reloading advice please
can someone tell me where to start when it comes to reloading ammo. my daughter has a .410 shotgun and my son has a 28 guage. due to availability and price i thought i would try reloading. i know less than zero about this topic. i want to purchase as good equipment as i can but i also need to get as cheap as possible without buying junk.
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You can spend a lot more money, but nothing will really do better than a MEC 600jr in both gauges. You should be able to buy both for under $200 and maybe get a bag of shot. These are easy to use, turn out superior ammo, pretty much idiot proof, come set up and have outstanding customer service. You do have to go thru a sort of learning curve to get the rhythm of the machine, but either your son or daughter should be able to work these as well as yourself. Used in these gauges are tough to find and usually not much cheaper than new in the box. Ask around at hte gun shops or at a range. I'm sure you'll find any number of people have started out and may still be using their 600's and would be more than happy to get you started, if you're still in doubt. The .410 is a little harder if only because everything is so small. You'll want to start buying Winchester AA or Remington Premiers for this as the hulls tend to recrimp better and last longer. Pretty much the same on the 28 ga. altho there are some other hull that are OK. You'll need to see if they include a couple of powder bushings with each machine, as for a time they did not, hence disapointment when you got home. The shop you buy powder at should have a few free powder guides from different manufacturers that should be enough to get some good reloads started. 0 -
Thank you for taking the time to answere my post. it is appreciated.
Sherwin0 -
If I was you I would buy 2 mec reloaders. Both of them either the 600 or 600. One for each gauge. I have used their 12, 16, 20, and their 28 gauge reloaders. Their is nothing easier to use. If you get them email me and I will give you a hand. I would buy them used also.
Hope this helps
Ray
More Powder, More Lead, More Dead0 -
the savings on shotshell reloading is pretty slim compared to metallic cartridges.IF you shoot a LOT<then you'll see some savings.It sounds like that is your primary reason for reloading so thought I"d mention something about it.
The hulls can be relaoded several times so they reall cost nothing in the long run.A lb. of powder is 7000 grains divided by the grains in the load you select,which gives you the mumber of rounds per pound.Shot is 25 lbs . per bag / the load you put into the shells.
Primers are,oh,a couple of cents each round? and wads are about 2 cents,maybe less.
Reloading is a good,fun hobby,and that is one good reason to do it,fer sure.I enjoy it a lot.
Hope this gave ya some insight and info.
Throckmortons' the alias,cas is the game.0 -
I agree with the Mec suggestions, and I also agree that unless you shoot a lot, trap or skeet, or really enjoy reloading, think again about it. You can invest quite a bit, and unless you plan on reloading these guages for some time, the investment will take quite a while to pay off, if you just shoot 4-5 boxes a year. 0 -
You should also pick up the lyman shotshell loading manual. It will cover just about everthing you need to know and has a lot of loading data. I have to disagree that the savings is minimal. That may be so in the larger gauges but 410's run $5-$6 or more a box for target loads. I can load them for $2.50 figuring about 5 uses from each hull. The savings on 28's is probably pretty comparable. The real savings will come if you plan on using these guns for hunting. hunting loads are closer to $9 for 410 and probably around $11 or $12 for the 28 and if loaded will only be pennys more than reloaded target loads. 3" 410's can be a little tricky as the hulls sometimes will collaps but someone with more experience may be able to work you through it. Stay away from federal hulls as they just seem to be harder to get a decent crimp. 0 -
I would concur with most of the advice you've received. MEC is a good, reliable shotshell press and a used one in good condition will function just as well as a new one. I would not buy two unless you are absolutely certain you are going to load a bundle of shells. At best, you save 50% or so over new shells. At that rate, it takes a good while to amortize the price of a second press. Unlike metallics, you have to marry the wads to the particular hull, so pick one type of hull and stay with it. If not, you are fooling around with crimps and every other bloody thing every time you change brands (and product lines within brands) and will find bags of wads playing bunny rabbit under your bench to accomodate the variations. My first reloading was shotshell and I soon dropped it as I just don't shoot enough shotshells to justify the effort. Frankly, unless your kids are going to shoot some version of clays on a regular basis, the cost effective way to produce ammo is to buy it by the case lot when it is on sale. If you think finding loaded ammo is hard (e.g., the 28 ga), wait until you try to find components for them! If you do decide to proceed, this outfit has the most comprehensive line of shotshell reloading material of any I've seen: http://precisionreloading.com/index.html
The Lyman manual is excellent and will give you a broad selection of potential loads. The nice thing about Lyman is that they are not locked into a particular line of components, so you can find loads for virtually any hull types.
Good luck!
"There is nothing lower than the human race - except the French." (Mark Twain)0 -
Ditto what dakota said. Get a copy of the Lyman Shotshell Reloading Manual and read it from front to back and you will be amazed how much you have learned and will give you a better idea of what you need or want to purchase. I believe they also have some tapes of metalic cartridge reloading for beginners........ Good luck....[8D] 0 -
I'll go against the grain here. I have a Lee Load-All that has loaded in excess of 9,000 rounds of 12 ga. I don't mean the Lee Loader that is used with a mallet. This is a plastic and aluminum bench mounted press that turns out quality reloads. I think I paid around $28 many moons ago. I think they can still can be had for under $50 with a full set of powder and shot bushings, allowing about any load you could want. Auto primer feed is available also. Except for a couple $2 wad guides, I've not spent a dime on it and have no reason to not think it will go another 9'000. I thought it would be good to learn on until I could get something better, however this old thing just keeps crankin' them out.
The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.0 -
thanks again guys all comments and suggestions are welcome and appreciated.
Sherwin0 -
If you go with 28ga. AA cases try to get the HS case. They are the new formula plastic and last quite a bit longer. I don't think anyone that says you won't save a good piece of change by reloading 28ga., (I don't reload 410 so can't really comment), has bought any factory 28ga. ammo lately. At nearly $7.00 for target loads a box, w/tax, you save a LOT and components are readily available at the bigger outfits and online, which are not much more expensive than 12ga. or 20ga. The real saving is in the shot since you use only a little more than half as much per load. Wads and primers are a constant, and powder varies depending on where you buy it and how much is needed to make a good load. I use Unique and it works well in both my 1100 and Beretta 687. Plus, sometimes it isn't all about money, as someone else mentioned.
BEER IS PROOF THAT GOD LOVES US AND WANTS US TO BE HAPPY!0
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