i loaded up ten more rounds of theround ball loads i steped off 35 long steps from the target..shot 5 rounds in the right barrel the grouping was about 5 inches..i then shot the left barrel 5 times a coupla of the shells were bloopers but the other three were spot on.out of the 8 good shells the grouping was no bigger than 6 inches i think i m ready for the 50 yard mark now got to load up more shells..i musta not of held the ball down good when i glued those shells..anyway will take more time next time for the 50 yard mark..and john i got in a hurry and did not weigh the balls..but i will next go around..charlie

8 ga round balls
 

Charlie - If you're interested, I came across an Italian manufacturer that makes a 8 gauge roll crimping tool that is used in a drill press. I have a friend going to Italy in few weeks if you think you can't live without this roll crimper. I will have to determine who the company is, too, so I can tell you the cost. But, there are only two I looked at so it wouldn't be difficult finding out the info.

The photo shows their 12 gauge roll crimper, but, the 8 gauge is included in their sales information on the internet.

thanks john but i already have a roll crimper for the 8 ga i think i got it from precision reloading..you put it a reversible drill it works mighty good.. i ve been loading the round ball at the end of shell and hot glueing in place do you think i would be better off doing it a differant way..i m open to any suggestions..charlie

By no means was I ever a regular benchrest competitor . But I have shot more then most folks from the bench in the bags with custom rifles factory rifles and a good many things in between . Shooting both cast and jacketed bullets .

Each year I spend a great deal of time casting for a herd of 444 lever actions and have gotten plenty 3 shot groups at 100 yards in the 1/2" range . And I do not weigh segregate my bullets . I only look for external flaws .

Now granted as the other fellow says it certainly cannot hurt to weight segregate them .

But it's like anything else if the person in question truely "believes" it will help in their mind it does . If a person loathes the idea or doesn't really by it they are wasting their time .

Over the years I've read on variouse forums about folks just starting to learn the entire rifle reloading process and they expect to be able to make loads comparable to what the seasoned BR competitor does after lets say 20 years experience . In a situation like that the person is setting themselves up to FAIL . Just about every facet of reloading be it rifle bullets or shotgun shells has a learning curve .

When a newcomer asks me questions I tell them to just try and make the gun go BANG the first time and work themselves up in increments .

When I myself first started I shot with a bunch of old timers and I thought I should be able to equal them right off the bat and it ain't so Joe !
I also got frustrated pretty damn quick until I stepped back and lessened what I wanted to attain each trip .

So if a person feels weighing case , bullets etc and segregating by weight is a help then by all means do it .But if you don't really see it then don't do it . I mean a real IBRA shooter is worried about 1/100ths of an inch . A fellow with an 8 gauge shooting punkin balls is more worried about 1/4 Minute Angle of Deer !

Get you 6-10 of the brass shells and crimp them like the pictures I've seen of old British shotgun ball loads . Looks as if they seat the ball deep enough not to be above the brass then the push the brass in , in about 8-12 different spots against the lead balls . You could also cover the top after that with candle wax for a moisture seal .

Look down this attached thread and you can see a normal roll crimp that should work for you on a brass shell . I have seen pics somewhere of indented shell tops and I believe they were of British manufacture . Anyway I was gonna find a picture and attach it for you but no such luck !

http://forums.nitroexpress.com/showf...40&an=0&page=4

The problem with crimping brass shotgun shells is after a little while the ends will go bad from the crimping. For those of us who want to keep on using the shells over and over, we don't crimp. That, and finding 8ga brass shells is damn near impossible, so one would never think of crimping because of the cost of those shells. Now if you really wanted brass shells in any gauge I believe a company call Rockey Mountain will make em on a lathe for $7.50 a shell - wouldn't want to crimp them. Charlie ain't crimping his plastic shells let alone brass. I know when I was reloading 45's for Cowboy Action shooting I never worried two much about the life of brass, but shotgun hulls in 10 or 8ga is a bit different.

I saw Rocky Mountains website a couple years back . They also make a handy dandy little setup for loading 8 gauge as well as I remmember .

I think if "I" were ever to get an 8 gauge and progressed to the roundball thing I would eventually try the crimp thing the way the Brits did it if for no other reason then to say I did it !
The roll crimp thats shown in the link I sent doesn't appear to be that detrimental to the life of the hull .

I suspect 10 of Rocky Mountains 8 gauge hulls would be enough for any needs I had .