I AM BAFFLED
 

First time loading 28 Gauge. Bought a new Mec Sizemaster press. Searched the Hodgdon reloading data center for loads and looked over the comments that are on this thread. Picked out a low pressure 3/4 Oz load as follows:

Winchester AA HSS red hulls
Remington 209 Primers
CB 5034-28 HS 28 Ga wads, Optimum load 3/4/Oz
12.7 Grs Winchester 572 Powder
8500 PSI
1150 FPS

The shot will not fill up the hull enough to get a good crimp, and when you do crimp them the pellets rattle in the hull. I am using #8 shot. It is not much off from filling it as I added just a few pellets and got a great crimp and no rattle. I even weighed my pellet drop and it was just over the 3/4 Oz weight. Can anyone speculate what is going wrong with this or how I can solve it without going to a felt filler? Thanks, Steve

Make yourself a slightly larger capacity shot bushing that will fill the case. End of story.

Add in a Cheerio and if that is too much split it in half.

If you using a bar with bushings you will have to weigh the charge to verify again.. The recipe for that load that you posted should be fine. I'll bet the shot drop is light. Those bushings suck. I'm a huge fan of the adjustable charge bars.

Check the wad pressure by watching the ram that puts it in. If it shows on the indicator that it moves up adjust it so it just puts it in firmly the indicator moving a small amount. I had the same problem and the wad was being crushed just enough to leave a gap.

Great point that I considered. I loosened the wad ram and even with the set screw that holds it removed, it is still so tight that I had to rap on it with a rubber mallet to make it move, but it never loosened up. I finally set it at what I guessed was just touching the bottom of the wad.

Daryl, I am using a standard 3/4 oz Mec charge bar so their is no bushing to play with other than the powder bushing. I agree that the issue may be a light drop by the bar.

Weigh 10 shot charges and average them out. Wouldn’t surprise me if they are light charges. You can drop in a 1/8” .410 fiber wad before you drop in the shot if nothing else works.

Have some loose shot in a container close by and add a few pellets with a small dipper like a powder dipper, when it is still at the shot drop station. It usually only takes a few. In .410 and 28 they are hard to get the correct amount so I am always adding a few or removing by pouring out a few. These two gauges unless you shoot them a lot are slow to load for me. But at $25 a box for .410 in 3" I am saving lots of money. Twenty-eight also.

All this adding cheerios, fiber wads or extra shot to achieve a good crimp with each shell will get old after a while if you shoot them in any volume. Try bumping up the powder to 13.5-13.7gr. and if need be ream the shot cavity to get a full 3/4oz. drop. Make sure you are not crushing the wad. Fine tuning your machine and this load is all part of your new adventure with the 28.