Hey guys I am sure lots of you out there have been reloading for quite some time. I have been reloading for around 20 years, I started with my dad. But we never got in to reloading shotgun shells. Well I have been really going through the shells at the local trap and skeet range so I was wondering if I could get some good combinations for trap and skeet that some of you have used. I have lots of AA hulls and can get the remington hulls. Any suggestions out there about some of your loads that you have worked up would be appreciated.
I have a mec press but I am willing to purchase another if needed.
Also I would like to get into loading steel for duck season. So if you all have any suggestions for that I would appreciate it too.
Thanks,
Scott
loads for trap and skeet
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Scott
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Wagonmaster
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i don't shoot competitively much anymore, but when i did, would reload about 35,000 rounds a year. i settled on a load. will look up the powder grains and send to you. recollection is 1 oz. shot, Claybuster knock-off of the Win. 1 oz. wad, AA hulls, 17 grains Hodgdon clays, primer did not really matter. You can buy stuff in large quantities for Gamaliel, or better, your local trap and skeet range or gun shop (prices are usually a little better).
The Clays is very clean burning and fairly slow burning for a target powder. Guys don't think you can tell the difference between a fast or slow powder, but when you shoot that many shells a year, you bet you can. Red dot would be a fast powder.
Liked the smooth hulls (AA) way better. Ribbed exteriors would hang up in the crimp fingers and not crimp right.
1 oz. 8 shot will, believe it or not, regularly kill targets out of an I/C choke out to 70 yards. used to shoot those 70 yard targets in the World Sporting Clay Championships (Federation International des Tires aux Sportives de Chasse). Actually, you can regularly kill clays beyond that, but I won't tell you how far because you would think I am full of $$it, which I probably am, but not on how far out a target shotgun can kill. Point is, 1 oz. 8 shot, or 7 1/2, will kill any claytarget you can put your shotgun on, so get the load and shot size out of your head and just shoot. Won't do that on real birds though, need bigger shot and penetration.
Bottom line though, is that you can buy good quality shells these days for very little more than the cost of reloading, and save yourself an awful lot of time. Reloading used to be about 2.25 a box of 25, factory was twice that. Now you can buy good factory shells for $35 a case or less. So I don't reload for target. Not worth the big expense in time.
Good luck, have fun, be safe.
The Clays is very clean burning and fairly slow burning for a target powder. Guys don't think you can tell the difference between a fast or slow powder, but when you shoot that many shells a year, you bet you can. Red dot would be a fast powder.
Liked the smooth hulls (AA) way better. Ribbed exteriors would hang up in the crimp fingers and not crimp right.
1 oz. 8 shot will, believe it or not, regularly kill targets out of an I/C choke out to 70 yards. used to shoot those 70 yard targets in the World Sporting Clay Championships (Federation International des Tires aux Sportives de Chasse). Actually, you can regularly kill clays beyond that, but I won't tell you how far because you would think I am full of $$it, which I probably am, but not on how far out a target shotgun can kill. Point is, 1 oz. 8 shot, or 7 1/2, will kill any claytarget you can put your shotgun on, so get the load and shot size out of your head and just shoot. Won't do that on real birds though, need bigger shot and penetration.
Bottom line though, is that you can buy good quality shells these days for very little more than the cost of reloading, and save yourself an awful lot of time. Reloading used to be about 2.25 a box of 25, factory was twice that. Now you can buy good factory shells for $35 a case or less. So I don't reload for target. Not worth the big expense in time.
Good luck, have fun, be safe.
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Chaingang
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I don't think your full of $$it John, I can remember seeing you out at Metro's duck tower banging away target after target, :rock: at distances no sane man would try !!Wagonmaster wrote:Actually, you can regularly kill clays beyond that, but I won't tell you how far because you would think I am full of $$it, which I probably am, but not on how far out a target shotgun can kill.
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Ayres
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You'll get a lot of varying opinions from shotgunners that reload about what amounts and brands of shot/powder. I've actually looked into it awhile back, but found that, like John said, it's not cost beneficial. That is, unless you're reloading 16 ga. or .410 shells. But 12 ga. and 20 ga. shells you can buy factory loads for about the same cost as reloading.
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Justus James Ayres SH CGC - Justus - Rest in Peace, buddy.
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Wind River's JK Black Tie Affair - Tux
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Justus James Ayres SH CGC - Justus - Rest in Peace, buddy.
Wind River's JK Clara Belle - Belle
Wind River's JK Black Tie Affair - Tux
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Casper
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Wagonmaster
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it is not like rifle, where matching the load to the particular gun is very important and can make all the difference in accuracy. modern factory shotshells are very good. the plastic shotcup is quite an invention. so no, it really is not possible to beat what the factories make today. it once was, but not much anymore.
and they have advantages home reloaders don't. for example, they are using clean new cases that are unscored on the inside from prior firing. so they get getter sealing than we can ever get. that makes little difference in normal conditions, but alot of difference when the temps start to drop. whole batches of reloads will start to bloop where factories keep going. they are able to use heat on the shell to form it and to crimp the new cases, etc.
wish it were so. fooling with shot shells is a lot of fun. but for target, especially, where you are shooting a high volume of low pressure shells and want to keep the cost down, it is pretty hard to beat Rio's or Estate's or some of the other less expensive loads out there today.
what you can do, if you really shoot alot, is create a load using a slower powder like Clays, and get a little less felt recoil than you will out of the inexpensive factories. but you really have to be shooting in the neighborhood of 10,000 rounds a year to have enough experience to feel the difference between the two.
even for hunting, where handloading used to do the better job, there are now exceptional shells out there with all the stuff handloaders want, like the Fiocchi Golden Pheasant, nickel silver shot. or plenty of buffered loads. and as i said, under cold weather hunting conditions, the factories are just going to seal better and actually fire.
and they have advantages home reloaders don't. for example, they are using clean new cases that are unscored on the inside from prior firing. so they get getter sealing than we can ever get. that makes little difference in normal conditions, but alot of difference when the temps start to drop. whole batches of reloads will start to bloop where factories keep going. they are able to use heat on the shell to form it and to crimp the new cases, etc.
wish it were so. fooling with shot shells is a lot of fun. but for target, especially, where you are shooting a high volume of low pressure shells and want to keep the cost down, it is pretty hard to beat Rio's or Estate's or some of the other less expensive loads out there today.
what you can do, if you really shoot alot, is create a load using a slower powder like Clays, and get a little less felt recoil than you will out of the inexpensive factories. but you really have to be shooting in the neighborhood of 10,000 rounds a year to have enough experience to feel the difference between the two.
even for hunting, where handloading used to do the better job, there are now exceptional shells out there with all the stuff handloaders want, like the Fiocchi Golden Pheasant, nickel silver shot. or plenty of buffered loads. and as i said, under cold weather hunting conditions, the factories are just going to seal better and actually fire.
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Addict
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Scott,
I like to use clays powder as well. I would recomend a press that resizes your brass. This helps with feeding problems in semi auto's.
Casper,
I've read that in theory that wads do help with patterning. If you use a wad that isn't cut down the sides as far and stiffer, it won't open up as much giving you a tighter pattern. I havn't tested this out myself so I don't know if it helps with all the new chokes out there or not.
With my old BPS that has a straight modified tube the commercial shells work ok. When I found the right load for it through reloading I got several more dusted clays instead of just getting chunks.
Plus when your shooting a bunch of rounds a 1 ounce load is easier on the shoulder than the 1 1/8 ounce loads. Hard to find 1 ounce or 7/8 ounce target loads around here. Can't really save money with these loads versus cheap shotshells at walmart.
The same thing holds true for my BPS with factory hunting loads of 1 1/4 ounce shot. My BPS hates Remington ammo and all others except Winchester. I reload those to save because they sell for $10 a box. I broke it down once and I could do it for 4.50 a box.
In my newer guns I havn't been able to tell a difference. Reloads or commercial perform just as well. If your having problems finding commercial loads that perform well reloading might be the answer.
I reload for better performance and because of the lack of local selection.
Addict
I like to use clays powder as well. I would recomend a press that resizes your brass. This helps with feeding problems in semi auto's.
Casper,
I've read that in theory that wads do help with patterning. If you use a wad that isn't cut down the sides as far and stiffer, it won't open up as much giving you a tighter pattern. I havn't tested this out myself so I don't know if it helps with all the new chokes out there or not.
With my old BPS that has a straight modified tube the commercial shells work ok. When I found the right load for it through reloading I got several more dusted clays instead of just getting chunks.
Plus when your shooting a bunch of rounds a 1 ounce load is easier on the shoulder than the 1 1/8 ounce loads. Hard to find 1 ounce or 7/8 ounce target loads around here. Can't really save money with these loads versus cheap shotshells at walmart.
The same thing holds true for my BPS with factory hunting loads of 1 1/4 ounce shot. My BPS hates Remington ammo and all others except Winchester. I reload those to save because they sell for $10 a box. I broke it down once and I could do it for 4.50 a box.
In my newer guns I havn't been able to tell a difference. Reloads or commercial perform just as well. If your having problems finding commercial loads that perform well reloading might be the answer.
I reload for better performance and because of the lack of local selection.
Addict