The dreaded "Is shotshell reloading worth it" question
 

I use a turret press now for .45 for bullseye pistol and 9mm fun shooting, and a single stage for some occasional .38 and 30-30 reloading. ASSUMING (not wise) that we will eventually be able to get components, do folks find it economically worthwhile? I'm not looking to save a lot of money, just looking to not be in this situation again. Since I'm turning into a 16 and 28g guy, I find these harder to get, and expensive, and I would probably only load these. I would have to buy a press and tools but I'm thinking of the future and how to keep these Parkers fed a steady diet. I have enough shells now but find myself not shooting because I don't know when this will ease up. Finally, if anyone could recommend a good resource to learn about shot-shell reloading, whether a great video or good book I'd appreciate that.

Yes it is, the reason being that you can make what suits your needs. I load 3/4 oz. 12 ga. for skeet and 7/8 for everything else. 5/8 in 28 and 3/4 in 20. I am not aware of any common factory ammo in those weights. The cost factor is secondary to me. The fact that i can tailor the load to the gun and too who is shooting it is the important factor.

Women and young people starting out are recoil sensitive and with these loads i have not lost one yet to the '' it hurts''. Have seen a lot of them cured of shooting by clods who give them a light gun with max. loads

Thank you Daniel. I love RST shells, but try to get anything now, and in 16 and 28 it sure adds up. I just spent $385 with shipping for two flats of shells. The next order I'm going to wait for is $1500 and that's not a whole hell of a lot of ammo. Can you load 2 1/2" shells at home?

Yes Andy, I reload 2 1/2” cheddite (RST empties) in 28, 20 and 16 gauge.





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Andy you can load anything you want, any length or crimp style. Shotgunworld reloading forum is a great resource for all loading machine malfunctions and adjustments. ALWAYS use reliable powder company data and follow the recipe.
On the other side you can if you want find max. loads for specialty loads like slugs, buckshot and non-toxic loads which are hard to obtain.

Reloading really opens up the possibilities for low pressure and non toxic loads that you just are not going to find factory loaded, even in 12 and 20 gauge much less 10, 16, and 28. Reloading is a whole hobby in itself. I started out with a given to me mec jr 600 press in 12 gauge that spent a few years in a barn. I brought it back to life and started reloading and today I also own a 10, 20, 16, and 28 mec jr presses. It will definitely pay for itself in the gauges like 16 and 28 and it gives you an excuse to buy a whole assortment of new stuff for your reloading hobby.

Oh boy, I think I'm going to end up getting into this now too. I appreciate the feedback. I think it's going to be a while to get any primers/shot..etc but I may order and wait for a 600jr to come in. I have been looking at presses and reviews on line today but open to any suggestions. I don't want to spend a ton, I have to save for my next Parker : ) I am not a prolific shooter but I found that when I reloaded handgun ammo I sure shot more.

Hi Andy,

This time last year I wasn’t too worried about reloading either, as you can see from the picture I have changed my mind. Like others, my main reason was customization and if you saved money it was a bonus(I do think I will save money reloading 410 shells). Now though, I think having the ability to make shells to shoot(when the shelves are empty) is important too.

Like Matt, I started out on a used 12 gauge MEC 600 Jr. Then someone gave me a used MEC progressive press in 28 gauge, but I didn’t like it(too much going on at once). When I discovered how much fun a Parker 10 gauge could be, I bought another MEC 600 Jr. in 10 gauge. In the past 3 months I bought a press in every other gauge I shoot(10-410) all MEC 600 Jrs. I set up the 28 gauge at my Dad’s place as that is all he shoots and he wanted to load some for the both of us.

Since you already reload for pistol and rifle it will be an easy transition. I have also been able to get components recently. I have bought powder locally. From online, I just received an order of 20 and 16 gauge wads and primed hulls. If you see primers certainly get them. I am not necessarily using my preferred recipes given I can’t find some powders, instead I am making due the components I can get. I am making it work and I am enjoying it as well.

I just bought my MEC600 Jr in 410 directly from MEC. I have gotten the others, from reloading companies and the 20 and 28 I bought in like new condition off Ebay. If you do buy one, don’t forget to order the short kit(people make their own, but I always take the lazy way out on this).

This forum is a great resource for reloading help as well. I have asked reloading question about every gauge Parker I have and our great members have pointed me in the right direction.

Good Luck!

I started out wtih a Mec Jr in 12ga, for $85, then bought a second in 10Ga from someone on this forum for $85, bought the short kit (if your clever you can make the riser yourself) and a set of 16'Ga dies. So I have one set in 12 and one in 16. If I want 2 1/2" just put the riser in and make other adjustments. The are other requirements like powder and shot bushings.

I see the MEC Jr is a popular press. I started with an RCBS Rock Chucker and it's been great. I like simple. And besides, a bank of MEC Jr's look cool to boot. Thank you everyone!

I lucked into reloading. I was given a Mec 600 in 12 ga--didnt even use it for 4 yrs. I was also given a Mec 600 in 16 ga, and picked up a well worn but functional Mec 600 in 20 ga for
50 bucks at a gun show. Not rocket science to learn to use them, and if you have a friend who can show you the ropes , you will be comfortable with it quickly. I bought a Mec short kit for 16 ga , to make 2 1/2" shells and found it fits on my other 2 also. I mostly load short shells for my damascus 16's. In my steel barreled 20's I load AA and Gun Clubs, they are a little short anyway, and I load low pressure 3/4 and 7/8 oz. Grouse and clays dont require loads going 1300+ fps. Once you start shooting 3/4 and 7/8 oz loads in a 16, you wont like those 1 oz anymore( 'cept maybe for pheasant).
Now, as in a few years ago, reloading components and ammo are getting hard to come by. Hopefully this will pass. I'm not a hoarder, but I'm set for a couple yrs, plus I've got so much loaded already, I dont think I'll need to reload this year.
If you are going to reload short 16's, I'll even spot you 100 short hulls.

Harold you're a gentleman, thank you. I have a bucket of hulls from RST and others in various gauges so my immediate problems will be press/shot/primers/powder. I shot my VH12 last week for the first time at Rock Mountain with 2 1/2" RST Falcon Lite I think, dang that was fun. Didn't hit anything but sure was fun. It's more fun when you load them yourself so I'm looking forward to it.

About 1971 I started out with a Versa-MEC, sort of a deluxe MEC 600 Jr. and had dies for my four skeet gauges. By the time I was about seven years in, I'd worn the threads out from changing dies, so sent it back to MEC with the 20-gauge dies in. In the meantime I checked out a 12-gauge MEC 600 Jr. loaner from the Potomac River Gun Club, and ordered new 28-gauge & .410-bore 600 Jr Mark Vs from Gander Mountain. Near as I can tell MEC put a new machine on top of my old base plate and sent it back gratis. I still had the clubs 12-gauge press when the commanding officer threw us off the base. The President told me to just keep it when we auctioned off all our assets and divided the money up among the life members. Eventually added a 16-gauge 600 Jr. Mark V to the heard. I have the old dining room table from my folks house in the man cave and have a plywood board with screws set in to attach a loader. I use three C-clamps and secure it to the corner of the table and load while watching my big screen.

There is little money to be saved by loading 1 or 1 1/8 ounce 12-gauge shells or 7/8 ounce 20-gauge shells. The real place reloading pays is for 28-gauge and .410-bore. And of course any "specialty" loads like my favorite 7/8 ounce 12- and 16-gauge loads.

I shoot 7/8 oz in my 12 ga also in Gun Clubs. I use them in my Fox pin gun and a WW Greener 12 ga sidelever damascus. Recoil is about nonexistant.

I dropped down to 3/4oz. in the 12, 16, 20 and of course the 28 when this shortage hit a few years ago. Found out I don't miss the extra pellets but certainly don't miss the recoil.

Some people drink when they get bored. I reload when I get bored or antsy. That, and wait for the Fedex truck with more wads and hulls from BP or Precision.

Are there manuals for shotshell reloading like there are for metallic cartridges? Went to our local Barnes and Noble today but not one book there on reloading. I always find I have X, Y, Z components and recipes call for A, D, F. Specifically where does one find "low pressure" or low recoil loads for shorter shells? A few weeks back I burned up a mixed bin of 20's. You know, Dove loads, pigeon loads, game loads, probably 20 years old. I shot about 50 of them with my Citori and felt like I fought Rocky Marciano. Hurt more than my COVID vaccine shot the next day.

And then some people drink while they are reloading. I know because I shoot with one or two of them.:whistle:

Yes, there are, and can also be accessed on line. I have alot of low pressure 16 and 20 data downloaded on my computer

Lyman 5th edition shotshell reloading manual would be a good place to start. Search Hodgdon's and Alliant's web site for recipes as well as forums such as 24 hour campfire, Shotgunworld and the like. You could post here what you are looking for and I'm sure someone has a proven recipe for it.

Download the reloading recipe charts that the powder companies offer online.
I’ve done that and printed them and heep them at my reloading bench with the loads I use highlighted for future reference.





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That’s a huge NO-NO





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Thank you folks. I looked and all I could find online was 2 3/4 data. I'll wait until I actually get a press and then start mining for load data. Shoot straight in the meantime.

The really big savings is found reloading the big bores. There is nothing wrong with RST shells but 25 of their 2 7/8" 10 gauge shells is running $37.50 using their current price for a case of 100. Last time I ran the calculator using components I have picked up over the years I was loading 2 7/8 10 ga for $9 something a box of 25. For most people if you don't reload for a 10 ga you probably won't shoot it much.

Ballistic Products has several manuals. The Advantages manual has loads of 2.5" and they also have a decent manual for small bores.

Just a comment on availability of reloading presses. Three weeks ago I decided to buy a new Ponsness for 12-gauge and with a 20-gauge interchangeable head. Delivery was quoted at 3-4 months and went ahead with the order since my old MEC 9000 progressive still works ok though I have to keep tinkering with it. Last evening I was on the P-W website and delivery of new presses has gone to 5-6 months. Good time to be in the reloading press biz!

I find the Lyman shotshell loading manuals to be about as good as you can do for learning general reloading procedures; they lay it out pretty well. It helps to get their older editions for loading older hulls you might obtain, especially paper, and for older powders that might not be made any longer, but are still in circulation amongst folks like in the PGCA.

I also like the Cheddite Manual from Ballistic Products since I reload a lot of RST shells.

Pete is right about reloading the short 10 as well. I forgot about that, you need to be reloading to enjoy that gauge and there are so many wonderful Parker 10s out there.

I do still buy RST shells for most of my Parker Gauges for a variety of reasons. For example I just bought a case of their 16 gauge made for the A5(which are nice and I didn't feel like duplicating this recipe) and some fiber wad 20s(because they were in stock and I wanted to try them), but then reload the empties.

You'll figure everything out faster than you think.

I just looked at what I have in powder. I have 3 unopened canisters, 4lb each of Red Dot, American Select and Bullseye and see if I can use any of these. I'm going to try piece by piece to get things together. I appreciate everyone's help on this.

I don’t reload shotgun shells but I have been reloading rounds for my rifles. I’ LL shoot 20-30 rounds/year which doesn’t make reloading it a financially sound decision but to me it’s like tying flies: it’s something to do I. The winter when I’’m bored after I’ve wiped down my rifles for the ??? time. It’s also therapeutic, a bit like doing crossword or sudoku puzzles that require focus and concentration.

Through my competition NSSA skeet shooting career I lived by the Winchester Western Ball Powder Loading Data --

Attachment 92638

Filling my compression formed AA hulls with the loads that had the * next to it indicating it duplicated the factory AA. Still using them for my old 20- & 28-gauge AAs and my supply of compression formed 16-gauge UPLAND and Dove & Quail hulls.

In recent years the powder companies have put out these combined manuals.

Attachment 92639

Often stacks of them at local gun clubs and reloading component stores.

My beloved 7/8 ounce 12-gauge load in the Remington STS hull and 3/4 ounce 20-gauge in the STS or Gun Club hulls from here.

Got my 7/8 ounce 16-gauge loads from the 16-gauge site --

http://www.16ga.com/forum/index.php

OK so I'm popping about our basement and found 4 bags of Lawrence Brand Chilled Lead Shot #7 1/2. So I have 100 lbs of that. I totally forgot I bought it YEARS ago for $10 a bag only to use as ballast on my Lead Sled. Is this better for bird hunting rounds or clays? I know it's between magnum and plated shot from the Ballistics Products web site. Certainly would like to use it up. Sorry but this is all new to me.

7 1/2's are fine for clays or small upland game like grouse. Currently 4 bags of shot would probably run you $150 or more. I use 7 1/2's or 8's indiscriminately for sporting clays or grouse. 7 1/2's a little more downrange effective

I use #8 or #9 shot for all my closer in clays shooting but sometimes put a #7-1/2 load in the left barrel if I'm letting a clay go wayyyy out there where #8 will just chip them but #7-1/2 will break them. Same with grouse hunting; a central body hit with a single #7-1/2 pellet will kill a ptarmigan out to at least 50yds. For longer range trap shooting I'll use #7-1/2. And Harold is right; you'd pay a hefty price for that shot now, up to $42/bag up here I think.

Thank you folks. That's what I thought, I'll have a bajillion late season grouse shells to use : )

We pretty much went down the same road it seems ! I’d go to Fairfax R&G in January or February each year and buy 40 bags of shot a case of wads for each of the skeet gauges initially all WIN wads then changed over to PC knockoffs . A ten pounder of 452AA a ten pounder of 473AA an 8 of 540 and an 8 of 296 . As well as 10,000 WIN 209’s . Later when WIN brought out the AA16 and WSF that got added as well but most of that came from Green Top in Glen Allen ,

a 25 lb bag of shot has cost me 50.00 for a long time you boys in the north have it made...charlie

At normal shotgun ranges I have never worried much about chilled vs. magnum shot. If I am shooting long range handicap trap I would stick with magnum shot but other than that chilled shot works great.

When I first started loading shells shot was $9 or $10 for regular chilled and $1 more for magnum . At the end of my competitive career the rooskies were hoarding lead snd shot was up to $20-22 a bag and we thought that outrageous . If I order shot now I can usually get it for about $35 a bag with shipping added . If you buy I think it’s $500 worth they ship for a little of nothing . I have however been picking it up from folks selling it that a loved one had left over etc and would get it anywhere from $20-35 @ bag . Hence I’ve got a rather sizable pile of bagged shot . Mostly all 9 , 8 or 7 1/2 . But there is a bag of 7’s I got for the heck of it the last time I ordered and 2-5 bags of 4’s and 6’s .

I really am insistent about not using 9s for much of anything. I used to use them to load my own spreaders for very, very close rabbit targets and crossers, as my sporting clays comp gun has fixed .020" and .020" chokes. Then I discovered Fiocchi Interceptors and stopped loading them myself. They're probably fine for skeet, but I don't shoot that discipline.

Number 9 shot just sheds energy too quickly for me to be comfortable with it, even on smaller birds like quail and doves. Because of that, 9s almost never pass through a quail or dove. I hunt quail a lot with a close friend who believes in 1 oz. of 9s for quail. I've cleaned, and eaten, his birds shot with 9s and mine shot with 7 1/2s. I almost never bite into a 7 1/2 pellet, but it's common to with the 9s. If nothing else, that reason alone is enough for me to not use them on birds.

I've got three bags of 9s that were given to me a few years ago by a good buddy. I use them to balance my Allison XTB boat when I'm driving it alone and want to run it at high speed. The Allison doesn't seem to care what size the shot is, but having not tried 7 1/2s in it, I can't prove that. :whistle: