Wad pressure? Reloading by hand…
 

When reloading by hand (for roll crimps if it matters) how much pressure is used to seat a wad? And how do you tell (measure) that it’s enough?

MEC presses have a scale which indicates the amount of pressure you're applying, but as Jerry Kaiser told me when I first started reloading,'if you have to crush a cushion wad to get it to close, you're using the wrong wad'.
Old Lyman loading books gave a 'recommended' pressure, but I honestly don't think it has too much effect on the pattern. I set my drop tubes to about 20-25psi.

Yeah, I’m familiar with the MECs, but I meant literally by hand. How to feel the right amount of pressure when loading by hand.

If you’re using a plastic wad with smokeless powder just get the wad seated on the powder, you don’t want to start collapsing the legs of the wad. With any of the wad pressure gauges and modern components you are just getting the needle to move, no more. Wad pressure is more important with fiber wads and black powder.

I'm a +/- 20# guy. I want the wad firmly down on the powder but see no gain in smashing it into the hull. I believe Edgar to be correct, if you have to smash the ingredients to close the shell you have not matched the components well. On the flip side, loose loads will tend to be erratic, velocities and pressures will vary quite bit, "bloopers" a possibility.

This sounds bad but in forty+ years of loading shotgun shells I’ve never worried about wad pressure when loading . And knock on wood I’ve not had any issue from that to the best of my knowledge .

You're not the only one. I've never set a wad pressure gauge on any of my presses.

You know at present I load everything on Rube Goldberg MEC’s . My 8 gauge press is a reworked 600 JR but at the moment I seat the wads by hand ( wad guide fingers are gone and no replacement yet ) . Anyway I seat the wads by hand push it down with my finger add the beans drop the shot and crimp .

I ve never checked my pressue on any loads either...maybe I should... charlie