Cheap 10 ga loader experiment.

[Arthur Shaffer]

I recently wanted to load some upland 10 ga loads, having never loaded them before. My gun is 2-5/8" chambers, so I cut a few new primed chedittes to 2-1/2" and loaded them by hand with a dowel to seat the wad and a roll crimp. Load was the popular red dot 1-1/8 load with a BP wad trimmed back.

I didn't like these because of all the fillers needed. I cut a few more off to 2-1/8" and found they would work perfectly with 1-1/4 oz loads with a wad and a roll crimp. A slightly shorter case will work with this or the 1-1/8 oz load.

I happened to have a 12ga and a 16 ga Lee loader I bought on sale for $40 each. I had never seen one but was amazed when trying the 12 ga that they worked as well as they did.

They use a loose resizer ring that slips on the shell in the first station to resize and thenit is forced off in the seating station. Also, the shell pockets in the base of the 12 ga are a proper size to fit a 10 ga. I thought about this a while and got a $10 sizing ring from a Mec sizemaster and found that the 12 ga Lee die mated up perfectly with the MEC ring. I cut off a few once fired Chedittes (from RST) and tried them. I had to lay a thick 1/2" steel washer in the sizing/decapping station base to make the stroke work all the way to the bottom.

Bottom line is it worked perfectly. You simply slip the sizing ring on the hull, decap and size it, seat a primer (which removes the sizing ring) then move to the loading station and drop powder,seat wad and drop shot. It's ready to roll crimp. The only changes to the loader are to lay a 1/2" thick washer in the first station base and remove the 12 ga wad fingers.

The limitation on shell length is that the resizing/depriming "die" is tapered to center the 12 ga hull. I may take the die out and see if I can turn it straight internally to allow shells up to 2-5/8" or 2-7/8" to be loaded.

Resizing the steel heads on the Chedittes was easy and the system is made to resize just like this by pressing the ring down with the die. If you want short simple loads and a roll crimp you can get a useable reloader that sizes for very little money.

I don't have any pictures but there is little to see. The washer is needed because the die taper keeps the hull from going in the last 1/8". If I can bore it out internally, you could us the loader in stock 12 ga setup with a 10 ga roll crimper and load both gauges with no changes.

The fact it works so well makes me think Lee intended to include the 10 or just allowed for it. As it is, a 10 die set would only need a decapping die and ring, a set of 10 gauge fingers and the star crimpers.

[Stan Hillis]

I used to load shells for my 2 7/8" chambered 10 ga. LCS with nothing but hand tools. I used fired hulls that I scrounged out of duck blinds, and some homemade tools, then roll crimped them. Worked perfectly, albeit a little slow. But, sometimes a man jes' needs to slow down some anyway .........

Glad to know your Lee press worked for you. Loading shells without a press always reminded me of the hunters of old who would reload what they shot that day, readying themselves for the next. Old guns and old methods sometimes go well together.

[Arthur Shaffer]

I actually have scrounged up all the old tools needed on ebay. Even found a minty 10 gauge priming tool the other day. You'r right, it is fun and not a lot slower than the press. The press is more of an autopilot thing if doing several boxes.

I was just amazed that a 12 gauge press by adding a shim and a $10 part from another manufacturer worked perfectly. I pulled the 16 gauge one out of the box and found that it too had 10 gauge size shell seats in the first half of the stations. I will have to experiment to see if you can load all three gauges with the same setup if you roll crimp

[Pete Lester]

I recently wanted to load some upland 10 ga loads, having never loaded them before. My gun is 2-5/8" chambers, so I cut a few new primed chedittes to 2-1/2" and loaded them by hand with a dowel to seat the wad and a roll crimp. Load was the popular red dot 1-1/8 load with a BP wad trimmed back.

I didn't like these because of all the fillers needed. I cut a few more off to 2-1/8" and found they would work perfectly with 1-1/4 oz loads with a wad and a roll crimp. A slightly shorter case will work with this or the 1-1/8 oz load.

I happened to have a 12ga and a 16 ga Lee loader I bought on sale for $40 each. I had never seen one but was amazed when trying the 12 ga that they worked as well as they did.

They use a loose resizer ring that slips on the shell in the first station to resize and thenit is forced off in the seating station. Also, the shell pockets in the base of the 12 ga are a proper size to fit a 10 ga. I thought about this a while and got a $10 sizing ring from a Mec sizemaster and found that the 12 ga Lee die mated up perfectly with the MEC ring. I cut off a few once fired Chedittes (from RST) and tried them. I had to lay a thick 1/2" steel washer in the sizing/decapping station base to make the stroke work all the way to the bottom.

Bottom line is it worked perfectly. You simply slip the sizing ring on the hull, decap and size it, seat a primer (which removes the sizing ring) then move to the loading station and drop powder,seat wad and drop shot. It's ready to roll crimp. The only changes to the loader are to lay a 1/2" thick washer in the first station base and remove the 12 ga wad fingers.

The limitation on shell length is that the resizing/depriming "die" is tapered to center the 12 ga hull. I may take the die out and see if I can turn it straight internally to allow shells up to 2-5/8" or 2-7/8" to be loaded.

Resizing the steel heads on the Chedittes was easy and the system is made to resize just like this by pressing the ring down with the die. If you want short simple loads and a roll crimp you can get a useable reloader that sizes for very little money.

I don't have any pictures but there is little to see. The washer is needed because the die taper keeps the hull from going in the last 1/8". If I can bore it out internally, you could us the loader in stock 12 ga setup with a 10 ga roll crimper and load both gauges with no changes.

The fact it works so well makes me think Lee intended to include the 10 or just allowed for it. As it is, a 10 die set would only need a decapping die and ring, a set of 10 gauge fingers and the star crimpers.

You said Lee Loader, are you talking about a "Lee Loader" that comes in a small box or a "Lee Load-All" which is a plastic single stage press"? There is a big difference between the two.

[Arthur Shaffer]

Nope, talking about the Lee Load All II bench loader. It seems like a piece of junk but actually is quite functionall. It strangely enough does a good job on very short 10 ga shells, if you ignore the crimping stations.

[Paul Harm]

Have you tried to load any shells that have been roll crimped and shot without the guide fingers for the wads ? When I would roll crimp 12ga hulls, I hated trying to get the case mouth opened up real good so the wad wouldn't get caught going in. I even had a tool made to open up the mouth. For that reason I would just load once and throw them away which was okay with 12ga. Empties were just laying around at the gun club. Now 10ga would be another story. I never roll crimped them much.

[Arthur Shaffer]

Actually, I got a set of MEC wad fingers (think they cost $5) and just stick it down in the shell when I push the wad in. It helps to pop the 12 ga wad finger holder off the Loader to get it out of the way. Tick the wad in the fingers set it on the shell, ram the wad, drop the powder and you are ready to roll, so t speak.