RELOADING

[markws80]

Hi

With the cost going up and up i was thinking of doing some home loads

Dose any one RELOAD SHOTGUN CARTRIDGE

what price dose it work out at? are all the components hard to get hold of?

Any help would be great

Thanks mark

[sandspider]

The short answer is yes you can do it, but it's generally not worth doing just for financial reasons for basic shells. (The cost of the components alone is likely to work out as more than buying cheap mass produced clay shells, never mind adding the cost of your time). If you're after exotic shells - heavy loads, tungsten, wildfowling, 410 shells etc. then yes it's worth doing just for financial reasons.

 

Besides the financial incentive (if any) you get the pleasure of using something you've made yourself, and tailored to your personal needs! Components are relatively easy to get hold of from places like Siarm in Italy (good value even with postage), and Clay And Game in the UK.

 

Someone who's done more of it than me will probably be along soon to add more...

[markws80]

I was going to do it for financial reasons for basic shells. the cost of my time is free better then watching tv :blink:

[M.I.A]

Try peter lawman for a guide, his prices are very good and has everything you need to make them

 

www.peterlawman.co.uk

 

Get along to a clay range and pick up some emptys, saves buying new hulls

Edited August 17, 2011 by M.I.A

[Cake444]

As mentioned above reloading basic clay/game cartridges won’t save you money. Money aside reloading your own cartridges is very rewarding, great fun and is educational with regards to how cartridges work and performance, plus you get to understand more about what you shouldn’t do!

 

The main reason I reload is to get better performance out of cartridge types because I’m not convinced with what I buy off the shelf. I only really reload large shot sizes like BB, BBB and various types of buckshot so I do end up saving a bit of money.

 

 

Components are very easy to get hold of as well.

[markws80]

As mentioned above reloading basic clay/game cartridges won’t save you money. Money aside reloading your own cartridges is very rewarding, great fun and is educational with regards to how cartridges work and performance, plus you get to understand more about what you shouldn’t do!

 

The main reason I reload is to get better performance out of cartridge types because I’m not convinced with what I buy off the shelf. I only really reload large shot sizes like BB, BBB and various types of buckshot so I do end up saving a bit of money.

 

 

Components are very easy to get hold of as well.

Saving money was the main

I know reloading your own cartridges would be very rewarding

as i get with bullets

[Guest cookoff013]

As mentioned above reloading basic clay/game cartridges won’t save you money. Money aside reloading your own cartridges is very rewarding, great fun and is educational with regards to how cartridges work and performance, plus you get to understand more about what you shouldn’t do!

 

The main reason I reload is to get better performance out of cartridge types because I’m not convinced with what I buy off the shelf. I only really reload large shot sizes like BB, BBB and various types of buckshot so I do end up saving a bit of money.

 

 

Components are very easy to get hold of as well.

 

reloading specific favourite cartridges is the rewards for me. great recipes, that perform well beyond reasonable performance. with loading BBB buckshot and the like, you save a bunch of money. slugs, even more. less than half the cost, even with factory brand new cases, and gold plated slugs !

loading some standard game loads is about the tipping point of the value of reloading.

where the best savings are are the higher performance loads like 36g loads. they cost a fortune from the factory. but to the reloader only £12 more in shot per 1000, thats at factory shot prices. so really depends on if you like shooting "premium" type ammo, or the cheap tacky loads.

 

if you are those guys who are always using the cheap clay loads for pigeons or even phesents, then you wont save diddley squat. as you`ll be trying to save pennies per shot just for the cheap and volume.

 

but if you love your premium game loads, then you could save some money without resorting to the cheap and tacky clay loads.

 

here is an example...

 

d&j game #6 32gram £219per k

supreme game #6 32g £290 per k 1400fps

 

different markets, same load, different speeds !

 

i`ll bet you the dj load isnt going anywhere near 1400fps.... with the price difference of £60 per k the reloader can easily use a slower powder, acheive the same results for less money.

 

if you are constantly chasing the cheap loads with aslittle powder as possable, for "bare minimal" performance, then relaoding would be harder, as the costs fluctuate any finacial savings will be eaten up or exceeded.

 

chase the expensive loadings, save money, get great performance. any price fluctuations in lead or powder/ components will dent the savings, but rarely exceed them, often doing better than factory. if the price goes up alittle then you still win.

 

there is no point paying £200 for a mediocre clay load when the same mediocre clay loads can be bought for £160 or less.

[coyotemaster]

reloading specific favourite cartridges is the rewards for me. great recipes, that perform well beyond reasonable performance. with loading BBB buckshot and the like, you save a bunch of money. slugs, even more. less than half the cost, even with factory brand new cases, and gold plated slugs !

loading some standard game loads is about the tipping point of the value of reloading.

where the best savings are are the higher performance loads like 36g loads. they cost a fortune from the factory. but to the reloader only £12 more in shot per 1000, thats at factory shot prices. so really depends on if you like shooting "premium" type ammo, or the cheap tacky loads.

 

if you are those guys who are always using the cheap clay loads for pigeons or even phesents, then you wont save diddley squat. as you`ll be trying to save pennies per shot just for the cheap and volume.

 

but if you love your premium game loads, then you could save some money without resorting to the cheap and tacky clay loads.

 

here is an example...

 

d&j game #6 32gram £219per k

supreme game #6 32g £290 per k 1400fps

 

different markets, same load, different speeds !

 

i`ll bet you the dj load isnt going anywhere near 1400fps.... with the price difference of £60 per k the reloader can easily use a slower powder, acheive the same results for less money.

 

if you are constantly chasing the cheap loads with aslittle powder as possable, for "bare minimal" performance, then relaoding would be harder, as the costs fluctuate any finacial savings will be eaten up or exceeded.

 

chase the expensive loadings, save money, get great performance. any price fluctuations in lead or powder/ components will dent the savings, but rarely exceed them, often doing better than factory. if the price goes up alittle then you still win.

 

there is no point paying £200 for a mediocre clay load when the same mediocre clay loads can be bought for £160 or less.

You have hit the nail squarely on the head. There is a great deal of difference between what the major shell companies call their "promotional loads" vs. their premium loads and one of the main differences is shot hardness. I keep reading that 7 1/2 shot won't do for pigeons but I have killed hundreds and out to 50Yds with MAGNUM SHOT not magnum loads but 6 percent antimony shot and most often 24 gram loads.

High speed is unneeded in lead loads, actually it is counterproductive, I have done the research and a load started out at 1350fps and one at 1200fps doesn't have much difference in velocity/hence energy at 40 yds. I do think the higher speed loads open up faster due to the wad pushing into the shot column and perhaps due to atmospheric effects.

The price of shot is atrocious due to all the demand in China, I used to pay as little as $6/bag now it's $38/bag.

Reclaimed shot is much preferable to soft new shot IF you are shooting small shot sizes such as 7 1/2. You can build a better reload than any shell you can buy because you have control of what goes in; ie. hard shot, buffer, better wads and a powder burn rate designed for your application.

[Guest cookoff013]

You have hit the nail squarely on the head. There is a great deal of difference between what the major shell companies call their "promotional loads" vs. their premium loads and one of the main differences is shot hardness. I keep reading that 7 1/2 shot won't do for pigeons but I have killed hundreds and out to 50Yds with MAGNUM SHOT not magnum loads but 6 percent antimony shot and most often 24 gram loads.

High speed is unneeded in lead loads, actually it is counterproductive, I have done the research and a load started out at 1350fps and one at 1200fps doesn't have much difference in velocity/hence energy at 40 yds. I do think the higher speed loads open up faster due to the wad pushing into the shot column and perhaps due to atmospheric effects.

The price of shot is atrocious due to all the demand in China, I used to pay as little as $6/bag now it's $38/bag.

Reclaimed shot is much preferable to soft new shot IF you are shooting small shot sizes such as 7 1/2. You can build a better reload than any shell you can buy because you have control of what goes in; ie. hard shot, buffer, better wads and a powder burn rate designed for your application.

 

yeah, and i like to shoot stuff with #4 lead. very uncommon here, as most decoy with a #6 which is US#7(or therabouts).

i also personally like loads going 1200fps or less. less recoil, and i actuallt get to enjoy pulling the trigger. and not flinching with the bigger loads

i personally am more inclined with those 1200fps loads to change shotsize to aid performance instead of chucking more powder.

at those speeds you get better patterns and loose less shot due to the lightness / lack of compression the shotcolumn has.

 

in this game patterns win (withing normal ranges)