Shotshell Reloading
Most of my shot shell reloading experience come from when I was in college.. My roommate at the time came from a farming family. I spent all my vacations with them and as they were avid trap shooters they drafted me in on their team. Being the low man on the team, reloading duty fell on me. Since this was all new to me, I was thrilled to be able to run the reloader. It was already setup so all I had to do was keep the shot and powder hoppers full, insert the wad and pull the handle. Still it was fun and I loaded vast quantities every summer (for our eight man trap team). It felt great actually creating ammunition and then using it in the field. Charges were varied depending on the yardage to be shot that week. If we did well, we moved back and the powder charge was increased. If we didn't do well, we moved forward and the powder charges were decreased. It has been many years since I have loaded shot shells, so maybe some of the other members will fill in any gaps that I may have left.
We used a MEC shotshell reloader and only loaded 2 ¾ inch Winchester trap hulls. I did experiment with other hulls with varying results. The cheap plastic hulls used for field loads would invariable open up later, spilling the shot when the shells were handled.
A shotshell consists of:
1. A hull, usually plastic or paper with a formed metal base. The metal base has a hole for theprimer pocket.
2. The primer
3. The powder
4. A wad or shot cup. The wad forms a cup to hold the shot and it also cushions the shot from the explosion when the powder ignites. With steel shot, it helps protect the barrel from the hard shot.
5. The shot
Steps in the basic reloading operation would be as follows:
1. Deprime and resize the hull.
2. Prime the hull and drop in the powder
3. Insert the wad and drop in the shot
4. Start the crimp
5. Crimp the shell
Components:
Hulls:
Trap or Skeet hulls seem to load the best. They retain their crimps better and don't open up in storage. High base or low base doesn't really make a difference. With today's materials, they are merely cosmetic in function.
Primers:
The difference between a CCI 500 pistol primer (left)and a No. 209 shotshell primer. Shot shell primers have an enclosed top so the cup doesn't fill up with the fine powders that are normally used. They also protrude fully into the powder cavity.
Powder:
Shotshell reloading powder is usually sold in 1 lb, 4 lb and 8lb containers. They used to come in metal kegs but nowadays most come in plastic jugs.
Wads:
A Remington wad. This type of wad is used almost exclusively in trap and skeet shells and most hunting shells. The designs may vary a little but the general principle is the same. The leaves hold the shot, The part underneath is designed to collapse and cushion the shot.
Shot:
The shot is usually lead in various sizes depending on what is to be hunted. Bigger birds and animals get bigger shot. For trap we used to use 7 ½ or 8's. Vas amounts of lead are still used, especially for trap and skeet. More and more steel
Equipment:
A Lee Load All (about $ 70)
A MEC junior (about $ 150)
A decked out MEC Grabber (about $400-$450)
If you want to review the reloading steps in detail, read the operators manual for the MEG grabber HERE
Post few pics for our viewing pleasure please.
