousand to reload and its a lot of time and effort, and if your firing hundreds of cartriges on a days pigeon shooting then you wouldn't use an expensive cartrige, but i more just loaded for special occasions like heavy cartriges for foxes, fast stuff for game and more than all it's just the satisfaction of hitting something with one of your home loads

[Floating Chamber]

Reloading is a passion of mine; the cost does not come into it! (If you believe that....)

 

The next poster has probably solved his shot problem!

Edited October 10, 2009 by Floating Chamber

[kdubya]

reloading can be cheaper BUT it all depends on the lead? myself and my shooting buddies have been buying lead in bulk from siarm in italy, we have been buying 7.5 shot for £2.47 a kilo but to make it worth while you need to qualify for FREE shipping,so you must buy at least 180 kilo's its very good stuff as well.local dealer wants £93 for 10 kilo's er you having a giraffe!! £9.30 against £2.47 where is the justification for the difference?

 

but the cheapest way is to make your own shot and thanks to sitinhedges this is the first mashing of size 6 shot (pre finishing stage) very very pleased with it very uniform and very little malformation on the first try out of the shotmaker knocked out enough lead for 1250 carts which with taking into account primers wads and powder will work out @ £71 per thou.

 

KW

 

[Floating Chamber]

reloading can be cheaper BUT it all depends on the lead myself and my shooting buddies have been buying lead in bulk from siarm in italy we have been buying 7.5 shot for £2.47 a kilo but to make it worth while you need to qualify for FREE shipping

so you must buy at least 180 kilo's its very good stuff as well.local dealer wants £93 for 10 kilo's er you having a giraffe!!

 

but the cheapest way is to make your own shot and thanks to sitinhedges this is the first mashing of size 6 shot (pre finishing stage) very very pleased with it very uniform and very little malformation on the first try out of the shotmaker knocked out enough lead for 1250 carts which with taking into account primers wads and powder will work out @ £71 per thou.

 

KW

 

 

 

See. Told you so!

Well done old son!

FC

[sitsinhedges]

reloading can be cheaper BUT it all depends on the lead? myself and my shooting buddies have been buying lead in bulk from siarm in italy, we have been buying 7.5 shot for £2.47 a kilo but to make it worth while you need to qualify for FREE shipping,so you must buy at least 180 kilo's its very good stuff as well.local dealer wants £93 for 10 kilo's er you having a giraffe!! £9.30 against £2.47 where is the justification for the difference?

 

but the cheapest way is to make your own shot and thanks to sitinhedges this is the first mashing of size 6 shot (pre finishing stage) very very pleased with it very uniform and very little malformation on the first try out of the shotmaker knocked out enough lead for 1250 carts which with taking into account primers wads and powder will work out @ £71 per thou.

 

KW

 

 

So pleased that your first attempt turned out so well

 

Then again you did get expert tuition

 

I'm still trying to work out where to store this 276 kilos that I have left from the 1/2 ton I made

 

Floating Chamber ultimately takes all the credit

[ForeignGadger]

Thanks for all the replies, guys: pretty well what I expected, so I might give it a try, just for the satisfaction.

 

In addition, put in the cost/time of searching around for a good deal, the travel or transport, and headline price is not always very realistic as a cost for bought cartridges.

 

FG

[Vince Green]

The other problem with reloading is sourcing the bits. Claygame is probably the best but you have to pay postage which all adds to the cost.

 

You also now have the problem that a lot of dealers have been stopped by the police from selling primers by post. Its NOT the law so don't let anybody tell you it is. Its just some rule that somebody in the Home Office dreamed up. The way things are going powder will go the same way and gradually reloading will become nearly impossible.

[tripleinktattoos]

am reloading my own am after size 8 shot any one got some for sale please

email readtheforumrules@hotmail.co.uk

 

or text 12345678901

thanks

Edited October 22, 2009 by Zapp Brannigan
Dont post personal details on the forum

[tripleinktattoos]

i hear that 12 g cartridge is going up again is this true it might be worth reloading. it is for me lol

[bobt]

I reload and have done for years,

but for clay and general shooting I buy shop carts,

 

I still reload heavy cartridges for fox and geese etc, in fact on tuesday I folded a 50 yd goose stone dead with an ounce and an eighth of 3 shot.

[fieldwanderer]

Someone at a clay shoot gave my mate 50 or so home loads (which I think were meant as a joke now) to try, first shot - BWOOOOMPH and a big cloud of grey smoke - and lots of giggling by all accounts, they were black powder!

 

I erm, inherited them and found they held about 35g of 6s. I gave them a go and they were fantastic for pigeon, the farmer's son came to make sure I was o.k. after the first shot though "I thought your gun had blown up!!" Only problem with them really was the hour of cleaning afterwards (semi-auto) and if things got busy the barell got really hot compared to modern powders.

[Floating Chamber]

Blackpowder shells are OK to shoot in the following semi-autos because they have no gas piston:

 

Benelli and any long recoil like an old A5 Browning, Breda, Franchi, Remington* (which is a 'Browning') or a Baikal.

 

*not the 1100!

Edited October 25, 2009 by Floating Chamber

[Vince Green]

Don't put black powder cartridges through your gun. It won't do it any harm but the cleaning requirements are entirely different and the residue gets everywhere. Black powder residue is Hydroscopic ( absorbs water) and can cause rusting if its not neutralised.

[Floating Chamber]

Don't put black powder cartridges through your gun. It won't do it any harm but the cleaning requirements are entirely different and the residue gets everywhere. Black powder residue is Hydroscopic ( absorbs water) and can cause rusting if its not neutralised.

 

 

I think you'll find that 'hygroscopic' is the word. BUT, blackpowder has been used for hundreds of years and is still used in some VERY VALUABLE old guns. I have been using blackpowder in muzzle and breech loaders since 1964. I have no rusty guns. You will get rusting if you are an idle little bleeder and don't clean your gun after use. (Which is what a lot of shooters do in this smokeless age.)

[Guest cookoff013]

non tox. definately worth it. if you start handloading nontox, trucks full of money will pour onto your doorstep.

-try it.

 

the steel loads have **** wads, they are thin and arnt that good. the yankie stuff is better. they have developed a line in wads. they know what they are talking about.

there are nobs that blow themselfs up. because they cant stick to a published recipe.

 

if you roll out 500 steel reloads, you will make your money. but not in £. in performance.

most steel loads only go 1150-1200fps, steel excells when it goes 1500fps -1900fps. there are published loads.

i selected a load for...

 

low pressure !

great wad !

F !!!!!! -ing fast. 1500fps.

steel is cheap, the cheepest nontox available. 1/20th the cost per weight. only disadvantage, you`ve got to make it stupid fast.

[Guest cookoff013]

2) Bismuth, not as expensive but nowhere near as effective as lead and is prone to shattering (unless you load your own and put buffer in the load,

 

old bismuth was only 1% tin. it did fragment upon firing.

newer bismuth is 4-5% tin. its slightly harder. but fractures less.

 

buffer is used sometimes to reduce the damage to shot. -as was stated.

 

bismuth wads are usually just normal clay wads. bismuth is the safest alternative to lead. it is almost the expensivest.

i`ve seen tungsten density at 12, 13, and 18g / cc (that is twice the density of steel !)

it also means its 250x the hardness. (thats f~!"£%^&* ! hard !)

[fieldwanderer]

I think you'll find that 'hygroscopic' is the word. BUT, blackpowder has been used for hundreds of years and is still used in some VERY VALUABLE old guns. I have been using blackpowder in muzzle and breech loaders since 1964. I have no rusty guns. You will get rusting if you are an idle little bleeder and don't clean your gun after use. (Which is what a lot of shooters do in this smokeless age.)

 

Seconded, I used these in my franchi the first time (semi-auto gas oporated), I learnt my lesson though - they'll not harm the gun but the time it takes to clean it is phenominal much better to use them in a s/s or o/u Not that I've got any left now.