reloading

[willt]

Is it cheaper to reload or just go by the box of shells at the store? Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Will

[DonF]

Depends on what and how much your shooting. For a 12ga I reloaded only because I shot so much and I liked 1oz and 1 1/8th oz load. But I believe you can get the cheap stuff about a inexpensively as you could reload it. Don't even own a 12ga any more. 16ga I reload. I find them in light field loads on sale every year for about $6 a box. When I run low on hulls I get a few boxes for the hulls. Now I mostly shoot my 28ga. Target loads here run about $11 a box, field loads about $18. Change the size of shot and they go up $7 a box! I can't remember what they cost to reload, about $3 to $4 a box I think. When I first started shooting my 28 I bought two flats of target loads just for the hulls.

[Sharon]

As Don said , uit depends on how much shooting you are doing. When I shot skeet and trap I reloaded myself as I used maybe 100 shells a session. There's a special satisfaction in loading your own shells I find.

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[deseeker]

You won't save much loading small size shot loads, because you can get cheap shells in discount houses for about the same price---your reload will probably have a better pattern, because your reloaded shot is usually harder than what comes in cheap factory(dove + quail, etc.). Where you save money is in the larger shot sizes(quality field loads). BUT you do have to shoot a lot of shells to recoop the cost of the shotgun shell reloader.

[nikegundog]

If anyone reloads 12 gauge trap loads, what is the cost to reload a box?

[willt]

What shot size do u guys use for phez, I use 4 cause thats all I can find that will bring em down maybe it cause I'm not that good of a shot. Also I hear u can load them with more knock down power is this true? Sorry I am stupid when it comes to this stuff. Thanks for all the advice.

[DonF]

We used to use 7 1/2's because pheasant was a by product of a chukar hunt normally. Found out early that 7 1/2 was a little light, we wern't getting clean kills. Finally tried #6 and the clean kills shot way up. If I were loading just for pheasants I think I'd use #5's.

I just saw where you mentioned can they be loaded with more knock down power. The only way that can happen is by increasing shot size and/or shot charge. A 1 1/4 oz load will do x # feet per sec no matter the shot size. A 1 1/8oz once load is the same, about 1200+fps no matter the shot size. Where the extra power comes in is the increase in shot size. Two projectiles one heavier than the other but both going the same velocity, the heavier projectile will provide more foot pounds og energy per shot and, more importantly wit shot, the heavier shot will penetrate better. By increasing the amount of shot to say the 1 1/4oz load you increase the load density which means you are getting more shot in the load that will put more shot into a 30" circle than the 1 1/8th oz load can. Not any more power by going to heavier shot charge, just more shot. Either one can be driven 1250fps without much trouble.

Where reloadin g really helps is it can allow you to load heavier shot into target loading to greatly reduce recoil. In heavier magnum loads the velocity is still about the same but the increase in charge weight means more pellets in the shell. The increase in the weight of the shot charge increases the felt recoil. Two shells one with 1 3/8th oz shot and one with 1 1/8oz of the same shot, both running about the same velocity, the heavier shot charge will recoil noticeably more.

[jimbo&rooster]

I used to reload alot of 12ga for dove hunting, just because I was having a hard time finding 1-1/8oz of 9s locally. After about 2-3yrs of that lead prices got stupid and I found that it was easier and cheaper to buy #8s in target loads than it was to hand roll them. I do still load 50-100 rds a year of 1-1/8oz 4's for shooting game preserve phez. its not really necesary but it puts them down pretty good and is cheaper than buying $15a box game loads.

Jim

[deseeker]

You can get a little more knock down by reloading, because you can reload to a higher velocity than what some factory loads have. A normal 2 3/4" 12 gauge 1 1/4 oz lead field load has a velocity of 1330 feet/sec. if you load your own you can use the following componets and get the 1 1/14 oz of lead to leave the barrel at 1440 feet per second(110 fps faster than a normal 2 3/4 factory shell). win AA case, win 209 primer, Rem SP12 wad, 33.0 grains of Longshot powder, and 1 1/4 oz of lead pellets(10,400psi pressure). INFORMATION FROM-- BASIC RELOADING MANUAL(This booklet was put out by 3 powder companies in one booklet-- Hodgdon, IMR, and Wincester Smokeless Propellants).
If you like 1 1/8 oz lead loads, you can get some of those to leave the barral at 1585 fps by following the reloading book information on componets.
If you decide to load your own---get a GOOD shot shell reloading book and STICK to the load listed in the book---no substitute on componets or you will get yourself in trouble because changing a componet will change the load pressure of the shelll(might get too high of shell pressures).

[Redfishkilla]

"Now I mostly shoot my 28ga. Target loads here run about $11 a box, field loads about $18. Change the size of shot and they go up $7 a box! I can't remember what they cost to reload, about $3 to $4 a box I think. When I first started shooting my 28 I bought two flats of target loads just for the hulls."

I reloaded some 28 gauge AA hulls about 8 times before they got to where I was concerned for safety and threw them away. Not only can you save money reloading a 28, you can pick the type of shells you'd like to shoot. I shoot 7/8ths oz. 7.5s at doves and quail and 7/8ths oz load of 4s at pheasant. The only reason I will ever shoot a 12 gauge is for organized sporting clay shoots and ducks and geese on the off chance someone talks me into sitting in some cold duck blind. The 28 is so fun to shoot.

[jarbo03]

If anyone reloads 12 gauge trap loads, what is the cost to reload a box?

I don't shoot trap myself, but I have patterned many loads to see what would work for dove. The load I would use on trap was a 1 oz 7.5 at 1345 fps. Can't remember the exact cost, but was less than five dollars a box, a little cheaper if you prefer something in the 1200-1250 fps range.

As far as reloading for hunting, in the 12 gauge I load 1 1/8 oz #5 for phez, I run these around 1550 fps. They give great consistent patterns using Nickel plated shot, bought the shot on sale so they only cost around $9 a box, still cheaper than the cheapest of decent factory game loads, and ten times better. Some of your biggest savings can be reloading steel shot, and 16 ga as stated earlier.